NEWS4U MARCH 2022 | ENTERTAINMENT
THE ROCK & METAL PROFS W I T H M AT T A L S C H BAC H & D R . CO U RT L E W I S
Associate professors at Owensboro Community College and Pellissippi State Community College, respectively, Alschbach
and Lewis host the popular podcast The Rock & Metal Profs: The History & Philosophy of Rock & Metal. Now they're bringing their keen insights to the pages of News 4U with a monthly deep dive into some of the best bands of the rock/metal genre and thoughts on music in general.
HEADBANG YOUR WAY TO BETTER HEALTH
A
research study conducted years ago
level of inspiration they felt,”
by the University of Queensland
according to the study.
and published in Frontiers in
Human Neuroscience illustrated that extreme
Growing up, I was sometimes
music such as heavy metal is actually healthy
mocked for being a
and therapeutic in relieving stress and
“headbanger” and criticized
anxiety. This flies in the face of the long-held
by adults concerned that my
belief by some that heavy metal causes
choices in music might lead
anger and violent tendencies. Test subjects
me down a dark path. I was
were monitored after a 16-minute “anger
fortunate that my folks were
induction” where they discussed topics that
open-minded enough to
elicited frustration, such as work, money and
allow me to make my own
relationships. Afterwards, participants spent
choices, but many teens in
10 minutes listening to songs of their choice,
the 80s and 90s didn’t have
followed by 10 minutes of silence. The results
it so good. I vividly remember two friends of
revealed that metal music actually relaxed
mine who were brothers in a devout religious
participants as effectively as sitting quietly!
family. They hid their Dokken and Judas Priest
PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: MATT ALSCHBACH AND DR. COURT LEWIS
records in the sleeves of more wholesome top
and Walkmans in order to express ourselves and listen to the music we loved. Parents and peers thought they were protecting us, but what this study shows is that they were robbing us of the benefits of heavy metal. They created stress and anxiety when kids
“We found the music regulated sadness
40 bands. They left the house in the morning
and enhanced positive emotions. When
in polo shirts, only to change into their metal
experiencing anger, extreme-music fans
concert t-shirts on the way to school.
experiences of rock and metal helped us
anger. The music helped them explore the
On the more extreme end, some of us were
are wise enough to make better decisions for
full gamut of emotion they felt, but also left
paraded in front of church groups and used
them feeling more active and inspired. Results
as examples of how the Devil infects our lives.
showed levels of hostility, irritability and stress
We were excluded from social gatherings
decreased after music was introduced, and
because we were supposedly “Knights In
the most significant change reported was the
Satan’s Service.” We had to hide our cassettes
liked to listen to music that could match their
40 | MARCH 2022
• www.evansvillemediagroup.com
needed calm the most. Thankfully, our hidden through these ordeals, and now, hopefully we our kids. The Rock & Metal Profs podcast is available on iTunes, Google and Spotify.
