• “Postigo de la Traición” / “Purtiellu de la Llïaltá”. Medievalisms, Heavy Metal and Leonese Identity in 21st Century Spain

    Author(s):
    Amaranta Saguar García (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Subject(s):
    Spain, History, Middle Ages, Medievalism, Heavy metal (Music)--Instruction and study, Politics and government
    Item Type:
    Presentation
    Tag(s):
    Leonesism, Spanish Heavy Metal, Vellido Dolfos, Siege of Zamora, Medieval Spanish History, Metal Music Studies, Politics
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/3r8d-c350
    Abstract:
    In the last years, the relationship between cultural identity and music has become a major focus of Heavy Metal Studies. Edited volumes like Metal Rules the Globe (2011), Global Metal Music and Culture (2016) and Sounds of Origin in Heavy Metal Music (2018) account for some of the most interesting pages on this topic. It has also been an important component of past editions of the Modern Heavy Metal Conference, particularly the 2017 “Music and National Identities” one, from which the aforementioned Sounds of Origin monograph derives. More recently, the relationship between medievalism and (Western, male and white) cultural identity has reached Heavy Metal Studies as well, in particular since the publication of Medievalism and Metal Music Studies (2019). Furthermore, this relationship shows an important national and/or regional component. As a result, a correlation between heavy metal medievalisms and cultural and national and/or regional identities has been established. The Iberian Peninsula is not alien to this phenomenon. Recent studies on the reappropriation of El Cid by Spanish (non-fascist) heavy metal bands evidence the relevance of the Middle Ages for transmitting a Spanish cultural identity. However, regionally, different medievalising narratives are adopted to account for regional sociohistorical and cultural differences that, very frequently, have a correspondence with regionalist, sometimes even independentist, political movements. In this paper, I will explore the use of the cultural narratives of Leonesism, the political movement that aims for the autonomy of León from Castilla, in the music of Klanghör and Llvme. More concretely, I will analyse the role of the legendary character of Vellido Dolfos in defining Leonese cultural identity, and how this identity manifests itself in the aforementioned bands through choice of topic, choice of treatment, choice of language and choice of metal style.
    Metadata:
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    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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