Beyond the Song, Beyond the Matter… Formal Solutions in Selected Examples of Polish Post-Metal Music

Abstract

One of the most interesting phenomena in rock music at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries is post-metal. Due to its hybridity and polystylism, it aligns well with the aesthetics of postmodernism. However, this trend and musical genre remains largely absent from Polish academic texts. Thus, the aim of this article is, firstly, to introduce this phenomenon and its repertoire from a historical perspective, as well as to characterise the musical poetics of the genre. Secondly, this article offers a detailed analysis of two selected compositions coming from the Polish post-metal repertoire: Obscure Sphinx’s “Nothing Left” (2016) and Entropia’s “Vacuum” (2018). The analysis aims to identify specific formal and compositional strategies employed in their works, as well as to examine the extent to which they are or are not related to the traditional song form.