Publications,
Articles
& Resources

Below you will find an extensive list of project outputs alongside previously published works and articles from the lead HiMMP researchers. If you would like to know more about any specific article of desired impact, please get in touch.

HiMMP Project Outputs

Books

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2025). Heaviness in Metal Music Production: How and Why It Works. Abingdon: Routledge (forthcoming).

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2025). Heaviness in Metal Music Production: Learn from the Masters. Abingdon: Routledge (forthcoming).

Articles and chapters

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2024). Contemporary Approaches to Metal Music Mixing and Production: Heavy Metal, Death Metal, and Metalcore. In Lori Burns & Ciro Scotto (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Metal Music Composition. London: Routledge (forthcoming).

  • Mynett, Mark & Herbst, Jan (2024). Masters of the Art of Mixing: 8 Producers – One Song – Infinite Insights. Sound on Sound, 9/2024, pp. 52–61. (link)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2023). Mapping the Origins of Heaviness Between 1970 and 1995: A Historical Overview of Metal Music Production. In Jan Herbst (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Metal Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 29–42. (link)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2023). Lorna Shore’s ‘To the Hellfire’: A Study in Heaviness. Metal Music Studies, 9(2), pp. 189–213. (open access)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2023). “I Just Go with What Feels Right.” Variance and Commonality in Metal Music Mixing Practice. El Oido Pensante, 11(1), pp. 4–31. (open access)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2022). What Exactly Is “Heaviness” in Heavy Metal Music?. Futurum, 9/2022. (open access)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2022). What is ‘Heavy’ in Metal? A Netnographic Analysis of Online Forums for Metal Musicians and Producers. Popular Music and Society, 45(5), pp. 633–653. (open access)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2022). Toward a Systematic Understanding of “Heaviness” in Metal Music Production. Rock Music Studies, 10(1), pp. 16–37. (open access)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2021). Nail the Mix: Standardization in Mixing Metal Music? Popular Music and Society, 44(5), pp. 628–649. (open access)

  • Herbst, Jan & Mynett, Mark (2021). (No?) Adventures in Recording Land: Engineering Conventions in Metal Music. Rock Music Studies, 9(2), pp. 137–156. (open access)

Dr Jan Herbst // HiMMP Principal Investigator

 Books (selection)

  • Herbst, Jan (2023). The Cambridge Companion to Metal Music. Cambridge University Press. link

  • Herbst, Jan & Vallejo, Alexander (2023). Rock Guitar Virtuosos. Advances in Electric Guitar Playing, Technology, and Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. link

  • Herbst, J. et al. (2022). Rammsteins "Deutschland": Pop - Politik - Provokationen [Rammstein's "Germany": Pop - Politics - Provocations]. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler. link

  • Herbst, J. (2016). Die Gitarrenverzerrung in der Rockmusik. Studien zu Spielweise und Ästhetik [The Guitar Distortion in Rock Music. Studies on Playability and Aesthetics]. Münster: LIT. link

Academic Articles (selection)

  • Herbst, Jan & Boddington-Jordan, Jamie (2023). Harmonic Structures in Twenty-First-Century Metal Music: A Harmonic Analysis of Five Major Metal Genres. Metal Music Studies, 9(1), pp. 27–58. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan & Swallow, Reuben (2022). Dissonance in Metal Music: Musical and Sociocultural Reasons for Metal’s Appreciation of Dissonance. Metal Music Studies, 8(3), pp. 351–379. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2022). Keeper of the Seven Keys: Audio Heritage in Metal Music Production. Metal Music Studies, 8(1), pp. 109–126. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan & Bauerfeind, Karl (2021). Teutonic Metal: Effects of Place- and Mythology-Based Labels on Record Production. International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure, 4, pp. 291–313. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2022). The Recording Industry as the Enemy? A Case Study of Early West German Metal Music. International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure, 5, pp. 229–254. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2021). ‘The Politics of Rammstein’s Sound: Decoding a Production Aesthetic’. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 33(2), pp. 51–76. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2021). ‘Culture-Specific Production and Performance Characteristics. An Interview Study with “Teutonic” Metal Producers’. Metal Music Studies, 7(3), pp. 445–467. (download).

  • Herbst, Jan (2020). Metronomic Precision of ‘Teutonic Metal’: A Methodological Challenge for Rhythm and Performance Research. ASPM Samples, 18, pp. 1–27. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2020). ‘Sonic Signatures in Metal Music Production. Teutonic vs British vs American Sound’. ASPM Samples, 18, pp. 1–26. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2020). ‘From Bach to Helloween. “Teutonic” Stereotypes in the History of Popular Music’. Metal Music Studies, 6(1), pp. 87–108. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2019). ‘Distortion and Rock Guitar Harmony. The Influence of Distortion Level and Structural Complexity on Acoustic Features and Perceived Pleasantness of Guitar Chords’. Music Perception, 36(4), pp. 335-352. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2019). ‘The Formation of the West German Power Metal Scene and the Question of a “Teutonic” Sound’. Metal Music Studies, 5(2), pp. 201–223. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2019). ‘Old Sounds with New Technologies? Examining the Creative Potential of Guitar “Profiling” Technology and the Future of Metal Music from Producers’ Perspectives’. Metal Music Studies, 5(1), pp. 53–69. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan; Czedik-Eysenberg, Isabella & Reuter, Christoph (2018). ‘Guitar Profiling Technology in Metal Music Production: Public Reception, Capability, Consequences and Perspectives’. Metal Music Studies, 4(3), pp. 481-506. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2018). ‘Heaviness and the Electric Guitar: Considering the Interaction Between Distortion and Harmonic Structures’. Metal Music Studies, 4(1), pp. 95–113. (download)

  • Herbst, Jan (2017). ‘Historical Development, Sound Aesthetics and Production Techniques of the Distorted Electric Guitar in Metal Music’. Metal Music Studies, 3(1), pp. 24–46. (download)

Book Chapters

  • Herbst, Jan (2020). German Metal Attack: Power Metal in and from Germany. In Oliver Seibt, Martin Ringsmut & David-Emil Wickström (eds). Made in Germany. London: Routledge, pp. 81–89.

  • Herbst, Jan (2020). ‘Views of German Producers on “Teutonic” metal: Production Approaches and Generational Effects’. In Ralf von Appen & Thorsten Hindrichs (eds). One Nation Under a Groove. Nation als Kategorie populärer Musik?. Bielefeld: transcript, 183–206.

  • Herbst, Jan (2017). ‘Influence of Distortion on Guitar Chord Structures: Acoustic Effects and Perceptual Correlates’. In Wolfgang Auhagen, Claudia Bullerjahn & Christoph Louven (eds). Musikpsychologie, vol. 27: Akustik und musikalische Hörwahrnehmung. Göttingen: Hogrefe, pp. 26–47. (download)

Thesis

  • Herbst, Jan (2024). The Electric Guitar in Rock Music: Guitar Playing, Technology, and Culture. Higher Doctorate by Publication, Leuphana University of Lüneburg.

  • Herbst, Jan (2023). Metal Music in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1980s and 1990s: Record Production, Industry, and Heritage. PhD by Publication, University of Huddersfield. (open access)

Dr Mark Mynett // HiMMP Co-investigator

 Thesis

  • Mynett, Mark (2013). Contemporary Metal Music Production. PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield. (open access)

Books

  • Mynett, Mark (2017). Metal Music Manual: Producing, Engineering, Mixing, and Mastering Contemporary Heavy Music. link

Academic Articles

  • Mynett, Mark (2019). ‘Defining Contemporary Metal Music: Performance, Sounds and Practices’. Metal Music Studies, 5(3), pp. 297–313. abstract

  • Mynett, Mark (2012). ‘Achieving Intelligibility whilst Maintaining Heaviness when Producing Contemporary Metal Music’. Journal on the Art of Record Production, 6. (open access)

  • Mynett, Mark (2011). ‘Sound at Source: The Creative Practice of Re-Heading, Dampening and Drum Tuning for the Contemporary Metal Genre’. Journal on the Art of Record Production, 5. (open access)

Book Chapters

  • Mynett, Mark (2020). ‘Maximum Sonic Impact: (Authenticity/Commerciality) Fidelity-Dualism in Contemporary Metal Music Production’. In Simon Zagorski-Thomas & Andrew Bourbon (eds). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Music Production. London: Bloomsbury, pp. 293–302. link

  • Mynett, Mark (2019). ‘Heaviness in Three Dimensions: The Use of Sonic Space in Contemporary Metal Music Production”. In Simon Zagorski-Thomas, Katia Isakoff, Sophie Stévance & Serge Lacasse (eds). The Art of Record Production: Creative Practice in the Studio. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 66–79. link

  • Mynett, Mark (2016). ‘The Distortion Paradox: Analysing Contemporary Metal Production’. In Andy R. Brown, Karl Spracklen, Keith Kahn-Harris & Niall Scott (eds). Global Metal Music and Culture: Current Directions in Metal Studies. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 68–87. link

  • Mynett, Mark; Wakefield, Jonathan & Till, Rupert (2010). ‘Intelligent Equalisation Principles and Techniques for Minimising Masking when Mixing the Extreme Modern Metal Genre’. In Rosemary Hill & Karl Spracklen (eds). Heavy Fundamentalisms: Music, Metal and Politics. Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press, pp. 141–146. (open access)

Magazine Articles

  • Mynett, Mark (2018). ‘Session Notes Pt. 3; Making Modern Metal, Mixing and Mastering’. Sound on Sound, 3/2018. (open access)

  • Mynett, Mark (2018). ‘Session Notes Pt. 2; Making Modern Metal, Engineering’. Sound on Sound, 2/2018. (open access)

  • Mynett, Mark (2018). ‘Session Notes Pt. 1; Making Modern Metal, Pre-Production’. Sound on Sound, 1/2018. (open access)

  • Mynett, Mark (2010). ‘Get the Perfect Bass’. Computer Music, 12/2010, pp. 63–70.

  • Mynett, Mark (2010). ‘The Sound and the Fury: Part 2’. Guitar World, 5/2010, pp. 72–86. (open access)

  • Mynett, Mark (2010). ‘The Sound and the Fury: Part 1’. Guitar World, 4/2010, pp. 71–80. (open access)

  • Mynett, Mark (2009). ‘Mixing Metal: The SOS Guide to Extreme Metal Production: Part 2’. Sound on Sound, 12/2009, pp. 118–126. (open access)

  • Mynett, Mark (2009). ‘Extreme Metal: The SOS Guide to Recording & Producing Modern Metal’. Sound on Sound, 11/2009, pp. 120–133. (open access)

Additional relevant material // Bibliography

Academic Texts

  • Berger, Harris M. & Fales, Cornelia (2005). ‘Heaviness in the Perception of Heavy Metal Guitar Timbres: The Match of Perceptual and Acoustic Features over Time’. In Paul D. Greene & Thomas Porcello (eds). Wired for Sound. Engineering and Technology in Sonic Cultures. Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, pp. 181–197. link

  • Czedik-Eysenberg, Isabella; Knauf, Denis & Reuter, Christoph (2017). ‘Was macht Musik “hart”? Klangliche Merkmale zur genreübergreifenden Identifikation musikalischer Härte’ (‘What makes music “heavy”?’). Fortschritte der Akustik. DAGA 2017, 43th German Annual Conference for Acoustics, Kiel, 3–5 March, pp. 186–89 (open access)

  • Czedik-Eysenberg, Isabella; Knauf, Denis & Reuter, Christoph (2017). ‘”Hardness” as a Semantic Audio Descriptor for Music Using Automatic Feature Extraction’. Informatik 2017, Chemnitz. (open access)

  • Gil, Victor (2014). Extended Range Guitars: Cultural Impact, Specifications, and the Context of a Mix. MA thesis, California State University. (open access)

  • Hagen, Ross (2011). ‘Musical Style, Ideology, and Mythology in Norwegian Black Metal’. In Jeremy Wallach, Harris M. Berger & Paul D. Greene (eds). Metal Rules the Globe. Heavy Metal Music Around the World. Durham: Duke University Press, pp. 180–199. link

  • Hannan, Calder (2018). ‘Difficulty as Heaviness: Links Between Rhythmic Difficulty and Perceived Heaviness in the Music of Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan’. Metal Music Studies, 3(1), pp. 433–458. (link)

  • Hannan, Calder (2017). Discordant Systems: Uses and Meanings of Rhythmic Difficulty in the Music of Meshuggah and Related Extreme and Progressive Metal Bands. Major thesis, University of Virginia. (open access)

  • Lilja, Esa (2015). ‘Dealing with the 3rd: Anatomy of distorted chords and subsequent compositional features of classic heavy metal’. In Toni-Matti Karjalainen & Kimi Kärki (eds). Modern Heavy Metal. Markets, Practices and Cultures. Helsinki, Finland: Aalto University, pp. 393–403. (open access)

  • Miller, Jason (2021). What Makes Heavy Metal ‘Heavy’?. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 80(1), pp. 70–82. (link)

  • Reyes, Ian (2013). ‘Blacker than Death: Recollecting the “Black Turn” in Metal Aesthetics’. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 25, pp. 240–257. (open access)

  • Reyes, Ian (2008). Sound, Technology, and the Interpretation in Subcultures of Heavy Music Production. PhD thesis, Pittsburgh University. (open access)

  • Smialek, Eric (2015). Genre and Expression in Extreme Metal Music, ca. 1990–2015. PhD thesis, McGill University. (open access)

  • St-Laurent, Méi-Ra (2019). ‘"It’s kind of in the middle": The ‘Mid-Fi’ Aesthetic: Toward a New Designation of Black Metal Aesthetic of Recording. The Case of the Québec Black Metal Scene’. In Gullö, J.O., Rambarran, S., & Isakoff, K., (Eds.), Proceedings of the 12th Art of Record Production Conference Mono: Stereo: Multi. Stockholm: Royal College of Music, pp. 267–286. (open access)

  • Thomas, Niall (2019). ‘Production Perspectives of Heavy Metal Record Producers’. Popular Music, 38(3), pp. 498–517. (open access)

  • Thomas, Niall (2015). The Development of Technology and its Influence on Recorded Heavy Metal Music 1969-2015. PhD thesis, University of Hull. (open access)

  • Turner, Dan (2009). ‘Outlining the Fundamental Production Aesthetics of Commercial Heavy Metal Music Utilising Systematic Empirical Analysis’. The Art of Record Production Conference, Cardiff. (open access)

  • Volák, Vojtěch (2022). Heaviness: A Key Concept of Metal Music Through the Lens of Deleuzian Philosophy. Studia de Cultura, 14(3), pp. 53–62 (link)

  • Williams, Duncan (2015). ‘Tracking Timbral Changes in Metal Productions from 1990 to 2013’. Metal Music Studies, 1(1), pp. 39–68. link

  • Zagorski-Thomas, Simon (2010). ‘Real and Unreal Performances: The Interaction of Recording Technology and Rock Drum Kit Performance’. In Anne Danielsen (ed). Musical Rhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 195–212. (open access)

Professional Resources