Salutations lads and ladies, the Blog of Extraordinary Bizarreness is coming at you again with the latest chapter in this grand adventure. After talking about sci-fi a few blogs back and focusing entirely on electronic subgenres in the last two instalments, I figured it's time for something a little different. How about we talk about all kinds of music related to fantasy literature and works of creative fiction! Bring plenty of provisions, a long and eventful journey awaits us!
Fantasy has been a popular genre of literature pretty much for as long as literature has existed. In general, it's simply speculative fiction that involves "fantastical" concepts that don't exist in the natural world - magic, unique world structures, creatures like dragons, goblins, trolls, griffons, phoenixes, etc, as well as human-like races like dwarves, elves, gnomes, giants and various anthopomorphised animals. Metaphysical and supernatural beings such as ghosts, demons, the undead and even Gods are not uncommon either. Fantasy has significant overlap with mythology and folklore, which for millennia have helped humanity both understand and rationalise the world around them and also served as inspirational stories to discuss morality and what is right and wrong.
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In modern times (think late 19th century onward), fantasy writings have seen a surge in popularity, particularly J.R.R. Tolkien's magnum opus "The Lord of the Rings" from the middle of the 20th Century brought on a whole new take on fantasy, defining what the genre would be like for decades to come. Contemporary works take heavy inspiration from the myths and legends of yore, as well as pagan beliefs and fairy tales, turning them into a more modern and speculative interpretation of the world around us. While some used fantastical elements as metaphors and allegories to discuss real world issues (as many myths and fables have done in the past), other works simply enjoy indulging in the childlike wonder of mystical creatures, epic tales and magical worlds limited only by imagination.
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Naturally, music has been tied to literature for the longest time. In fact, a lot of the tales that inspired fantasy so much were never in print, they were retold in song by bards and spread by word of mouth from generation to generation. With the arrival of both mass print of books and recorded music, the connection between music and fantastical stories was never lost. Going back to the 1970s, bands like Led Zeppelin were referencing Lord of the Rings in their songs, while bands like Black Sabbath took inspiration from the horror works of H.P. Lovecraft.
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In the late 70s and early 80s, as heavy metal took its footing, more bands like Rainbow, Helloween and Manowar decided to jump head first into high fantasy and epic fantasy themes, proudly singing songs about legendary warriors, powerful wizards, mystical worlds and mythical creatures. An amazing nexus point of might metal and the nerd culture of the time, a perfect storm of epicness.
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From this, we come to the genre most closely associated with fantasy themes - power metal! It's a faster and more musically advanced form of classic metal, dominated by fast riffs, soaring guitar solos, often high tenor vocals, epic keyboards and catchy singalong choruses. The favourite lyrics of power metal have always been themed around fantasy, taking heavy inspiration from 20th century fantasy books and blessing us with hymns of grand adventures, brave heroes and epic history.
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From the 80s till today, power metal just cannot get enough dragon slaying, questing and magic.
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Naturally a big musical inspiration for power metal is classical music and it is also no stranger to fantasy themes. Since the earliest classical symphonies, folk tales, mythology and contemporary literature have been common subjects.
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The natural continuation of these themes can be found in modern symphonic metal, which mixes symphony orchestra with a heavy guitar sound to create a powerful and epic spectacle.
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Adjacent to that is of course folk metal, which goes further back than fantasy literature and takes direct inspiration from the archaic folklore and mythology and inspired said literature in the first place. Folk metal bands the world over boldly mix traditional instruments with metal to bring new life into ancient traditions and culture.
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Vikings in particular and all of the folklore they had in the past as well as contemporary fiction based around them are huge favourites for metalheads, probably because there are so many bands from Scandinavia that love celebrating their ancient culture. Artists from all kinds of subgenres have indulged in some mead-fueled village raiding fun.
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And beyond that, it's not just the epic and melodic genres that love their dungeons and dragons (hint hint). Metalheads have been huge nerds for the longest time and were never shy of taking inspiration from their favourite books. Black metal is a notable example of an extreme subgenre of metal that also often indulges in fantasy themes. They may not like each other in a lot of cases, but power metal fans and black metal fans can agree on two things - they both love tremolo picking and they both think Lord of the Rings is awesome.
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Of course, it's not just metal that take heavy inspiration from the works of fantasy. The influence of this ubiquitous genre can be found all over the musical spectrum. A great example I can think of is the obscure genre of dungeon synth. Drawing from the soundtracks of 80s and 90s fantasy role-playing video games, these songs use synthesizers, keyboards and other electronic instruments mixed with programmed traditional instruments like fiddles, flutes, lutes, mandolins, pan pipes, etc. to create a medieval and fantastical atmosphere. The sounds of rustling leaves, flowing rivers, birds, frogs, galloping horses, clashing swords and more can be heard in the background, enhancing the ambience and allowing even instrumental music to effectively tell stories. While this genre is a pretty recent occurrence, it will still transport you to times long past and to lands far away.
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Naturally, just like dungeon synth, the soundtracks of fantasy themed video games, new and old, are still effective and transporting you to magical foreign worlds and preparing you for grand adventurous quests.
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The same can be said for films, especially those adapting fantasy books.
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I could go on and on, for the landscape of music inspired by fantastical worlds is as vast as the worlds themselves. So I figure we stop our quest, for a bit at least, sit by the fire and enjoy ourselves. I hope I have inspired you to discover new worlds and new ideas and that the songs you hear here send you on your own epic musical adventure. Let the playlist below be your treasure map and guide you to great new things. Journey on and godspeed!
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