When Monsters Roar and Angels Sing, Hartmut Rosa, 2023

In When Monsters Roar and Angels Sing, Hartmut Rosa explores how metal music creates resonance—deep, meaningful connections—in a world that often feels alienating. The book examines resonance axes: social (with other people), physical (with things, materials), with ourselves (body, psyche, memories), and vertical/existential (existence, life, world, nature, cosmos). Metal music provides a stable resonance axis, allowing people to “fearlessly dance on the existential rift.”

Top 3 Learnings:

1. Resonance axes: social (with other people), physical (with things, materials), with ourselves (body, psyche, memories), and vertical/existential (existence, life, world, nature, cosmos). Human life takes place between cold (desert) and love (God, etc.). Metal is more than just music—metal is everything around it. Unavailability is a core element of peak experience—sometimes live or some element is especially powerful.

2. Metal gives no answers but very important questions. Metal music doesn’t provide solutions but raises existential questions that matter. The life stories of bands and listeners are closely intertwined. Metal provides a force that carries you along—and this in times of capitalism.

3. From outside perspective: ridiculous, silly, cliché. From inside perspective: more underneath—transcendence experience. The book explores how metal music creates meaningful experiences that outsiders might not understand but that provide deep resonance for those who engage with it.

Why and when to read it:

Read this when you’re interested in music, resonance theory, or understanding how art creates meaning and connection. It’s especially valuable for metal fans, music lovers, or anyone interested in Hartmut Rosa’s resonance theory applied to music. The book provides a philosophical exploration of how metal music creates resonance in a world that often feels alienating, making it perfect for anyone wanting to understand the deeper meaning of music and art.