The antagonistic codes of metal music in the context of deviance and crime

Metal music, especially from the 1980s onwards, began to spread rapidly around the world and fueled various moral panics due to its associations with crime. Its antagonist codes have drawn more attention to the crimes in its history, labeling it as deviant or criminal music. The fact that some antagonist codes are directly related to committed crimes has justified these labels. It was noteworthy that the crimes committed by Norwegian Black Metal musicians in the 1990s matched the characteristics of music and image. Subsequently, hate murders, church burnings, and vandalism in Norway spread globally as copycat attacks and became part of Black Metal culture. Although it is impossible to deny the relationship of these cases with the music, the potential of Metal music to push its listeners towards crime is questionable. This study, hoping to shed light on some obscure points by approaching the subject through Becker's (2013) concept of 'outsiders' in labeling theory, predicts that the antagonist codes of Metal music become even more transgressive as a result of social labeling. The study aims to collect the antagonist codes within Metal music culture through a Systematic Literature Review, and to discuss and interpret the data analyzed thematically in the context of deviance and crime, thus aiming to be a comprehensive resource and to offer a critical and reflexive perspective.