Studies have suggested a link between listening to heavy metal and increased suicide risk or desensitisation to violence, but these have often failed to take account of outside factors, such as poor family relationships, drug abuse and feelings of alienation.
Characteristics. Heavy metal is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and vigorous vocals. Heavy metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these attributes.
Study participants were made angry and then asked to listen to heavy metal. This resulted in listeners showing a marked increase in positive emotions. The results suggest that extreme music could be used as an effective means to regulate negative emotions like anger.