Metal studies is a "booming" research field that has gained tremendous momentum in recent years. In this field, heavy metal is studied both as a cultural practice and as a musical genre. However, many of the most urgent conceptual questions remain unanswered - particularly those that lie outside the research interests of the founding disciplines of metal studies. This first volume in the "Meta/Metal" book series addresses some of these issues. It brings together contributions from leading scholars and young experts, each of which responds to one of the conceptual desiderata that have arisen in metal studies thus far. All contributions are committed to advancing basic research through empirical accuracy and theoretical innovation.