Extreme metal--one step beyond heavy metal--can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Extreme metal musicians have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. Extreme metal circulates on the edge of mainstream culture within the confines of an obscure 'scene', in which members explore dangerous themes such as death, war and the occult, sometimes embracing violence, neo-fascism and Satanism.

In the first book-length study of extreme metal, Keith Kahn-Harris draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene. He shows how the scene is a space in which members creatively explore destructive themes, but also a space in which members experience the everyday pleasures of community and friendship.

Including interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form.

About the author

Dr. Keith Kahn-Harris is an independent scholar, an associate lecturer at the Open University, an associate at the Centre for Urban and Community Research, Goldsmiths College and a founder of the Centre for New Jewish Thought. His website is www.kahn-harris.org.

Contents

* Introduction: From Heavy Metal to Extreme Metal

* Chapter One: The Extreme Metal Scene

* Chapter Two: The Scene and Transgression

* Chapter Three: Experiencing the Scene

* Chapter Four: Capital, Power, Infrastructure

* Chapter Five: Comparing Extreme Metal Scenes

* Chapter Six: Extreme Metal and Subcultural Capital

* Chapter Seven: Reflexivity, Music and Politics

* Chapter Eight: The Scene and Modernity

* Appendix: Details of Quoted Interviewees