Far from its sites of origin in the Global North, metal music thrives in the hands of musicians, fans, and scholars throughout other geographies of the world. Metal in the Global South, the latter defined as a geographical and symbolic space marked by the colonial dynamics of modernity, shines through in Defiant Sounds: Heavy Metal Music in the Global South. The volume brings together authors working from and/or with the Global South to reflect on the roles of metal music throughout their respective regions. With contributions spanning Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations, the essays position metal music at the epicenter of region-specific experiences of oppression marked by colonialism, ethnic extermination, political persecution, and war. More importantly, the authors stress how metal music is used throughout the Global South to face these oppressive experiences, foster hope, and promote an agenda that seeks to build a better world. It may be that metal’s greatest contribution to human emancipation will be in the years to come, in places its originators never imagined. This volume offers evidence of that contribution already taking place in the geographical and symbolic space that we respectfully and emphatically call the Distorted South.
Contents Introduction: Of “Metal” and Metal: A Global South Approach to Metal Studies Daniel Nevárez Araújo, Nelson Varas-Díaz, Jeremy Wallach, and Esther Clinton Section 1: Conceptualizing the Distorted South Chapter 1. Metal Music in the Distorted South: A Call for Defiance and Reflection Nelson Varas-Díaz, Daniel Nevárez Araújo, Jeremy Wallach, and Esther Clinton Section 2: Hope Chapter 2. An Exegesis of Excess: Reverberations and Connotations of Feminisms Cartographed via Metal Music in the Global South Susana González-Martínez Chapter 3. Reclaiming Aotearoa: Stories of Experimentation, Education, and Reflection in Aotearoa Indigenous Metal Music Didier Goossens Chapter 4. “A Whole New Type of Isolation”: Resilience and Hope in the Navajo Nation Metal Scene during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020–2021 Anthony J. Thibodeau and Sage Bond Section 3: Social Change Chapter 5. “We Play Heavy Metal because Our Lives Are Heavy Metal”: A Generation of Metal in the Middle East and North Africa Mark LeVine Chapter 6. Youth Activism and Decolonial Metal: Voice of Baceprot and Alien Weaponry as Case Studies Paula Rowe Chapter 7. Coloniality and Gender in the Argentinian Metal Scene: A Study Through Four Cases Manuela Belén Calvo Section 4: Dialogues Chapter 8. An Interview on Contar/Cantar Memórias da Resistência Susane Hécate (Miasthenia) and Daniel Nevárez Araújo Chapter 9. Misusing Things in Metal Music: A Dialogue Manuel Gagneux (Zeal & Ardor) and Daniel Nevárez Araújo Chapter 10. The Alternative Side of the Frame: A Dialogue on Southern Inspirations Kobi Farhi (Orphaned Land) and Nelson Varas-Díaz Chapter 11. A Dialogue on Metal Festivals and Social Justice Tshomarelo “Vulture” Mosaka (Overthrust) and Edward Banchs Section 5: Diaspora Chapter 12. The Ultra-Violence: Death Angel and Asian American Presence/Absence in Heavy Metal Kevin Fellezs Chapter 13. “Somewhere They Belong”: Metal, Ethnicity, and Scenic Solidarities in Malaysia’s Underground Scenes (1990s to 2000s) Azmyl Yusof and Adil Johan Section 6. Transgression Chapter 14. Ancient, Evil, and African: Heavy Metal and Conflict in East Africa Edward Banchs Chapter 15. The Influence of Different Satanic Panics on the Transgressive Practices of Metal Music in Egypt, Iran, and Syria Pasqualina Eckerström Section 7: Resistance and Community Chapter 16. Decolonizing the Mind’s Eye: Images of Resistance in Caribbean Metal Music Nelson Varas-Díaz and Daniel Nevárez Araújo Chapter 17. Nongkrong, Value of Community, and Everyday Resistance in the Indonesian Metal Scene Oki Rahadianto Sutopo and Agustinus Aryo Lukisworo Chapter 18. Satan Wasn’t There: The Perseverance of the Moroccan Metal Scene Amine Hamma and Brian Trott Epilogue: Metal Unbound Esther Clinton, Jeremy Wallach, Nelson Varas-Díaz, and Daniel Nevárez Araújo About the Contributors
Nelson Varas-Díaz is professor of social-community psychology at Florida International University’s Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies. Jeremy Wallach is professor of popular culture in the School of Cultural and Critical Studies at Bowling Green State University. Esther Clinton taught in the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) for sixteen years on topics ranging from traditional narrative to popular novels to advanced cultural theory. Esther’s tragic, untimely death at age 50 cut short her exploration of these topics, but her many students carry on her legacy. Daniel Nevárez Araújo is assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras.
Reviews for Defiant Sounds: Heavy Metal Music in the Global South
"""Defiant Sounds: Heavy Metal Music in the Global South is an important book, both for metal scholarship (which is a large and expanding global community) and equally for understanding Latin America in the current world. Metal was ahead of the curve in grasping the political and cultural changes in the region. The editors are esteemed scholars of metal and globalization."" -- Deena Weinstein, DePaul University"
