Black metal has a fascism problem – but is being reclaimed by the left | Letters

Dr Jac Common, Jo Palmer and Iain Forsyth respond to an article by Ana Schnabl

I’m an avid listener of heavy music, including the many subgenres of black metal. Ana Schnabl’s reflections on her adolescent draw towards black metal’s atmosphere and bleakness, and subsequent horror at the revelation of the politics and motivations of many of the musicians, resonated with me (Angst-filled black metal music became my identity, 25 August).

Although metal may reflect and intensify the antagonisms of society more generally (fascism, racism, misogyny and so on), the scene has been and is being reclaimed by the oddballs and outcasts for whom heavy music is not just a sanctuary, but a place to envision a fairer and kinder world.