Avant-garde metal or experimental metal is a subge… Read Full Bio ↴Avant-garde metal
Avant-garde metal or experimental metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterised by the use of innovative, avant-garde elements, large-scale experimentation, and the use of non-standard sounds, instruments, and song structures. The earliest avant-garde metal bands include Celtic Frost and Master's Hammer.
Avant-Garde Metal cannot be treated like other genres, such as Black, Death, Doom, Thrash, etc. Those genres are rooted in similar aesthetics and ideologies, leading to strong commonalities amongst bands united under one genre. With the Avant-Garde, on the other hand, there really is no common aesthetic or ideology. The bands have to be taken on a one-by-one basis, evaluated individually rather than on genre aesthetics.
The term avant-garde metal refers to bands and musicians who "incorporate new and innovative elements in metal, who break conventions, tear down walls, violate borders." The genre has also been described as "the art of creating deep and strange atmospheres by experimenting with new instruments and sounds, strange vocals, unconventional song structures, rhythms and harmonies, unusual lyrics or uncommon artwork" or alternatively, "progressive, psychedelic, surrealistic, phantasmagoric, expressionistic, dissonant or extravagant interpretations of extreme metal."
Michael Haas of Angizia notes that avantgarde is "a conscious distance from traditional listening and composing habits" while Svein Egil Hatlevik of Fleurety identifies avant-garde metal as "an aesthetic ideology" to "make music that's more than just average metal." He also notes that heavy metal music is a "field where it still makes sense to be avantgarde" because it is "one of the most conservative fields of artistic practice in the world." Not everyone agrees with the use of the term to establish a subgenre of metal, however. Jeff Arwadi of Kekal warns that "when another sub-genre has become established, it would create nothing but limits, and I don't think it's wise if we try to establish sub-genre (sic) that limits creativity and expression." Chlordane of The Amenta takes issue with the tendency in heavy metal music for "anyone who does something slightly weird" to be considered avant-garde. He contends that the term should not be used unless a band is "pushing music forward," further suggesting that the mere use of classical music in heavy metal is not avant-garde as it "has been done," "is not new" and "offers nothing."
Heroines
Diablo Swing Orchestra Lyrics
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You cannot see with them eyes
A tired hand, her naked hand, putting me to sleep
It won't be long, your glow
Has left me dry and my abstinence has been
Postponed by my comfort in denial
And the worst lie it may be (that hope said)
She'd be the last one to leave
Always close now sense it clear
For years to come I can't go back
To the things I held so, I held so dear
We were crushed by her halo—oh what a way to go
Endlessly she said forevermore in debt
Colourful, so beautiful, with fever eyes closed and so free
Those were my heroines
Freedom roar from senseless mind
Apocalypse all dressed in white
Saw it coming watched them leaving with all I ever was
Broken tissue, broken dreams far-fetched as those fantasies
Since peace of mind was not meant for me
(I'll praise them silently)
We were crushed by her halo—oh what a way to go
Endlessly she said forevermore in debt
Colourful, so beautiful, with fever eyes closed and so free
Those were my heroines
The lyrics of Diablo Swing Orchestra's 'Heroines' portray a sense of loss, regret, and even addiction. The opening lines 'Tuck it in or take it out for what/You cannot see with them eyes' invite the listener to look beyond what is visible and perhaps consider the deeper meaning of what is being said. The reference to the 'naked hand putting me to sleep' suggests a sense of comfort, perhaps in a relationship that is not healthy but has become routine.
The chorus 'We were crushed by her halo - oh what a way to go' is particularly powerful. It implies that the singer has been brought down by someone who was considered an angel, someone who was looked up to as a role model or a savior. The use of the word 'heroine' in the title further reinforces this notion of worship and adoration. However, the verse 'Since peace of mind was not meant for me' suggests that perhaps the singer was never truly at peace with themselves, and that their addiction to these 'heroines' was just another manifestation of their inner turmoil.
Overall, the lyrics of 'Heroines' seem to suggest a cautionary tale of the dangers of idolizing others and losing oneself in the process.
Line by Line Meaning
Tuck it in or take it out for what
Decide whether to hide or reveal something, depending on what purpose it serves.
You cannot see with them eyes
Some things are not visible to the naked eye.
A tired hand, her naked hand, putting me to sleep
A gentle hand can bring comfort and put one at ease.
It won't be long, your glow
The light that once shone so brightly will soon fade away.
Has left me dry and my abstinence has been
The lack of that bright light has left me feeling empty and my willpower has faltered.
Postponed by my comfort in denial
I am prolonging the inevitable by avoiding the truth.
And the worst lie it may be (that hope said)
The most dangerous falsehood may be the idea that things will get better.
She'd be the last one to leave
The one I thought would always be there ended up being the first to go.
Always close now sense it clear
Now that it is gone, I realize how precious and irreplaceable it was.
For years to come I can't go back
The past cannot be undone or relived, no matter how much we may wish it.
To the things I held so, I held so dear
The things I cherished most are now out of reach and forever lost.
We were crushed by her halo—oh what a way to go
The weight of her angelic presence was too much to bear and brought about our downfall.
Endlessly she said forevermore in debt
She promised eternal loyalty, but it came at a great cost.
Colourful, so beautiful, with fever eyes closed and so free
Despite their flaws, my idols were still radiant and inspiring.
Those were my heroines
They were the women I looked up to, but now I am lost without them.
Freedom roar from senseless mind
The yearning for freedom can sometimes overpower rational thought.
Apocalypse all dressed in white
Even the end of the world can appear beautiful and peaceful from a distance.
Saw it coming watched them leaving with all I ever was
I knew they were leaving, but could not bear to let go of the piece of me that went with them.
Broken tissue, broken dreams far-fetched as those fantasies
My aspirations and desires are just as distant and unattainable as my broken body.
Since peace of mind was not meant for me
I have come to accept that I will never find true inner peace.
(I'll praise them silently)
Though I cannot follow in their footsteps, I will still hold my heroines in high esteem, even if only in my thoughts.
Contributed by Bentley B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.