A new research article published in The Psychology of Popular Media Culture, and written about by The British Pyschology Society, explains that:

Listening to songs about death and dressing yourself in t-shirts featuring skulls and demons might seem like a strange way to combat existential angst. Nonetheless, a new study in Psychology of Popular Media Culture shows that listening to heavy metal helps fans of the genre deal with their own mortality. This is likely because to fans, heavy metal represents so much more than a genre, it embodies a way of life and a sense of identity. The results support and extend what’s known as Terror Management Theory – the idea that we instinctively deal with existential angst by thinking about what has meaning to us in the world and reinforcing our self-esteem.

What I like most about this is the term “Terror Management Theory” which sounds like something that Rob Zombie would know about. Either way, this isn’t news to us at ProgMetalMadness, we’ve always known that listening to metal makes you more chill.

If you’re feeling a bit angsty right now, watch Angel of Death: