Depicting Hell With Music: Classical Music, Heavy Metal, and Instilling Emotions

Depicting Hell with Music

What the Hell do you feel?

Hell is a place described in many religions to instill fear, usually depicted as a place of punishment, torture, and eternal suffering.

Research using the "Reasons for Death Fear Scale" indicate that it is a leading cause for the fear of death

How the Hell can you measure emotion?

Semantic Mapping is a method of attatching meaning to neural activities by means of experimental observation

Nueral Activity and Valence are measured using physiological markers

How The Hell Do You Analyze Music?

Side notes:

Melody consists of pitches with specific set of relationships called a scale, which can closely contribute to the emotion of a peice

I find that music with negative valence (w.r.t Hell) tend to utilize the minor scale

One can compare two pieces based on these components and determine how we relate emotionally to their similarities and differences

How The Hell Can Music Instill Emotions Similar To Those Evoked By Depictions Of Hell?

-To compose music that will instill emotions with negative valence yet entice the listener the music must exploit high levels of brain activity.

But what kind of music is that?

Heavy Metal and Classical Music that Depicts Hell

Side notes:

• A specific melodic interval(spacing between notes) called the tritone( 3 whole steps of a scale) was originally called the Diablos en Musica (Devil in Music).
• Early 18th Century composers avoided using the tritone because it was deemed foul and too difficult to sing

example-

first the tonic and then the sharp fourth

Thank you for your attention!

And one more thing...

Conclusion

is here

Classical Music

Semantic Map

Physiological Markers

Hells Gate

Musicologist Marc Leman's Hypothosis

Human Reaction

Current Musical Reactant

Relative Sound "Energy"

By: Michael Wodnicki

April 2012

Harmony determines the disnance or consonance

• 7 Components:
• Melody ( foreground)
• Harmony (relationship between pitches)
• Rythem (accent's in articulation)
• Tempo (speed)
• Dynamics (volume)
• Timbre (emphasis)
• Form (syntax)

Form is the most elusive aspect that is translated to emotion because it relies strictly on the composer's ability and vision

Prominant Heavy Metal Bands

Emotions Composer Relays

Semantic Map

• Fear
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Turbulence
• Unease

• Helplessness
• Aggression
• Sorrow
• Solitude
• Confusion

• .

Aspects Necessary For High Brain Activity

• Fast Tempo
• Dissonance
• High Volume
• Staccato ("choppy")
• Unconventional Melody

A major aspect of depicting Hell through Heavy Metal music is the use of descriptive lyrics, usually screamed!

Slayer

Lyrics:

Waiting the hour destined to die

Here on the table of hell

A figure in white unknown by man

Approaching the altar of death

Metallica

Lamb of God

Musical Analysis:

• Stacatto power chords
• Abnormal/disorienting rhythm
• Resolves into a minor melody
• Minor 2nd Intervals
• I , V chordal structure
• Dissonant vocal melody
• Hoarse, enraged "singing"

Musical Analysis

Lyrics

• Melody starts major and transition to minor
• Fast/ complex guitar playing
• Intense singing
• i , VI , i , VI , i , VII , i , v, VI
• Vocal melody is mainly minor 2nd Intervals
• Hoarse/ sad/ angry singing

I can't remember anything

Can't tell if this is true or dream

Deep down inside I feel to scream

This terrible silence stops with me

Pray for blood,

Pray for the cleansing,

Pray for the flood,

Pray for the end of this nightmare.

Musical Analysis

o

• IV => #iv
• the underlying chord is the

four chord and at the end of

the phrase it goes to the #iv

which is the tritone

• Guitar Solo:

-ascending the minor scale in 2nd intervals

-using pulloffs and hammerons (guitar technique) for emphasis and speed

Lyrics

Darkness imprisoning me

All that I see

Absolute horror

I cannot live

I cannot die

Trapped in myself

Body my holding cell

Musical Analysis

• Minor chords
• No variation of chords
• Loud
• Fast
• Stacatto
• Agry yelling vocal line
• Melody consists unison, minor 2nd,

and minor 3rd intervals