Eso-kitsch in Czech Folk Metal: A Case Study of the Band Odraedir

Abstract

Some criticism Pagan oriented folk metal music as “commercial”, i.e., created primarily for profit. We are convinced that this distinction is worthless, unmeasurable, and unverifiable from an analytical point of view. However, within a given musical genre, music fans and critics still distinguish very different works in terms of quality. Therefore, we propose to replace the vague term “commercial production” with the term esoteric kitsch (eso-kitsch), which is based on Tomáš Kulka’s analytical-aesthetic theory of kitsch. Using examples from the Czechoslovak folk metal scene, we show that eso-kitsch is a suitable tool for identifying musical creations that are characterized not by economic, creative, or spiritual value but primarily by aesthetic value.