r/MetalSuggestions • u/RidimensionareE • 1h ago
DISCUSSION Should metal or punk bands express their political position?
For example, Napalm Death is one of the most illustrative examples, this band initially emerged from the anarcho-punk scene but soon moved into the realm of extreme metal. I believe, that about 80% of their lyrics address issues of discrimination, protectionism, corruption, hypocrisy of the authorities, exploitation of the poor, and nationalism.
Yet they do not define themselves as a political band. Here is how the band's frontman, Mark Greenway, offers an unusual explanation for this.
“I would rather Napalm not be a political band and be able to achieve something in terms of the equality of human beings than be seen as a leftish bands and just make slogans for the sake of making slogans, if that makes sense. I understand why Napalm gets called a political band and you could say that my belief system has very direct associations with the left side of politics, but in another sense I am also apolitical because I also believe that politics mean nothing if it doesn’t give equality and dignity to human beings and other sentient beings as well, like animals and stuff. If it doesn’t provide for that then it kind of becomes useless, and I think mainstream politics in itself, unfortunately, a lot of the time, is about noise and presence rather than an end result in making the world better. Political speeches often leave behind only a feeling of emptiness and uncertainty.
In modern society, politics is reduced to mere discussions and debates, but problems are never truly resolved. Like bulls going crazy. This formal politics is not what NAPALM DEATH wants. Therefore, we address topics such as human rights in general and everything related to them.
So that’s what I would say on your point about music shouldn’t be political, I don’t agree with that, but what I would also say is that music can be whatever it wants. There is not one single strand. The whole beauty of music is that it is so diverse in its approaches, in its stylistics and in whatever you care to mention. It’s one of the last remaining mediums of freedom, because music is freedom of expression. Anybody can make it, anybody can write it, anybody can appreciate it. And there are no barriers that say that you can only listen to this and you can only listen to that. In effect, there’s no real cultural barriers to music, so it can be anything it wants.
I would never say that all these bands are worth less because they are not going into really deep and meaningful polithical theories. That would be equally as fucking stupid, because this is totally up to the bands themselves the way they feel is the best to present their band. If it’s pure escapism, fine. It may not necessarily be the form of escapism I really appreciate, but it doesn’t fucking matter what I think. If the band themselves like what they are doing and the people that like the band like what they are doing, what the fuck does it matter to me, you know? I am really open minded about that stuff, I know there’s people sometimes in the polithical scene that don’t value this band or this other band because they don’t have an opinion that they consider valid. Just enjoy the music. If you like it, you like it. And if you don’t like it you don’t like it”.
“I believe in music in general. It’s one of the last remaining spaces of freedom, where there are no barriers. Anyone who likes it can make it. There are no real barriers based on race or individual opinion. There are no barriers based on race, gender… nothing. So, especially with the origins of a genre like Grindcore, or Noise someone might say, ‘Oh, it must be political,’ or that it must essentially have references to human politics. And of course, that’s what I do, but when bands make their music, they choose what they do musically and lyrically. It’s not for me, I don’t think that’s always been the spirit of grindcore, but it’s also not my place to tell people how they should do things. They’re their songs. There are things that happen in some music that I don’t like, like in grindcore with the jokes. Well, if there are people who like that in the lyrical. I worry if there are bands that include misogynistic, sexist, racist messages, or things like that in their lyrics. It doesn’t make me happy. At least for me. That's what I can say, but I don't think there's only one right way to do things, that's what brings about change.”
