“Ours is painful, victorious birth of limitless form”:analysis of queer elements in extreme metal music lyrics

Abstract. This thesis analyzes the lyrics of four different extreme metal songs and their LGBTQ, or queer, themes and the goal is to find how queer elements are present in extreme metal lyrics. The lyrics will be analyzed with an approach combining queer theory, cultural research, and close reading. The four songs chosen for the analysis are based on my own tastes and either clear evidence of LGBTQ themes in lyrics or LGBTQ background of a band member. The analysis is split into different sections, each focused on a certain subject. The aim of this thesis is to bring light into different ways LGBTQ elements can be found in genres of extreme metal music, where one might be surprised to find such elements. The analysis found that there are certain LGBTQ topics that are common in all the analyzed songs and that there are multiple ways to show these themes