Josh Middleton: three types of heaviness and why emotion beats perfection in metal music

What is it about?

Josh Middleton, guitarist for Sylosis and producer for Architects, brings a unique perspective by identifying three completely different types of heaviness in metal music. The first type comes from nu metal bands like Korn and Slipknot - their raw, relatively unpolished sound conveys authentic emotion, intensity, and aggression that resonates powerfully with listeners. The second type dominates contemporary metal production: sonic weight, thickness, and density achieved through heavily edited, machine-like precision, loudness, compression, and distortion. The third type appears in black metal's deliberately raw, abrasive, low-fidelity productions. For Middleton, the most effective heaviness combines nu metal's emotional authenticity with contemporary death metal's dense, meticulously crafted production values. Interestingly, he argues that heaviness isn't limited to metal at all, pointing to electronic music's dynamic build-ups and drops as creating similar emotional impact. He emphasises that effective songwriting and dynamic contrast are more important than genre boundaries for achieving heaviness. His mix of "In Solitude" demonstrates a thoroughly modern approach, using digitally created guitar and bass tones plus completely sampled drum shells to achieve a polished, high-impact sound that balances technical precision with emotional expression.

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Photo by James Kovin on Unsplash

Photo by James Kovin on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Middleton's three-category framework provides the first systematic typology for understanding different manifestations of heaviness across metal's evolutionary timeline, offering analytical tools for distinguishing between aesthetic approaches that are often conflated. His perspective is particularly valuable because he operates both as a performing musician and producer, providing insider knowledge of how creative and technical roles intersect in contemporary metal production. The identification of nu metal's emotional authenticity as a distinct form of heaviness challenges academic and critical dismissal of the subgenre, demonstrating how rawness and polish can serve different but equally valid artistic purposes. His cross-genre analysis connecting metal and electronic music reflects contemporary production realities where genre boundaries increasingly blur, offering insights relevant to understanding modern musical hybridity. The timing is significant as the metal community continues debating authenticity versus technical perfection, with Middleton's framework providing nuanced alternatives to binary thinking about these issues. His heavily sample-based approach to "In Solitude" documents cutting-edge production techniques that represent the current technological frontier, while his emphasis on emotional impact ensures these tools serve musical rather than merely technical purposes. This dual perspective bridges the gap between artistic vision and technical implementation, providing practical guidance for producers navigating contemporary metal production's complex aesthetic landscape.