Classical Antiquity in Heavy Metal Music - (Imagines - Classical Receptions in the Visual and Performing) by K F B Fletcher & Osman Umurhan

Book Synopsis

This book demonstrates the rich and varied ways in which heavy metal music draws on the ancient Greek and Roman world. Contributors examine bands from across the globe, including: Blind Guardian (Germany), Therion (Sweden), Celtic Frost, Eluveitie (Switzerland), Ex Deo (Canada/Italy), Heimdall, Stormlord, Ade (Italy), Kawir (Greece), Theatre of Tragedy (Norway), Iron Maiden, Bal-Sagoth (UK), and Nile (US). These and other bands are shown to draw inspiration from Classical literature and mythology such as the Homeric Hymns, Vergil's Aeneid, and Caesar's Gallic Wars, historical figures from Rome and ancient Egypt, and even pagan and occult aspects of antiquity.

These bands' engagements with Classical antiquity also speak to contemporary issues of nationalism, identity, sexuality, gender, and globalization. The contributors show how the genre of heavy metal brings its own perspectives to Classical reception, and demonstrate that this music-often dismissed as lowbrow-engages in sophisticated dialogue with ancient texts, myths, and historical figures. The authors reveal aspects of Classics' continued appeal while also arguing that the engagement with myth and history is a defining characteristic of heavy metal music, especially in countries that were once part of the Roman Empire.

Review Quotes

[The] first attempt to break new ground by marrying Classics with metal music studies in an edited volume.
Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Rich and stimulating ... The book should be hailed as a significant contribution to the study of the reception of antiquity in pop culture.
Anabases (trans. by Bloomsbury Academic)

Tackles an array of complex contemporary issues.
History Today

About the Author

K. F. B. Fletcher is Associate Professor of Classics at Louisiana State University, USA.
Osman Umurhan is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of New Mexico, USA.