‘Delightfully depressing’: Death/doom metal music world and the emotional responses of the fan

Abstract

© 2017 Intellect Ltd Article.Death/doom metal music, from both sides of the name, usually occupies itself with the darker spectrum of human emotion. Depression, melancholy and death are common themes in the music and in the reception of this music from an outsider point of view. In line with symbolic interactionism, these emotional responses differ significantly when they originate from a well-socialized member of this music world. This suggests that one may think of emotional responses as conventions of a music world. Common responses provide an emotional repertoire for members, and furthermore they become an adhesive for the community. In this article, I discuss my research of the fans of death/doom metal and explore the ways in which the fan responds to the music while contemplating on how death/doom functions in the lives of these fans.