Religion and Music
Connection between music and religion is not something new and has existed nearly as long as organised religion has existed. This can be the religious chants, hymns, choir music, sufi music, religious verses with melody and many more methods; all of which have existed for a long time. This can be defined in two basic ways, religious music and ritual music.
Religious music can be defined as the type of music which is performed and composed because of religious influence on the writer. While on the other hand, ritual music is usually performed and composed for a ritual. Both of these basic sections may sometimes overlap. One thing to keep in mind is that some of these music might be sacred and therefore, only used in rituals, while some (mostly religious music) that are developed due to religious influence, can be used however way people want. Based on Weiss and Taruskin’s “Music of the Western World”, using music for unholy purposes such as pleasure was considered to be a sinful act. This was because it was argued that the pleasure gets in the way of the Lord. The idea that in early religious times, people considered music to be a form of pleasure strong enough to distract from God then we can establish how strong music affected the thoughts and lives of people. However, luckily, as we moved forward in time, people started to agree that the sin of pleasure from music is forgiven when used for worship.
Music has the innate ability to add to or deepen the meaning of words that accompany it. This can be further established by the words of St. Augustine in Weiss and Taruskin’s “Music of the Western World” where St. Augustine reflects on his baptism. He says “The tears flowed from me when I heard your hymns and canticles, for the sweet singing of your church moved me deeply…The music surged in my ears, truth seeped into my heart, and my feelings of devotion overflowed…”. This shows the religious depth that the addition of music helped St. Augustine achieve and how music was an integral part of religion dating back to the 4th century.
Deathcore can be defined as a subgenre between metalcore and deathcore that combines the characteristics of both genres and sometimes even hardcore punk. The main characteristics of deathcore music involves down-tuned guitars, tremolo picking, melodic riffs, fast drumming, growled and/or screamed vocals, and metalcore breakdowns. Bring Me The Horizon and many other bands include synthesizers alongside the typical characteristics to add depth and intensity to their music. The combination of the different sounds and instruments in deathcore allow for an easy foundation for creative thinking.
References to religious concepts such as heaven and hell can be seen even in the structure of deathcore music. By diving deeper into deathcore music, it can be argued that the use of synthesizers can be compared to visions of heaven, based on their sound structure and elevating sound. As we know, Heaven plays a critical part in religion as it is defined to be the place where Gods, Angels and Saints live. Moreover, the aggressive and brutal vocals paired with the melodic guitars, bass, drumming and screams can be associated with ideas of hell. Hell in religious context is defined as the place where the Devil and demons live and are exposed to eternal torment. Music successfully combines these two different aspects and therefore, establishes a link between good/bad and heaven/hell. This gives birth to an allegorical and melodic structure to deathcore and its lyrical symbolism.
The merger between common human ideas and thoughts such as those embodied by religion and music, focusing on the heavy metal genre of deathcore, may be perceived as controversial, challenging, and uncomfortable. This is mainly due to previous misconceptions or prejudices regarding metal music. Common misconceptions regarding metal music include the assumption that it is a form of satanism, the music encourages demonic worship and thoughts and many more. However, this can be taken as an example of a way of thinking outside the box and outside unconsciously established social and religious comfort zones, by connection between music and religion, which are taken as unrelated entities. As a result, my argument is that music can be a great tool and art form that can be used to boost and potentially improve creative thinking when it comes to religion.
Lastly, in modern day, music is more widely accepted in religion and therefore, music has grown to impact a larger audience over a wider range of beliefs. Therefore, music is an universal part of religion that appeals and affects human ideas and emotions in a positive way. This also allows humans to participate in religious ideas in a more desirable and enjoyable way too.
