Music, The Rock Of Ages
Music, The Rock Of Ages
Music is a decidedly human phenomenon. Whether or not it has been codified, understood, or accepted by others has largely meant little to those creating, performing, and listening to it. It is a huge aspect of spirituality for many. Music can enhance religious services, such as J.S. Bach and L.v. Beethoven, yet at the same time music is a religion unto itself. Like any symbol with deep meaning it expresses much more than just what is written that can be seen. This is because the of the experience one achieves when immersed within the music that they are feeling. Lyrics and libretto can add immensely to the value of a song or larger composition but they are not needed. The music itself can reveal things within ones soul that words can never adequately express.
One must be in tune with the sounds they are hearing and how such vibrations emanate deep within one’s being. If all that is sought after is music to make one dance and shuffle their hips in rhythmic flights of fancy in a dim club under glittering lights then that is a sad state to be in since, while certainly a powerful aspect of the art, it is shameful to list it as only that for it becomes just a surface level scenario. Once the music stops then its function has ceased for them. The body and the soul must be entwined to embrace the full extent of it all and that is openly there for the accepting, not the taking. Any item has more worth to the beholder that was earned rather than stolen. This is akin to many pop songs of the day with unintelligent lyrics that may or may not be hidden from their meaning yet are popular because the music moves them. They quickly become famous and then soon fade away since their purpose tends to be fleeting.
Music has moved generations and can shape societal movements like the song Ohio. What has become known as “protest songs”, or perhaps more rightly ‘reaction songs’, were influential decades ago and helped define a message that was relatable and immediate. Punk was born from this. We do not have ‘protest articles’ from newspapers that have stood the test of time, not many of them though there are some such as the releasing of documents revealing cover-ups and lies done by those with influence and power. But the music is what makes such things so much more dramatic and insightful. Current examples include Am I The Only One by Aaron Lewis, Fake Woke by Tom McDonald, Entitled by Smile Empty Soul, along with the likes of Morrissey and Eric Clapton, only to name a few. There is a purpose to the message which is heartfelt and unlike a newscast, sitcom, or a commercial it is not there to simply entertain, other propaganda elements of those features aside.
The style of music that ones prefers is a personal choice. It is also influenced by one’s surroundings and upbringing. Ultimately is what is you find to be relatable for reasons that only you may interpret. Music can attract, deter, vitalize, destroy. There are plenty of love songs in existence yet the world is far from a loving place. This also means that songs about hate, killing, and suffering do not make the world a worse place. Slayer, that satanic, aggressive, nazi-glorifying band was fronted by a Catholic. Tom screams phrases like “god hates us all” and other lines about dragging christ and angels into Hell, songs about serial killers, and sex with the dead yet is one of the nicest people you could ever meet and is easily likable by all. AC/DC and Judas Priest have been legally accused of providing a template for murder for unstable people who just happened to latch onto one small piece of what these bands offer, twist them, and then act upon anti-social tendencies. This is like saying an album has caused the outbreak of a war and not the conniving freaks within a bureaucracy hell-bent on the destruction of poor people and profits for themselves and their corporate donors.
Music is a necessary outlet for all of us in one way or another. Much like writing these articles it is due to a need to express oneself in a focused manner that only the one creating it can. It can also be a salvation to those listening during dark times even if the music itself is dark. Metal music, my preference, is perceived for being a violent, evil, loud, cacophony that irritates everyone else who hears it. Yet it is precisely because of such deep forebodings that its comfort is to be found. In the realm of such a heavy style of music the tendency is to present ones nightmares rather than their hopes and dreams. It is more easily grasped because it is real for them. There is no value in hiding from ones darkness but a very valid hope and comfort is to be found in the confrontation of such dread. It is energizing and gets me moving better than coffee.
I grew up in the 1980’s when the PMRC and the Satanic Panic were widespread. Like any lone teenager I was naive, anxious, and lost. Yet when I was faced with the irrational fears of others, many others, it was truly hard to believe what I was witnessing. People did not want a discussion. They wanted, or rather insisted, on their own level of righteousness and superior level of morality and ego due to ignorance stemming from an easily-controlled mind in an effort to persuade me, without their realizing it, to their own clutches of chains. A televangelist preacher was less insulting to hear than they were. And yet here in 2021 I smack my head that there are those who still abound with these delusions, as if only they may grant me salvation.
Whatever form of music you prefer is your own decision, or more accurately, it is a decision made for you by the music that grasps you be it Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Barry Manilow, Death, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, or Kelly Clarkson. Bands like Iron Maiden and Sabaton can teach one much about history and literature. The words are important but without the music they would lose much meaning and staying power. The real danger lies in the fact that music has largely been relegated as background sounds and this is as real a vital pestilence as much as anything else since it detracts from that sincere religious trait that is a pure component of our souls, and like our physical bodies that needs to be well-fed too. Refresh your life, not just your environment, with welcome music that moves you deeply, songs that can bring tears to your eyes and shakes and bumps to your flesh, sounds that spark vitality and productive energy and enhancement of thought. I promise you that it is time well-spent. Don’t leave it as a hobby, let it become a ritual.