On the enjoyment of violence and aggression in music. Comment on “An integrative review of the enjoyment of sadness associated with music” by Tuomas Eerola et al.

[Extract]
In the target article, Eerola, et al. [2] provide a valuable critical analysis of current research and theory on the enjoyment of sadness in music, and conclude that nominally negative responses to music may be converted into pleasure through a cascade of hedonic shifts at multiple levels of analysis. They also make reference to tragedy in other artworks, implying that the enjoyment of sadness in music may be an instance of a general phenomenon in which aesthetic depictions of adversity are enjoyed. By considering the enjoyment of music with aggressive and violent themes (termed hereafter “violent music”), as observed in a recent investigation of the experiences of fans of Death Metal music, we hope to contribute to this discussion and stimulate further investigation.