I’m happy to announce that my latest article “Song Form and Storytelling in Mainstream Metal” has just been published by Metal Music Studies! I’m especially proud of this publication because I think it represents some of my most vivid and accessible writing to date. It’s also the first time I’ve contributed my original research to Metal Music Studies, although I’ve written one or two reviews there before.

You can read the full version of this article at the journal’s website:
https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/mms_00092_1

You can read a pre-print version on my Academia.edu page:
https://www.academia.edu/96202545/Song_Form_and_Storytelling_in_Mainstream_Metal

Abstract: This article builds on a new theory of metal song form (Hudson 2021) to show how different versions of compound AABA form can carry narrative meaning, illustrated by analyses of a number of famous metal songs in mainstream (i.e., not underground/extreme) styles. First, I discuss how some songs about rituals use conventional compound AABA form such that the ‘transformation’ event of the ritual occurs during the song’s B section, focusing on examples by Mercyful Fate and Ghost. Next, I show how several metal ballads use a shortened version of the conventional form (AAB) to depict a protagonist who loses control, getting ‘stuck’ at the same time as the form gets ‘stuck’ in the B section, focusing on examples by Metallica and Pantera. I end with a short analysis showing how aspects of these two established strategies are combined in a unique pairing of form and narrative in Iron Maiden’s ‘Run To The Hills’. As I analyze these songs, I explore how musical form can structure fans’ participation in the music and shape their experiences of these songs’ stories.

Spoiler alert: Here’s a sample diagram from the article.