No link between death metal and violence, study finds

Headbangers who revel in the sometimes gruesome lyrics of death metal bands are no more desensitised to violence than those who prefer upbeat pop tunes, according to a new study.

The report by researchers at Macquarie University in Sydney, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, was based on a classic psychological experiment in which volunteers are simultaneously shown an innocuous image in one eye and and a shocking or violent one in the other.

Past results show that participants tend to be drawn to the violent image, which scientists have theorised could be the result of an innate survival mechanism alerting humans to potential threats.

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For the new study, researchers repeated the experiment with a musical accompaniment.

The volunteers, made up of 32 death metal fans and 48 people with no interest in the genre, viewed the image sets while listening to either Pharrell Williams’ chirpy pop hit Happy or a track called Eaten by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath.

The song, inspired by real-life German cannibal Armin Meiwes, includes the refrain: “Carve me up, slice me apart / Suck my guts and lick my heart / Chop me up, I like to be hurt / Drink my marrow and blood for dessert”.

Death metal fans showed the same innate focus on violent imagery as non-fans, indicting that - contrary to the fears of some parents and religious groups - listening to violent music does not desensitise listeners to actual violence.

All volunteers reported feeling more positive when listening to the song from their preferred genre, whether it was metal or pop, which suggests that death metal fans are actually desensitised to the aggressive aspects of the music rather than to real-life violence.

“The dominant emotional response to this music is joy and empowerment,” Macquarie University psychology professor Bill Thompson, told the BBC. “And I think that to listen to this music and to transform it into an empowering, beautiful experience - that's an amazing thing.”

Contrary to common misconceptions, death metal fans are “nice people”, he added: “They're not going to go out and hurt someone.”

Bloodbath’s lead singer, Nick Holmes, told the BBC that the findings came as no surprise to him.

“The majority of death metal fans are intelligent, thoughtful people who just have a passion for the music,” he said, comparing the appeal of violent lyrics to horror movies or battle re-enactments.

The study makes for particularly interesting reading in the UK, where “controversy has surrounded the Metropolitan Police’s decision to target drill rappers, whose violent lyrics about gang disputes they have linked to knife crime”, says The Independent.