Metal, heavy metal, rock, hard rock and screamo are all terms that have been lumped together and used to describe metal music. But metal, like every genre of music, has a vast history of diverse sub-genres with different nuances and sounds that have evolved since its inception. Since then, there has been pop metal, death metal, folk metal, rap metal, electronic metal, symphonic metal, black metal, stoner metal, thrash metal, groove metal and so much more. 

Slipknot and Tool both topped the Billboard 200 chart with recent albums, showing that metal is still very relevant to this day. Furthermore, you can find all sorts of covers, collaborations and features where metal artists and bands have worked with mainstream artists. One recent notable example is Ozzy Osborne’s feature on Post Malone’s new album “Hollywood’s Bleeding.” 

Metal is a genre that I believe has the potential to be appreciated and listened to by music listeners of all stripes. The purpose of this list is to introduce a few metal albums to those of you who just appreciate music, have an open mind and want to give some metal a try, if you haven’t already.

1. If you like pop: “The Silver Scream” by Ice Nine Kills

If Panic at the Disco made a Halloween-themed metal album, it would end up sounding something like “The Silver Scream” by Ice Nine Kills. The catchy, melodic choruses and pop-infused vocals of lead singer Spencer Charnas are sure to please any pop fan.

2. If you like rap: “DXXM” by Scarlxrd

Scarlxrd – pronounced Scarlord – is an innovator in the rap industry who has managed to blend the trap rap sound of artists such as Future and Young Thug with heavy metal. I believe the execution is superb.

3. If you like country: “Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood” by Volbeat

Danish rockers Volbeat have been going at it for 14 years now, and they’ve always managed to maintain their rockabilly-metal sound, drawing heavily from Johnny Cash in particular. Their fusion of metal, country and blues is wildly creative and fun to listen to.

4. If you like classical: “Reclaimer” by Shadow of Intent

Classical and death metal may seem like an unlikely alliance, but Shadow of Intent blends the two genres all throughout their symphonic death metal album, “Reclaimer.” This album sounds like the musical score of a movie or video game, which makes sense considering the album is Halo-themed. The way the orchestral lines interact with the dark and heavy sounds of the guitars and drums creates a surprisingly pleasing finished product.

5. If you like classic rock: “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath is without a doubt the most well-known band on this list. Who doesn’t know and love their hits such as “Iron Man” or “Paranoid?” But a fact that isn’t widely known outside the metal world is that the Black Sabbath members are actually considered to be the creators of the metal genre itself. The more you know!

6. If you like alternative: “The Stories We Tell Ourselves” by Nothing More

I think of alternative fans, myself included, as those who like that which is different and can’t necessarily be described by one genre. Nothing More definitely fits the bill. These guys drew the attention of many in the music industry when they received the most Grammy nominations in the rock category after the release of “The Stories We Tell Ourselves.” Be prepared for eclectic hard rock hits, emotional power ballads and deep philosophical interludes in this hour-long rollercoaster of an album.

7. If you like female vocalists: “The Strange Case of…” by Halestorm

Who doesn’t love a strong female vocalist? Throw in a touch of metal and a whole lot of badass and you get the excellence that is Halestorm. Elizabeth “Lzzy” Hale’s incredible songwriting and amazing voice is what makes her not only one of the best female hard rock vocalists, but one of the best hard rock vocalists in the industry. Halestorm’s Grammy Award-winning song “Love Bites (So Do I)” that kicks off this album will get anyone and everyone head banging, no matter their musical taste.

8. If you like electronic: “Vessels” by Starset

Starset’s electronic, symphonic metal sound is inspired by their theme of space technology exploration. You’ll also find yourself hearing an Imagine Dragons-esque electropop sound. Just lie down, put on your best pair of headphones and listen to their beautiful album from start to finish. It’s one of my personal favorites.

9. If you like punk: “Disease” by Beartooth

Beartooth’s punk roots are so clear that many have gone so far as to describe the band as hardcore punk, a sub-genre of metal and punk. Whether you’re a fan of The Clash, Blink-182, The Ramones or Green Day, Beartooth’s upbeat punk-driven instrumentals, catchy choruses and powerful vocals are bound to get you hooked.

10. If you like show tunes: “Prequelle” by Ghost

Show tunes can cover such a wide range of diverse songs with different sounds, but the one thing they all have in common is a story, theme, drama and theatrics. Ghost, arguably the biggest band in metal right now, is nothing but those things. Their incredible live show features a huge cathedral setting, saxophones, incense, characters and more than 10 masked members. The masked members are led by the powerful frontman, Cardinal Copia, a character portrayed by vocalist Tobias Forge. Don’t just listen to Ghost, watch them!

Women’s golf has played an important part of Trask’s college experience at Jewell.

“It’s definitely kept me busy… It’s been a great experience though because it’s given me something that has led to me meeting new people and making a lot of new friends…It’s also forced me to be good at time management,” she said.

Coach Bob Cole heavily influenced Trask’s golf career.

“Coach Cole has been super supportive of my golf since I got here” said Trask. “Any time I need anything, all I have to do is ask and he will do whatever he can to help…I definitely wouldn’t have been as successful as I have been this semester without his support”.

Trask had very good things to say about the current women’s golf team.

“We have some really talented and very enthusiastic girls on the team this year,” said Trask. “I’m really excited to see where we go as a team because I can see this group of women being very successful. I hope the women continue to have the same dedication and enthusiasm after I’m gone. I really want to see them have the same success even when my name isn’t on the roster anymore.”

The women’s golf team has two more tournaments this semester at the Maryville University Fall Invite Oct. 13 in Saint Louis and the Trevecca Nazarene University Fall Invite Oct. 22 in Nashville.

“Since I wasn’t able to live here very much, I figured it’d be fun to live with my brothers after graduation. Plus, it was a job. Another part of why I wanted to be house manager was that I was really frustrated with the lack of respect for the house that I saw and I wanted to be in a position to help change that. It’s been fun so far, and I’m impressed with how everyone’s acting and the responsibility the brothers are taking with the changes in school policies.”

“It’s made my life suck. I found out that I had Crohn’s in the winter of my freshman year. It’s made me rethink my perspective on life. It’s helped me learn to take care of my body and do what I can to stay in a healthy state and it’s made me realize that while things may be out of my control, there are also lots of other things that are in my control. It’s given me a huge sense of compassion for people who are sick and hurting because I’ve been in that position, even though I may not understand others’ situations completely, it’s helped me become more compassionate. It’s also been nice to have a support group of people who have had similar illnesses to me. It’s been a help to me and I know that I’ve also helped others.”

“There was just one day I thought it’d be fun to plant pumpkins. I saw the variety of pumpkins to plant and I just got carried away with it. It gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment to get paid on stuff that I’ve grown. Plus, pumpkins are awesome. Things are going well, I’ve made a profit already, enough to get equipment to do much more in the future. I want to continue to do it because it’s a summer hobby and a fun thing to do…. It’s fun to grow things and see your accomplishments just spring up out of the ground.”

“Although I haven’t grown this beard from being completely clean shaven, I’d approximate that it took a year to grow. I haven’t been clean shaven since my sophomore year in high school, and I turn 23 in two weeks, if that tells you anything. I would never get rid of the beard. Under no circumstances would I ever shave. If my girlfriend ever wanted me to get rid of it, we’d have to sit down and have a conversation about it, and that conversation would probably end in me not shaving. The beard is like my trophy of getting through college. With my illness, all I really had the energy to do was grow a beard. Now everyone knows me as the guy with the big beard. Plus, my pumpkin farming business is called ‘Bearded Pumpkins,’ and ‘Clean Shaven Pumpkins’ doesn’t have the same ring to it. Plus, it’s been cool walking around and finding other guys with beards and giving them the cool ‘beard nod’ like ‘what’s up, dude.’”

Photos by Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe.

Public universities have been seemingly attacking free speech for years. A large mechanism that has been used is “free speech zones”. These are areas on campuses where students have the right to gather and speak freely. These speech zones are usually small, and in several cases are put in low quality places on campus where students rarely go. This is very problematic considering that these universities are paid through our tax dollars. If our 1st Amendment rights are extended anywhere on public lands, why do these rights seem to end at public universities? These are supposed to be institutions that foster the free exchange of ideas in hopes of seeking the truth.

Fortunately, Missouri is one of only two states in the United States where this is not an issue. Senate Bill 93 abolished all free speech zones at public universities. This means is that an entire campus is considered a free speech zone (with a couple very clear exceptions). This explains the reason behind Mizzou’s large presence all over Mizzou during the heated protests.

Where does William Jewell College fit into all of this? Obviously we are not affected by the law since we are a private school, but should Jewell be doing anything different? Luckily, we haven’t seen any troubling attacks on free speech at William Jewell (that I am aware of), but this doesn’t necessarily mean nothing should be done. Legally, William Jewell’s speech code must be followed, so whatever is enforced by the school is what is written in the Student’s Rights and Responsibilities. Is there anything wrong with the speech code? According to Section 1, Clause 3, “Students have the right to freedom of responsible expression, in speech, press, broadcasting, and religion, and the responsibility to avoid abusive expression, use of personal force and violence and threats of violence.” Is this speech code too vague? While some parts of the speech code are pretty clear, such as “violence and threats of violence”, we must be careful with some of the other language used in the speech code. Sophomore Oxbridge Music major Jonathan Daniel offered some insightful thoughts on this issue, “The vagueness [of the speech code] lies in “abusive expression” and what exactly is meant by “abusive” that isn’t “violent” or “threatening.”… I do think there are uses of speech that are harmful and should be opposed, but their purviews are incredibly narrow and ought not to be defined by specialized interests.”

What should William Jewell do to foster a culture of free speech? A possible suggestion is a change to the speech code to include more specific definitions of “responsible” and “abusive” speech. If we as an institution can apply our critical thinking, we can continue to foster a culture which respects the freedom to express all ideas. Like I said before, Jewell hasn’t had a problem yet, but with the increasing political polarization we’re seeing today and the reactionary attitudes on both sides of the spectrum, we must be sure to stand strong in our principles of critical thought, seeking the truth, and progressing as a society. We’ve all read John Stuart Mill, let’s show that we know what it means to foster a culture of free speech.