Death Metal. It’s the type of music most would stray far away from before 9am. Full of loud, angry guitars, aggressive lyrics and ferocious head-banging, Death Metal doesn’t tend to sit well with the everyday listener. Over the years, Death Metal has been criticised for harbouring anti-social themes, and spreading misogynistic and violent messages. It’s fair to say, this isn’t exactly the type of music that offers an ‘easy listening experience’ for most.

But recent research by Sydney-based researchers from Macquarie University has revealed that for fans, Death Metal can actually be a source of empowerment, joy and even peace.

Considering the label Death Metal tends to be thrown, as a music style inciting ‘criminality and violence’, this may be hard to swallow for any non-fans. But for fans, it seems pretty clear that Death Metal has unifying and comforting effects that simply can’t be overlooked.

Tess spoke with Dr Kirk Olsen, one of the very researchers from this study, to find out more.