Metal Music Studies - Metal and COVID-19, Jun 2024

This article deals with the Serbian metal scene during the COVID-19 pandemic. To introduce the general features of this small-scale scene, a short historical overview is given, with particular attention to the challenges and opportunities the scene faced during the last decade before the pandemic. This made a good interlude into the scene’s ways of navigating the pandemic, particularly from March 2020 to the beginning of 2022. Within this timeframe, two subdivisions are noticeable: the one mainly marked by the online activity of metal musicians, and the one when live events started happening again, but with restrictions. Relying on online sources such as metal news portals, bands’ pages and profiles, and general news coverage, I will look into the concert activity, new music production and underground media coverage in order to deduce the pandemic outcome for the Serbian metal scene.

Once per year in January, the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise hosts 60 heavy metal bands and 3000 fans for a five-day, four-night excursion to a Caribbean destination. Hosting passengers from as many as 75 different nations at its peak, the cruise plays an important role in uniting heavy metal artists, their fans and artists’ respective management and recording labels on an international scale. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the eleventh voyage occurred from 30 January to 3 February 2023. This article presents the results of a proxemics study conducted during the 2023 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, measuring fan concert engagement as influenced by COVID-19 precautions and limitations by observing passenger attendance and behaviour during dual indoor and outdoor performances. The results suggest how COVID-19 may continue to affect live performances, with particular consideration of how an indoor or outdoor setting may alter public participation in such events.

This article explores the post-pandemic evolution of the Istanbul metal scene, focusing on Dorock Heavy Metal Club and the surge of tribute bands within the context of Turkey’s political, social and economic upheavals. Drawing on participant observation and interviews with key protagonists, including metal musicians, scene organizers and dedicated metalheads, the study investigates the impact of increased authoritarianism, economic instability and rising Islamic conservatism on the metal subculture. The findings reveal how Dorock has adapted to these challenges, reasserting its role as a central venue for live metal music. Additionally, the article examines the economic factors contributing to the popularity of tribute bands, which have become a financially viable alternative for live performances in a strained economy. This research highlights the resilience and adaptability of the Turkish metal community, illustrating how it continues to thrive despite significant sociopolitical and economic pressures.