Modality is quite commonplace in heavy metal music, including some of the less common modes such as Phrygian and Locrian. This thesis provides musical examples and analyses of heavy metal music based on theories of scholars such as Brett Clement and Nicole Biamonte and demonstrates how modes are used in conjunction with other musical elements such as meter, tempo, instrumentation, and timbre to paint the text and color the sound. The primary focus of repertoire is selected works from the 1970s and early ’80s by early metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, and Scorpions. Other brief examples from Metallica, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Iron Maiden demonstrate the influence of these groundbreaking works on later generations and the resulting widespread use of modality throughout the metal genres. The study also explores how the harmonic functions of modes differ from harmonic functions found throughout the Common Practice Period and argues how uncommon modes such as Locrian have legitimate functionality within a heavy metal setting.
","abstract_html":"<p>Modality is quite commonplace in heavy metal music, including some of the less common modes such as Phrygian and Locrian. This thesis provides musical examples and analyses of heavy metal music based on theories of scholars such as Brett Clement and Nicole Biamonte and demonstrates how modes are used in conjunction with other musical elements such as meter, tempo, instrumentation, and timbre to paint the text and color the sound. The primary focus of repertoire is selected works from the 1970s and early ’80s by early metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, and Scorpions. Other brief examples from Metallica, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Iron Maiden demonstrate the influence of these groundbreaking works on later generations and the resulting widespread use of modality throughout the metal genres. The study also explores how the harmonic functions of modes differ from harmonic functions found throughout the Common Practice Period and argues how uncommon modes such as Locrian have legitimate functionality within a heavy metal setting.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Young, Richard W, Jr."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Music","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Samantha Inman","Dr. Stephen Lias","Dr. Alexander Amato"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-05-09T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-05-09T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z","subjects":["Modes","Heavy Metal","Locrian","Modal Harmony","Black Sabbath","Neoclassical Metal","Music Theory"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/539","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Samantha Inman","Dr. Stephen Lias","Dr. Alexander Amato"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Young, Richard W, Jr."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-05-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Music"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Modes","Heavy Metal","Locrian","Modal Harmony","Black Sabbath","Neoclassical Metal","Music Theory"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/539"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Modality is quite commonplace in heavy metal music, including some of the less common modes such as Phrygian and Locrian. This thesis provides musical examples and analyses of heavy metal music based on theories of scholars such as Brett Clement and Nicole Biamonte and demonstrates how modes are used in conjunction with other musical elements such as meter, tempo, instrumentation, and timbre to paint the text and color the sound. The primary focus of repertoire is selected works from the 1970s and early ’80s by early metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, and Scorpions. Other brief examples from Metallica, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Iron Maiden demonstrate the influence of these groundbreaking works on later generations and the resulting widespread use of modality throughout the metal genres. The study also explores how the harmonic functions of modes differ from harmonic functions found throughout the Common Practice Period and argues how uncommon modes such as Locrian have legitimate functionality within a heavy metal setting.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["MODES IN HEAVY METAL MUSIC"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Samantha Inman","Dr. Stephen Lias","Dr. Alexander Amato"],"dc:creator":["Young, Richard W, Jr."],"dc:date.available":["2024-05-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Modality is quite commonplace in heavy metal music, including some of the less common modes such as Phrygian and Locrian. This thesis provides musical examples and analyses of heavy metal music based on theories of scholars such as Brett Clement and Nicole Biamonte and demonstrates how modes are used in conjunction with other musical elements such as meter, tempo, instrumentation, and timbre to paint the text and color the sound. The primary focus of repertoire is selected works from the 1970s and early ’80s by early metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, and Scorpions. Other brief examples from Metallica, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Iron Maiden demonstrate the influence of these groundbreaking works on later generations and the resulting widespread use of modality throughout the metal genres. The study also explores how the harmonic functions of modes differ from harmonic functions found throughout the Common Practice Period and argues how uncommon modes such as Locrian have legitimate functionality within a heavy metal setting.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/539"],"dc:subject":["Modes","Heavy Metal","Locrian","Modal Harmony","Black Sabbath","Neoclassical Metal","Music Theory"],"dc:title":["MODES IN HEAVY METAL MUSIC"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Music"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z"}