A mosaic in the mirage: Alienation, malaise and metal music in the neo-liberal age

In this article, I explore narratives of alienation and malaise in lyrics and music form within particular subgenres of contemporary metal music. I conduct a narrative analysis and comparison of two songs with distinct compositional approaches that articulate both alienation and malaise: ‘Flicker’ (2023) by the American band Theocracy and ‘Deluge’ (2022) by the Portuguese Gaerea. This analysis aims to shed light on how metal music mediates expression and the shape of emotions while engaging with the ideological dynamics of the contemporary era. By comparing these two selected examples, I address how the narratives of alienation and malaise are articulated within black metal and power metal while also illustrating the historical context that connects them. The narration of the same emotional state from different perspectives expresses a particular trait of the contemporary neo-liberal and postmodern conjuncture. Therefore, I propose to understand these narratives of alienation and malaise as expressions of the structure of feeling of modernity that emerges, whether that be through consent or dissent towards domination.