Crucible: Cinematic Metal For Cinematic Moments

Have you considered the impact of heavy metal on modern visual storytelling? Films, TV shows, video games, advertising and even trailers all now use metal and probably a lot more than you might realize. In fact, I encourage you to engage in the same exercise I did when conceiving of this album. Spend 30 days with your ears tuned to heavy metal in visual storytelling. You’ll probably find far more instances of metal than you might suspect. I know I certainly did. It was quite surprising.

So, what’s the attraction? Why is heavy metal popular in visual storytelling? And what’s more, where is it used? What kind of scenes and characters and plotlines lend themselves to metal? Why are producers, directors, showrunners and game developers turning to metal with even greater frequency today? Why does metal work?

These are all questions I asked myself as I went on an epic listening journey. (By the way, I didn’t change my media consumption habits all that much. I still pretty much watched the same type of TV shows, movies and games that I always do.) The answer I finally arrived at is this one: heavy metal communicates powerful emotions more effectively than almost any other genre of music.

What emotions does metal communicate so powerfully?

• Anger. Metal and anger are meant for each other. Anger is typically an intense but short-lived emotion. It tends to vent and disappear. Metal makes angry venting really effective.
  
• Rising tension. Metal is perfect for rising tension, especially if the intensity of the music also rises in tension and drama (spoiler alert – Crucible does that a lot.)
  
• Breakthroughs. From scientists working in labs to courtroom dramas to villains finally getting their due, metal carries the breakthrough moment with intensity and flair.
  
• Sadness. Metal and sadness are strange bedfellows, but they often work well together. They work especially well when a composition has somber elements that resolve to other emotions, like anger, triumph or resolve. (Spoiler alert two – Crucible also does that a lot.)
  
• Mystery. Metal is fantastic for communicating mystery, uncertainty and exploration. Usually this comes from a build where the song gets more and more confident as it progresses.
  
• Epiphanies. Metal is perfect for showcasing epiphanies, moments of clarity where a character finally knows exactly what to do.
  
• Never surrender. Metal is the ultimate never-say-die musical genre. It communicates resolve and perseverance incredibly well.

Having explored emotions, let’s talk about scenes and narrative types. What types of stories benefit from metal?

• Metal is perfect for apocalyptic storytelling. Metal’s rush of energy, instrument types and strange sensibilities make it ideal for narratives dealing with end-of-world apocalypses.
  
• Metal is ideal for gritty narratives. This could be stories of people rising up from the streets, doctors trying to cure killer diseases or even war stories. Metal gets really gritty really fast.
  
• Metal is the sound of perseverance. Someday, an enterprising filmmaker will show Winston Churchill delivering his Never Surrender speech with all of Britain rising to their feet… and metal will be the soundtrack to that scene. Metal says “I am resolved and will not quit” in a way that is undeniably proud.
  
• Metal is ready-made for the epic journey. Metal isn’t just big, loud, obnoxious and up-tempo. It also has small moments, building tension, unexpected explosions of energy and a serious tone that communicates gravitas. Metal is big drama with all the peaks and valleys and final moment of triumph that makes the epic journey so satisfying.

Heavy metal communicates powerful emotions more effectively than almost any other genre of music.

The Origins Of Crucible

So now I have a confession to make. I didn’t just spend 30 days with my ears tuned to metal. I actually spent almost a year listening and watching. I know that a lot of people in this industry probably don’t think of metal as musical score for visual media. So I wanted to make sure I got this album right. I wanted to give all of you a resource to make your stories powerful and high-impact.

In addition to my listening sessions for metal, I also cataloged about 10 scenes where metal really had a huge impact on the scene. I studied those scenes over and over again to understand how the music was used and why it was so effective, sometimes slowing the action to frame-by-frame. I won’t list the scenes here, but this actually helped me avoid a problem I discovered as I did my research.

I couldn’t help but notice that metal was sometimes used as caricature, not a serious art-form. This approach is used by creatives who simply slap a bit speed-metal into a scene to say (without saying it), this character or this scene is crazy. My sense is that metal and comedy really don’t go together all that well. Or if they do, I couldn’t find a single scene where metal effectively communicated humor.

I know and admire way too many metal musicians to ever demean their art by turning their craft into caricature. So instead, my approach to metal was sincere, well-researched and as respectful as possible of the history of the genre.

So, what makes Crucible cinematic? The obvious answer is that it’s only instrumental (like all of our music). But there’s so much more to it than that.

Serious tones. I paid special attention to tones for all the instruments, but especially the guitars. Heavy metal is the sound of big distortion guitars. But it’s also the sound of acoustic instruments, synths, drums and other instruments. If any instrument started to sound kitsch and lighthearted, it got dumped. I wanted this music to communicate gravitas.
Tempos. There is no speed metal on Crucible, but there are a range of tempos. What’s more, several of the songs switch from common time to half time and even double time. The tempo doesn’t change but the feel changes quite a bit.
Builds. Crucible has a lot of builds, which communicate a cinematic feel quite well.
Acoustic instruments and breakdowns. These two features change the energy in a track, giving you the chance to take your scene in several different tonal directions.
Percussion for days. The percussion layers on this album are dense and huge in many places. But I also made sure to get some lighter percussion on several tracks, especially those that build.
Punchy breaks for editors. Every visual editor I’ve ever worked with loves punchy breaks, especially those that are a bit surprising. This delights the viewer with things they didn’t see coming.

Who’s In The Band?

Crucible contains twelve instrumental metal tracks. It is comprised of numerous instruments, which include:

• Electric guitar (of several types and varieties) including a 7-string to grit out that bottom end.
• Acoustic guitars including nylon string, steel string and a resonator.
• Electric bass.
• A huge metal drumkit.
• Cinematic drums like taiko and timpani.
• Handheld percussion like castanets, shakers and sticks.
• Apocalyptic synth tones.
• Risers, swishes and hits.

That all sounds simple enough, but it’s how the instruments are used that communicates the raw power of this album. A friend described these guitar tones as “pure fire” and I think he’s right. The guitars rise, swell, squeal, weep and nose-dive out of the sky. They are not tame.

How To Get The Most From Crucible

Crucible is a perfect fit for stories set in an apocalyptic future. Angry characters will embrace this music. Gritty stories from war, street fights or other conflicts will benefit. Your epic journey narrative is just begging from some of these tracks. Epiphanies, resolutions, rising tensions, breakthroughs and other scenes can only gain depth-of-impact with this music.

Wrap Up

Thank you again for your interest in Supernatural Sounds, our music and our unique approach to creating music for visual storytelling. The twelve tracks on Crucible will give your narratives an undeniable punch and swagger, even as they communicate more nuanced and sensitive emotions. And if you find yourself wanting to bang your head a bit as you listen, please know I was doing that the entire time I wrote this album. Rock on my friends. Rock on.