A God's Journey with Musical Fury - Media Meditation #1

Never before have I been exposed to such a masterful blend of story telling and instrumental passion.

Dethklok is a melodic death metal band that is fairly unique and/or extraordinary in its current condition. The band fulfills two roles. The first is the role of a real band that composes and records albums as well as performs concerts. The second role is using that same composed and produced music as the soundtrack to the television series Metalocalypse, a show that band vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and pianist Brendon Smalls helped create. He doesn't stop there, he also voice acts three of the five band members in the show, the band's manager, and other side characters.

One of their songs truly amazed me. The show is hilarious, but this analysis will focus on the music.

Dethklok's song Murmaider II: The Water God is the epitome of story telling mastery combined with the perfect musical genre.

My Triune Brain was impacted greatly in the limbic department. This is music, and this music triggered my limbic brain to extremes. My neocortex was kept just as busy deciphering the lyrics. The genre, death metal, is the top genre for reptilian brain attention. The pulsing beats, aggressive vocals, and furious riffs keep me focused and ready to react.

The Eight Shifts in the media can be applied in many ways to this song. The epistemological shift of the words to the image can be seen in how this song is portrayed. It sacrifices complete coherence of words to create a most powerful image through the use of music.

In an economic scope, this song was produced a sequel to the band's popular song, Murmaider. The corporation that owns the band may have changed the creators' original intentions to appeal to the awaiting audiences.

The aesthetic shift is major here! Brendon Smalls is convergence in flesh. He contributes every aspect of the band and show, fulfilling many roles. The show as a medium has expanded from television to the internet, and the song is available in so many locations.

There are seven principles of media by which this song should be considered.

Those who listen to this song will get different individual meanings. The genre is off putting for most people, so that alone will make people hate it. However, the storytelling potency is so great that perhaps one can overlook their distaste for the genre and embrace this song for its glory. Metal heads will enjoy this song for it is a fantastic song. It meshes impressive instrumentals with melodic vocals, taking the listener on a journey.

The reality being constructed by the song are easily overlooked. This song takes the listener on an epic path of ascension, using powerful language and glorious portrayals to enhance the experience. This song, however, is made partially for use by another source - the television show. Consider, this song's creation may have been out of a necessity, not desire to create.

The emotional transfer in this song is MASSIVE. The vocals express the words somewhat clearly, and these words ride well with the musical rhythms. This essentially mixes powerful sounds with powerful words, creating a potent song. The events in the story inspire certain emotions. It uses the word 'you', putting the listener in a special place. This 'you' is given a great amount of power and glory throughout the song, and this gives the listener feelings of power and glory.

Persuasive techniques are a staple of any medium. In this song there are several that can be applied.

Strength is a major technique being applied. The lyrics contain powerful language: "The beasts of the sea will collect and submit, pray for your forgiveness and live as your permit." "Your minions stretch for leagues for a bloody coral throne." "I get by just fine. Check. I've known much worse life. Check. I've conquered dark times. Check. They should fear my mind. Check."

Plain Folks is evident for the song addresses the listener as part of the song's story. It puts the ordinary person into the place of the hero which the story follows.

Flattery is applied in a similar way as Plain Folks. The person listening is given the place of the hero, flattering him or her to new heights and enjoyment/engagement.

Fear is utilized in the context of the story. By the time this comes up you are already swept up into the story. You're told that you will "never stop swimming, you'll always be tracked." It makes an enemy known, creating fear.

This song is a masterful work of poetry, story telling, and music. The story was about the right type of journey. If this song were composed to be country or R&B, it would lose a lot of its quality. Sometimes mediums can converge and create garbage, but in this case a beauty was born. This song forgoes any genre boundaries I set in place for myself. It not only refreshed my appreciation for story telling, but also for the raw passion of hard music.