Slayer and Metallica Dominate Soldiers' Playlists

Posted on Sep 30th 2009 4:30PM by Vicki Siolos Comments

As frightening as it is fascinating, a New York-based music theorist named Jonathan Pieslak has been talking to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and an overwhelming conclusion of the study is that heavy metal factors heavily in their mental experience.

The soldiers have been called "the first generation to take MP3 players to war," and bands like Metallica and Slayer are common playlist fare.

"What's interesting about the [research] is not so much which bands soldiers are drawn to, but the extraordinary terms they use to describe the power the music has over them," says The Guardian regarding Pieslak's findings. "Some talk about tracks turning them into monsters, making them inhuman so they can do inhuman acts."

The Guardian's blog interviewed the researcher for its podcast, but also included additional clips that were not aired. A particular clip about Metallica was featured, in which their music was used as a motivator by blasting it from an armored vehicle. It's chilling and interesting ... and it's only surface of the study's findings.

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