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7 - Mesopotamian Metal

Learning from the Past through Metal Music?

from Part II - Metal and History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2023

By
Peter Pichler
Edited by
Jan-Peter Herbst
Jan-Peter Herbst
Affiliation:
University of Huddersfield
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Summary

Mesopotamian metal’, which includes bands like Absu, Agga, Arallu, Bohema, Decimation, Melechesh, Svartsyn or Tiamat, is a sub-discourse and substyle of metal music that deals with the history of ancient Mesopotamia mainly thematically. Crucial here is the reference to ancient times in this region of the Middle East. The first section of this chapter gives an introduction to the concept of Mesopotamian metal. The most relevant bands are introduced, with Melechesh serving as the paradigmatic example. The next part focuses on the role of history, analysing how the construction of history is undertaken in Mesopotamian metal. It is shown that this discourse promotes a certain brand of historical politics to help solve problems in the present, most of all in the conflict-ridden region of the Middle East. The third part deals with the regional and global contextual linkages of Mesopotamian metal. Summarising this argumentation, the conclusion argues that possibly we can from the past through metal music.

Keywords

metalhistorylearningMelecheshMesopotamian metalpolitics of history
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Metal Music , pp. 87 - 98
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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