Write Metal Song Lyrics
Metal music’s maxim is "now that you believe in nothing, find something worth believing in." When metal music began to become develop with Black Sabbath, it struck down society’s most basic beliefs behind politics, religion, and morality. While the words came out in screams and cries, the lyrics were more than just gory rhymes. The lyrics embodied the counterculture for those who rejected the free love movement of the 1970s but couldn’t conform to the societal norms. Rather than looking at metal as a traditional song, it’s easier to associate this genre with epic, narrative or dramatic poems. With that being said, here is wikiHow to write metal song lyrics in eight steps.
Contents
Steps
- Understand the meaning behind Metal Music. Metal is considered a "counter-culture," meaning it opposes "the normal, functional, and unexciting Culture that was dominant in society [and] by being outside of that which was in power, Counter-culturalists argued, they were able to see what was real." So when you before you begin writing, erase any preconceived notions that you have about a particular topic.
- Pick a topic. Metal music focuses on darker topics that match the heaviness of the music and skirt the "popular" beliefs of society. The topics often challenge the listeners’ political, religious, emotional, philosophical, and/or social beliefs. Select a topic that you have experience with or have a strong connection to, this is going to make the rest of the process much easier.
- Popular topics for metal songs include war, personal angst, mental disease, mythology, tragedy, death, hate, intolerance, corruption and love.
- Brainstorm the topic. Once you have selected the topic, you want to spend time formulating what your thoughts on the subject are. Unlike popular music, metal pulls from real "truths" rather than perceived "morals" or popular "beliefs" on the subject.
- Start with what is "society's perspective." Think of what the culture promotes as the correct "belief" or "moral" in the discussion of that topic. It will be easier if you can find a belief that you find to be counter-intuitive, paradoxical or illogical such "war for peace," "religiously-motivated murder," or "victim-blaming."
- Contrast that to examples based on experience. Take a real life, personal or a fictional example that challenges the mainstream beliefs behind this topic. How has your experience challenged society's view?
- Make note of any other arguments, perspectives, or facts surrounding this topic. What kind of things do people say about the subject? What promotes these beliefs? What are the consequences behind this ethical belief? Who does this affect?
- Find a "truth" within the topic. Based solely on the examples that challenge that perspective, what truths can you logically pull out? This truth will become the main thrust of your song.
- Start to weave together the basic parts of the song. Unlike other popular music, there is not a standard song format such as "verse-chorus-verse-chorus." Instead, create your own structure based on the topic. Is there an important message that can be repeated?Do you want to provide the listener with a resolution? Here are some basic elements of the dramatic structure you can include:
- What is the rising action? What examples or personal experiences can you include to bring the listener to agree with your song's main "truth"?
- What is the climax? Can you create a moment where the listener can throw out the societal norms or absolute "morals" that they had?
- What is the resolution? What did these examples teach the listener? What did you learn?
- Develop and formulate the lyrical poem. Don't stick to "rhyming patterns" or "rules behind poetry." Many popular metal songs don't necessarily rhyme or follow traditionally. Instead just weave together the basic parts you created in the last step. Tell your "story" to the listener.
- Consider finding a literary device(s) to add depth to the song. Literary devices that work particularly well in metal music include personification, allegories, figurative language, imagery, metaphors and synecdoches. Some helpful ways to find out what devices will work with your topic include:
- What popular images are associated with that topic? (Metaphors, allegories, personification, synecdoches, etc.)
- What observations can you pull from this topic? (Imagery, etc.)
- Is there fiction or mythology that you can pull from? (Metaphors, allegories, etc.)
- Develop the sound to go with the lyrics. Use Write Power Metal Music to create the sound behind your lyrics.
- Come back to the song, and revise as necessary. Sometimes the music doesn't match up with the sound. So play the music and sing the lyrics to find where these inconsistencies are. Then edit either the music or the sound to fit the emotion behind what you are saying/hearing.
Example: Black Sabbath's "War Pigs"
- Black Sabbath set out to create Metal's counter-culture. Their fans were often disenfranchised youth who felt no connection to the free-love movement of the 1970s or the societal norms of the 1970s. They discussed topics that directly affected these youths and were relevant to what was going on in the world during that time.
- They choose the topic of war. This topic was perfect for the period where America used military force to achieve political change. In choosing this, they could speak out against the basic "American" beliefs behind the war effort.
- Societal beliefs: Society believed that war could bring peace.
- Experiences: War breeds more pain, suffering and destruction. Politicians start war, because they don't have to deal with those tragedies themselves.
- Other observations: It's the poor that fight, people die in masses, the generals guide soldier into certain death.
- The "truth": Politicians have the power and misuse it.
- Black Sabbath then started to weave together these basic ideas into the song, "War Pigs". They really focused less on rhyming and more on creating a vivid story with a rise, climax and a resolution.
- Rising Action: "Generals gathered in their masses," "In the fields the bodies burning," and "Evil minds that plot destruction" are all examples of realistic experiences and observations that Black Sabbath pulled from.
- Climax: "Politicians hide themselves away" and "Wait 'til their judgement day comes" support that from the examples, politicians will eventually be held responsible for what they did.
- Resolution: "Now in darkness world stops turning," and "No more war pigs have the power" explain that eventually the people will rise up, and take back the power from the politicians. This provides a solution to the problems that existed in the rising action.
- Black Sabbath began to formulate these basic parts of the song together. Finding ways to make the lines fit together and to create a "story." They tied the rising action to the climax with the "oh lord yeah" which foreshadows the resolution of judgement day.
- Literary devices were used to add depth to the song. Black Sabbath changed these experiences and facts surrounding war into something more meaningful and symbolic with literary devices. They weaved these ideas throughout the song, focusing on the main literary device of personification of "war pigs."
- Popular images of "tanks," "machines," and "battle fields" are all references in the song.
- Observations like the masses being gathered and a chess game being played are also depicted.
- Fictitious and mythological images of "sorcerers" and "witches" are used in the song.
Tips
- Don't trash the lyrics you create, you may not like them now, but they might come in handy for subsequent projects.
- Listening to some metal bands while writing might help your flow. If you want a thrash song, listen to Metallica. Want an awesome but emotional song, Disturbed, or Stone Sour, etc.
- It helps to "not think" about what you're writing. Instead, just let it all out.
- If you get writers block, stop for a while or have someone help you think of something.
- Don't worry if your lyrics sounds bad to you - others may love them.
