Metal: Diabolus In Musica

There's a preconception about Metal that the genre is Rock music's ugly stepchild, seemingly forever poised for the underground. Even its fans often think of themselves as outcasts and misfits. But the truth is, Metal has been ubiquitous for decades. Not only have a large number of bands made it to the big leagues, selling millions of records and becoming part of popular culture in the process, its cultural codes and imagery have been adopted by the mainstream: the horns, the t-shirts, the fanzines, the vocals or guitar sounds... Let's face it, Metal is no longer inappropriate. In fact, it's now rightly considered an important art form onto itself, much like Jazz or Hip-Hop. Some will bemoan the loss of that evil aura and its appropriation by the Kardashians and the Lady Gagas, but if a movement must survive, it has to adapt and permeate the culture. It happened to Elvis, the Beatles, Ice Cube and it happened to Black Metal, too.

The most recent example of Metal's respectability is Diabolus In Musica, the absolutely brilliant exhibit in one of the world's leading music museums, La Cité de la Musique, architectural wonder and home of the Paris philharmonic. Simply put, the exhibit is a must-see, whether you're an ardent headbanger of have only a passing interest in that musical current. It delves into every aspect of the genre: musical, lyrical, visual, historical, cultural, anthropological... It also boasts a dizzying collection of documents and artefacts: audio recordings of course, but also instruments, props, costumes, lyric sheets, videos, concert excerpts, testimonies, giving the visitor a complete and detailed overview of Metal and all of its branches, and how it has cross-pollinated with other idioms and non-musical art forms.

Everything about this exhibit is extremely well curated and the space design is also quite remarkable with its religious iconography and the horror imagery. Among some of the exhibit's clever ideas: a video room which puts the spectator inside of a festival mosh pit, a shrine for Saint Lemmy, a vinyl altarpiece which is matched with corresponding classical art, and the re-creation of a typical teenage metalhead bedroom complete with posters, cassette tapes and video game console. Even the gift-shop is well presented and stocked with all the relevant artefacts. The only problem is that you are going to want to buy everything in there...

The curators have obviously worked real hard and you can tell it's real labor of love. As a fan of Metal, it's incredibly satisfying to see such a thorough treatment and it's also somewhat emotional to see that the genre is taken so seriously when that hasn't always been the case. Unfortunately, this exhibit isn't designed to travel, so your only chance to see it is to come to Paris before September 29th.