The Inferno

The world is ruled by reason.

We even got rid of God.

And if there is no heaven,
then it follows reasonably…

that there is no hell.

listen to extreme metal? This is a question I’ve been asked quite often, of late, sometimes prefaced with ‘You don’t look like a metalhead’, or ‘Really, I would have never guessed!’.

To reply to the first comment, maybe the fact that I look like an unprepossessing banker in the city has something to do with the fact that I don’t look like the typical metalhead.

To answer the question, I must say that I do because it is strangely soothing. It is gloriously cathartic to have someone growl and scream on my behalf while the music rages on. I suppose one has to be able to identify with the basic emotion in death metal. Some might say it’s anger, others power, others yet aggression. Like most forms of art, it becomes a Rorschach for the observer. The listener in this case simple hears whatever they want to hear.

The average person probably gives death metal a wide berth because of the imagery and the undecipherable vocals. These are the two most standard complaints. I like to think that the imagery is just a rock n roll gimmick. After all, no normal person, one would hope, cavorts around in graveyards frolicking in necrophiliac ecstasies with the dead. The imagery is also a refutation to a lot of what mainstream society stands for. The average person does not want to be reminded of the darker side of man all the time. The average person would rather drink beer and discuss last night’s sports game or some other such endeavour.

Before you think I’m trying to conclude that death metal afficionados are evolved humans who can discern between complex philiosophical ideologies while holding discourses on the evils of globalization, let me assure you that this is most certainly not the case. Most metalheads are little better than semi-literate apes who can barely comprehend the writing on the next band poster. One only has to actually go to a death metal concert to see this.

As for the vocals, it’s a bit like classical music. No one listens to classical music, with the exception of Opera, for the vocals and it’s a similar case with extreme metal. The lyrics in most extreme metal songs are complete rubbish anyway.

So, in the end, like most forms of art, it boils down to being a purely subjective matter. If you like heavy rock n roll and want to try something a wee bit heavier, there is always death metal. Otherwise, no harm done.

I can’t speak for the vast majority of those who go without adequate sleep often, but I can say this for myself. I feel slower, more obtuse, almost as if there were a wall between me and my thoughts sometimes. Having said that, I’m glad to add that this occurs rarely, however the side effects of consistently getting 4 hours of sleep a night all week long are pretty bad too. To sum up:

1. Increased hostility and rage towards trivial matters. A lack of sleep implies irritability implies anger, maybe?
2. A lack of appetite. Where before I could down vast quantities of food with ease, now I only eat three times a day. Maybe this is a good thing.
3. Exhaustion. This one is an obvious result.
4. Social filters breaking down. It’s harder to listen to other people’s conversations.
5. Massive increase in lack of empathy, and corresponding spike in apathy. Maybe a correlation between this and 4?

Maybe the ‘Let’s finish all our homework, no matter what it takes’ strategy is working, it’s too early to tell. So far my grades in most courses are near the top of the class, but they’re nothing stellar. SFU’s letter grading scheme is another factor in not knowing exactly where I stand, since even a 70 in a particular course can translate into an A or an A+. I suppose I can look back at this semester when it’s over and the grades have been posted and feel pride if I do well. If not, then the sleep deprivation strategy is obviously not worth the effort.