# How to express RAGE!! in music



## a_j (Jul 1, 2018)

I am trying to figure out how to express "ugly" emotions such as wild rage and desperate fear in music, while keeping the music itself aesthetically pleasing.

Mozart once opined that "Nevertheless the passions, whether violent or not, should never be so expressed as to reach the point of causing disgust; and music, even in situations of the greatest horror, should never be painful to the ear but should flatter and charm it, and thereby always remain music."

Given this approach, it is probably not surprising that Mozart's _Der Hölle Rache_, which the Queen of the Night is supposed to sing in a fit of vengeful rage, sounds more like a virtuosic nightingale (to my ears, at least) than an enraged queen.

Among classical music, Verdi's Dies Irae gets much closer to rage, but even that piece sounds "awe-inspiring and intimidating" rather than truly enraged. The *might* of a god rather than the *rage* of a god.

There are screamo Metal and punk rock songs that do effectively express wild rage, but I would hesitate to call these music.

Music is often said to "intensify" emotion, but can any *musical* rhythm or groove express rage more intensely than wild banging? Can any melody express rage better than incoherent screaming? Can any harmony express rage better than dissonant distortion? Can even the most dissonant distorted guitar express rage better than smashing that guitar on stage?

The following song, _Big Bad Wolf_ by In This Moment, seems to tread the fine line between rage and music:


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## Tyll (Jul 1, 2018)

I have nothing really helpful to say, but here is Big Bad Wolf by Duck Sauce. Maybe it opens your mind to find new ways to express rage through music.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Jul 1, 2018)

The truth is, Metal music is there to express rage and does it better than any other musical style or direction. There are some musically and creatively valuable outputs in that department, which are bound to escape you since you're not able to suspend your prejudice.


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## Divico (Jul 1, 2018)

Not shure what the song has in common with rage.
Imo metal is the place to look into when you want anger and pain.
There is tons of metal that is not just screaming but hast lots of harmony and melody.
This one imo is quite good for fear, loneliness, bit of anger:

Sadness, disapointment, anger and acousation but also resistance and strength in the male vocalists part:
(Btw: This band is a great fusion between celtic folklore and melodic death metal.)

Fear:
I wasnt really scared by the movies but to me this soundtrack goes under the skin and makes me feel uncomfortable:
It has a certain kind of coldness to it:

Not the raging fear type of anger. More like pushing forward energy. Anger trying to change something.


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## JPComposer (Jul 1, 2018)

For a non-metal alternative there's the first movement of Beethoven's 9th.


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## Divico (Jul 1, 2018)

Beethovens 5th is also quite agressive in the tutti parts.
The Isengard theme from the Lord of the Rings is maybe also a good candidate.


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## MartinH. (Jul 1, 2018)

Tyll said:


> I have nothing really helpful to say, but here is Big Bad Wolf by Duck Sauce. Maybe it opens your mind to find new ways to express rage through music.




Wow, that was surreal. I don't hear any anger in the musik though. Seemed pretty chill to me. 




a_j said:


> There are screamo Metal and punk rock songs that do effectively express wild rage, but I would hesitate to call these music.



If that already is past your "music threshold" then you'll probably not be open to e.g. the whole depressive suicidal black metal genre, or this band that records screams of institutionalized mental patients instead of vocals: 

https://weirdestbandintheworld.com/2013/05/08/stalagghgulaggh/

I don't know anything more "extreme". 


If you'd be willing to give metal a try if it just weren't for the vocals, then there's Blotted Science, afaik all their stuff is instrumental (at least the first album, I haven't really listened to stuff like that in a while):


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## studiostuff (Jul 1, 2018)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> The truth is, Metal music is there to express rage and does it better than any other musical style or direction.



Really?: Penderecki - Thernody 



There are many other examples.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Jul 1, 2018)

studiostuff said:


> Really?



Yes, I would say so, definitely. Stuff like the Thernody, ironically, is closer to "noise" than something a metal band would generally do.
Doesn't even feel a lot like "rage" anyway - it's more terror and anguish.

Generally I think that anger shouldn't sound too artsy. It should be unbridled, but convey a sense of physicality, weight and direction as well.


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## Divico (Jul 1, 2018)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> Yes, I would say so, definitely. Stuff like the Thernody, ironically, is closer to "noise" than something a metal band would generally do.
> Doesn't even feel a lot like "rage" anyway - it's more terror and anguish.


+1
Imo Metal also isn't that often real anger. It is more about energy.
This song though is pure rage. Its Rise Againsts vocalists side project:

Less screaming:


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## Greg (Jul 1, 2018)

Howard Shore mastered it in LOTR. The dissonances he explores are beautiful & thrilling


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## patrick76 (Jul 1, 2018)

Why would you hesitate to call metal and punk music? It's up to you what sources to learn from, but why not study those that you admit accomplish the very thing you set out to express.. 

Two examples of rage





Btw, for me much death metal and screamo doesn't really sound that much like rage. I think some old school thrash and punk styles sound much angrier than a lot of the vocal timbres popular in the previously mentioned styles.


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## fretti (Jul 1, 2018)

+1 to LOTR
and the two off the top of my head, wich could fit what you imagine:


+maybe a few other pieces of Star Wars (Dual of fates or something like that)


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## Piano Pete (Jul 1, 2018)

...bagpipes? That'll get me raging pretty quick.


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## astrocreep (Jul 1, 2018)

Can you cope with instrumental metal? Is it just the vocals that you don't consider music?


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Jul 1, 2018)

I don't listen to a lot of metal these days. One of the reasons is because it became so synonymous with screaming/grunting/cookie monster vocals. Wasn't like that back in the day. I think it became kind of a cop-out for not being able to sing in an energetic, ballsy way.


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## Wally Garten (Jul 1, 2018)

Brunnhilde always seems like she's raging when she gives her battle cry:



In general, though, it seems like "rage" in music incorporates ugliness by its nature -- rage seems inherently a fractured and chaotic state. So it could be metal thrashing or punk screaming or, you know, whatever this is:



One source that might be fruitful is cartoon music. There are plenty of opportunities for the music in classic cartoons to express the rage of Wile E. Coyote or Tom the cat. It's played for comic effect, of course, but the sudden brass blasts and stomping, staccato walks up the scale DO effectively convey the character's anger....


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## a_j (Jul 1, 2018)

patrick76 said:


> Why would you hesitate to call metal and punk music? It's up to you what sources to learn from, but why not study those that you admit accomplish the very thing you set out to express..



I was not referring to *all* Metal and punk -- I am a big Metalhead myself! I was referring to the more extreme genres that consist of someone screaming "KILL!KILL!IFUCKINHATEYOU!!!" while banging a blast beat as fast as possible.

Most definitions of music invoke some notion of "organized sound". Moreover, as a composer I would like to think that my carefully constructed melodies or harmonies enhance the emotional impact of the music.

The problem is that when it comes to unbridled rage, it seems that the more DISorganized the sound, the better it expresses rage.


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## Rodney Money (Jul 1, 2018)

How about solo violin?


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## Jorgakis (Jul 2, 2018)

I think I know what you mean. I think our present definition of how certain emotions should sound in music has changed over the decades. Although I mostly listen to symphonic music I don't always get that "certain" emotional effect than e.g. listening to a simple love song etc. I'd also agree that some screamo songs are more "direct" delivering that feeling of rage. I recently accompanied someone singing a vengeful mozart lied, which was about a jealous lover raging about her unfaithful man. It sounded too pretty to my ears, though. So when it comes to rage I am team "obvious sounds make obvious feelings", but I'm surely many will disagree.

Nevertheless, when thinking about rage I immediately thought of Mahler 6 1st mvmt or Mahler 1 4th mvmt, Mahler 5 2nd mvmt etc. To me Mahler in general sounds most emotional and has that jouvenile rage spirit. Maybe "Ein Heldenleben" somewhere in the middle, too, shostakovich ofc... At least there are some headbanging classical examples out there, that come pretty close to some metal pieces.


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## Divico (Jul 2, 2018)

Aside from the music itself mixing plays also a big role imo. 
Distortion, odd harmonics, heavy compression and a lot of "punch"


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## dcoscina (Jul 2, 2018)

Varese's Arcana, Stravinsky's Le Sacre, quite a lot of Goldenthal's Alien3, Goldsmith's First Blood, just to name a few examples of music that is aggressive and fuelled by anger/aggression.


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## Henu (Jul 2, 2018)

MartinH. said:


> depressive suicidal black metal genre



Not really the most aggressive or raging possible metal sub- genre, though.


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## MartinH. (Jul 2, 2018)

Henu said:


> Not really the most aggressive or raging possible metal sub- genre, though.


True, but the opening post also mentioned "desperate fear" and for that I don't know a more fitting one. If you do know something that tops it in that regard, lemme know, I'd be curious to take a listen.


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## dcoscina (Jul 2, 2018)

Shosty’s 10 symphony is a great example of angry music, especially the second movement


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## reddognoyz (Jul 2, 2018)




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## JEPA (Jul 2, 2018)

a_j said:


> There are screamo Metal and punk rock songs that do effectively express wild rage, but I would hesitate to call these music.



...


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## Mattzart (Jul 2, 2018)

JEPA said:


> ...



Ha, yeah. What a weird thing to say. Why wouldnt you call those music?

Anyway, for me, I can achieve angry results with timbre. Ugly, ugly timbre that reaches into a dark part of me and comes out as dissonant raging synths or aggressively played strings. I'll incorporate a lot of percussion instruments to really drive home the point. Heavily laying into taikos over a screeching, screaming synth patch played two octaves too high (with the top hz cut off a bit, so it's not dangerously piercing).

There are a lot of ways. Check out the band Full of Hell. Theyre so heavy and aggressive it makes me wanna mosh my printer.

Also, I have to play live the instruments or virtual instruments live rather than composing by mouse, shifting around midi notes. Rage has to come out live for me. have an MPC1000 for midi-to-USB purposes, I'll load up a taiko patch or some other percussion and just lay into it.

Pay close attention to the low end, too. That's an easy way to get a raging sound.


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## reddognoyz (Jul 2, 2018)

JEPA said:


> ...



not me bro : ) that stuff is like iron. I've been to a couple of show and it so isn't my cup of tea. It is my son's cup of tea because it is the son's job to find music that his father should hate. It was a tough assignment, because I have yet to find a genre that can't enrich me at least a tiny bit, but I would say he did well as I can only like it in small doses. It's soooo abrasive, but see a live show and it's definitely hell on wheels. 

on a really funny note lookie what I found on sound iron

https://soundiron.com/collections/on-sale/products/voices-of-rage


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## reddognoyz (Jul 2, 2018)

or try two violins in "unison" that'll bring the rage......


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## Wally Garten (Jul 2, 2018)

Speaking of violins, I guess the shower scene theme from PSYCHO is another one -- though whether that meets OP's criterion of "keeping the music itself aesthetically pleasing" is maybe a matter of argument....


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## wst3 (Jul 2, 2018)

dancing about architecture... but that is what we do isn't it?

I'm not sure I agree 100% on the need to keep the music itself aesthetically pleasing, or perhaps my definition of aesthetically pleasing is a little off?

When I think of rage I think of dense, closely space harmonies, and a driving rhythm. Choirs are definitely part of it, and lots of low end energy. Lots of brass! Some dissonance is necessary, I think. Basically I think of someone losing their minds with anger, shouting, smashing things (people?), and generally out of control.

When I think of fear I think if shrill sounds, high strings and a dense female choir. I also love double reeds when I am trying to be scary. Prepared pianos work well, unusual instruments (Theremin, Water Harp) are also very helpful. Fear can be done at any tempo I think, and changing tempo is a very effective tool. Again dissonance can play a role, although I'm not sure it is necessary, or maybe it is.

In both cases I think the music needs to be uncomfortable. Just in different ways.

But what do I know???


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## Will Blackburn (Jul 3, 2018)




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## NoamL (Jul 3, 2018)

Rage = a lot of pent up emotion, let out in one crazy outburst

So it's not enough for the music to be fortissimo, I think you also should experiment with ways to make the music have that pent up crazy feeling. HEAVY limiting to make it feel like the sound is too much for the speaker to handle... heavy EQ shaping to make the music feel constrained and frustrated.

Have you heard John Zorn's experimental piece Kristallnacht? IMO it's operating on the very edges of what can even count as music....
*
WARNING THIS IS @#%#@ing LOUD TURN DOWN YOUR SPEAKERS*



You asked for music that was "aesthetically pleasing," but rage is an extreme emotion.







It has to feel a little crazy and intense, otherwise it's not rage


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## ein fisch (Jul 4, 2018)

You wont find anything nearly as aggressive. Give it a listen


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## Mattzart (Jul 4, 2018)

ein fisch said:


> You wont find anything nearly as aggressive. Give it a listen




Takes me back to my hardcore days! Gabba Front Berlin, 3 Steps Ahead, Delta 9, Venetian Snares. Great times, man. Going to shows, dancing and sweating buckets in a trance.

Different genre, but give these dudes a listen:

Absolute top act. Everything they release is legendary.

edit: that blastbeat @ 3:20 in the video I posted floored me first time I saw it. No double bass! Mental.


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## Wally Garten (Jul 5, 2018)

Oh, another thought -- the first song in this performance walks a good line between pleasure and a kind of raging chaos, IMO.


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## JohnG (Jul 5, 2018)

I think it depends on how we define rage. The rage of a child or adolescent, that is so overwhelming it demands instant expression through screaming or shouting -- undoubtedly that's real and an important part of human existence.

That said, real rage can fester and emerge as nasty poison in other ways as well. I'm sure someone here who's studies the amygdala and the "reptile brain" stuff could weigh in.

One thing we appear to be witnessing today broadly, in politics in many countries, is what might be described as "long-suffering" rage. People appear to be hewing to their most elemental group-think, in many instances, blaming "The Other" for their problems. 

Whether those problems in fact arise from the source people are identifying is certainly worth asking but, to return to the musical question, I guess I find the longer-simmering rage and bitterness far more sinister than simply "I'm 1000% angry Right Now." 

What about the rage of a spouse that has been betrayed? The rage of a long-term employee who's been passed over unfairly? The rage of someone fired for an unfair reason like gender? Those, when harboured by someone older, maybe even quite old, could nevertheless generate very ugly results.

So I'm thinking that might be an interesting lane to explore in the overall topic.


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## Grim_Universe (Sep 16, 2018)

Oh, I know what you are looking for:

*12:30; 13:40

****


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