A classmate of mine posted this on Facebook. I’ll keep him anonymous just in case, but I found his analysis of his favorite musical genre to be very eloquent and wanted to share it. There is cultural validity in every artistic expression because every person is a member of culture. Period. Music (and all art) that defies expectations follow the tradition every generation has practiced: usurpation of the preceding order. This music is no different, and as long as the artist respects the art, there is no shame in sharing it. I put in in “philosophy” because he mentions dadaism, which is an aesthetic philosophy that hopes to broaden society’s perspective. Grindcore has value, and my friend explores it aptly here:
“I have been listening to Heavy Metal music ever since I was five years old and my Dad gave me Rage Against The Machine’s self titled album after he recieved it in the mail from a CD club. I listen to and enjoy all types of metal/hardcore but for the past six or so years I have narrowed my focus on Grindcore and Powerviolence. Metal to me has always been about, as Scott Hull says ‘twitching that adreninal gland’ and I find no other genre does this for me better then Grindcore. Grindcore to me is a lot of things. It is the logical extreme the ultimate fullfillment of heavy metal and punk’s initial promise of playing loud and fast and scaring the Hell out of your parents. I also view it as a sort of dadaist art form, an art form for a world no longer deserving of art. Much in the way dadaist’s reacted to the wholesale slaughter of World War I by producing art that was visceral, unconventional and absurd, we can look at grindcore bands employing the same techniques to channel a world rife with mass capatilistic dehumanization and nearly endless military operations. And if nothing else, Grindcore to me is an exhibition of absolute freedom, of total ctharsis through sonic chaos, a tantrum of primal and violent energy aimed at no one and everyone.”
Pyrrhic Victories 