Welcome to Poetic Tramplings!

As a composer, it’s easy to get so caught up in the rat race of writing music that it’s hard to find time to articulate your thoughts on music itself. Getting a beer with friends and gabbing about gigs and colleagues and such is nice, but it’s not great for more formal reasoning. I’ve longed for years for a space to engage in deep musical criticism and this is the one I’ve chosen, and I’m excited to pour out my thoughts for you all.

I’m a classical singer/composer and a metalhead whose work centers on introducing metal music to the concert hall and beyond. I’ve long wondered if these audiences can further cross-pollinate and I think I may be able to facilitate this with a bit of music education. To this end, this blog will consist of music criticism of two varieties. The first will be deep analyses of metal music relying on the knowledge from my conservatory education and years of experience as a professional singer and composer. The second will be classical music reviews from the standpoint of a metalhead. The idea is to articulate meaningful connections across these genres and encourage fans of both to explore each other’s musical worlds. I’ve talked to many people over the years about my musical project and many of them usually say something like “Metal music has quite a lot of classical influence already, that makes sense!” I’d like to help make more sense of where this intuition comes from and maybe inspire a few more fans of metal and classical music in the process.

No! While I will be using academic language where necessary to articulate my point, I will endeavor to explain these terms as I go. If I do my job right, I will give readers the vocabulary to identify musical techniques and phenomena in the wild, which will hopefully contribute to more reflective and enjoyable listening. Hell, maybe some will want to make their own weird musical fusion project like me! No one makes a sub-genre alone. (Unless you’re Meshuggah.) If you love deep-dives, this is especially for you.

I plan to update this blog whenever I have a break from commissions. Crafting analyses and original arguments takes time, and so my posts will be sporadic. I will also probably occasionally veer away from music criticism where I feel it is appropriate. (It’s my blog and I can do what I want, mom! Just kidding, my mom is very supportive.)

If you read this far, thanks! And if you choose to read on or even subscribe, thanks x2! This is a passion project and while I absolutely do not expect financial support, a penny for my thoughts helps ensure that I can take the time to make things that are meaningful to me and share them with you all.

My all-time favorite metal band is the Japanese group DIR EN GREY. The title is a reference to their song Utafumi, which literally translates to “poem trampling.” I like to describe this project as crafting poetic tramplings, not just poetic ramblings—metal is visceral, violent, and invigorating, and writing about it should be, too.

Love you all, stay safe, and keep on moshing.