Description
Although “heaviness” is considered one of the defining sonic features of metal music (Berger and Fales, 2005; Herbst, 2018; Mynett, 2020), a comprehensive definition of heaviness does not exist, nor an understanding of how leading metal producers achieve this aesthetic. This presentation seeks to shed light on the conceptual understanding that several of the world’s foremost metal producers hold of “heaviness”, and how they manipulate and present this foundational quality in their mixing practice.The paper results from a recently completed four-year research project titled “Heaviness in Metal Music Production” (2020-2024) (www.himmp.net). The authors wrote and recorded a metal song, “In Solitude”, then invited eight premier metal producers, listed as follows, to mix the resulting multi-track:
• Andrew Scheps (Black Sabbath, Metallica)
• Fredrik Nordström (At the Gates, Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir, In Flames)
• Jens Bogren (Opeth, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Amon Amarth)
• Mike Exeter (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Cradle of Filth)
• Dave Otero (Archspire, Khemmis, Allegaeon)
• Adam Getgood (Periphery, Animals As Leaders, Architects)
• Josh Middleton (Architects, Sylosis)
• Buster Odeholm (Humanity’s Last Breath, Vildhjarta, Born Of Osiris)
Of note here is that the vast majority, if not all, current online mixing tutorial platforms (for instance, Nail the Mix and Mix with the Masters) feature different producers mixing different songs, off different albums, that inevitably feature significantly different tones and performances. The pedagogical benefits of comparing how various world-class producers mix the same multi-track with the same tones and performances are significant.
Importantly, though, the aims of the project were not to engage the producers in any form of competition (often referred to as a ‘mix shootout’); rather, the aim was to reveal and explore the different decisions, approaches and techniques of each engineer when presented with the same material and the same brief.
For these reasons, we subsequently conducted interviews with each producer, not only to explore their conceptual understanding of heaviness but also to delve into the various techniques, approaches and processes for achieving the ‘heavy’ aesthetic in their mix.
In this presentation, we offer a summary of 20 hours of video interview footage and mixing documentation to provide vital practice-informed insight into heaviness from a production perspective. Using select video clips and audio excerpts from the resulting mixes, our first aim is to provide a theoretical understanding of heaviness in metal music production. Additionally - based on various understandings and conceptualisations of heaviness - we aim to contextualise different mixing decisions.
The rich resulting data offers several avenues of analysis. For example, “In Solitude” traverses multiple metal subgenres, ranging from slow doom to fast double-kick and blast beats, allowing for a comparison of contrasting structural and performative features, as well as the producers’ responses to managing these diverse performance qualities. Furthermore, the producers themselves vary considerably in terms of age/experience, attitude towards technology, and aesthetic preferences, from ‘old-school’ metal producer Mike Exeter to multi-instrumentalist, self-producing metal musician, and contemporary extreme metal producer Buster Odeholm. Considering these different subjective and genre-specific factors enables a differentiated view of heaviness in metal music production, both in general and in relation to subgenres and structural, performative, and technological features.
This presentation builds on the researchers’ previous work and will be the first time the findings of the four-year project will be presented at a conference or in written form. More broadly, the presentation will offer an empirically derived theoretical framework of heaviness that can be directly experienced, not only through the producer interviews but also via audio-based comparisons.
| Period | 3 Jun 2025 → 6 Jun 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | New Metal Worlds: Building Bridges and Mending Broken Backs: 7th ISMMS Conference |
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 7 |
| Location | Seville, SpainShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |