Metal Voices Study

Exciting metal university news! We are pleased to be able to host the details for this study and invite community members to participate.

Research Study: What are Voice Hearers’ experiences and uses of heavy metal music?

Are you a voice hearer or do you identify as someone who hears voices?*
Are you a heavy metal music fan or listen to heavy metal music regularly?**
Are you over 18 and living in the UK?
Do you have access to the internet?


If the answer is yes to these questions, I would like to talk to you as part of a research study exploring your experiences of voice hearing and the role of heavy metal music for you.
The study will involve a 60-90 minute interview over video call and take place in the Summer and Autumn of 2023.


My name is Ari Azmoodeh, I’m a researcher completing a Clinical Psychology Doctorate.
For more information and to express interest in taking part please click here.

Transcript: Hi, my name is Ari. I am a trainee clinical psychologist and I’m running this study as part of my doctoral training in clinical psychology. I am generally really interested in developing our understanding of voice hearing, particularly around how people who hear voices make sense of their experiences and what this might mean for people. My interest in the area comes from working with people who hear voices, learning about, noticing and appreciating all the different perspectives that exist. This study is about developing an understanding of the role of heavy metal music for people who hear voices. I am interested in exploring how people who hear voices make use of heavy metal music and what it may or may not provide. It’s something that really interests me and there isn’t much research focusing on this yet. So the study is looking for people who hear voices or who identify as a voice hearer and who also enjoy and listen to metal music regularly. It will involve interviews with me held online via video call. If this sounds interesting, and you think you might want to take part you can click through the link on this page and have a read through the participant information sheet for more details. My contact details are also on this page, so please get in touch with me if you have any questions, or you just want to talk about the study. I think that is all for me for now. Thank you, and I hope to hear from you.

*Voice Hearing Definition
o Hearing someone speak when other people can’t
o Hearing music, noises or sounds that other people can’t hear
o Seeing something other people can’t see (often called having a ‘vision’)
o Feeling something on, or under, your skin that is hard to explain and/or others might say has no physical cause
o Smelling something other people can’t
o Tasting something that others, eating or drinking the same substance, would not taste
o Sensing someone else’s presence, when others cannot
o Having people you can speak to that others cannot see or hear
** Identify as a fan of one or more genres of heavy metal music or listen to heavy metal music at least 50% of the time you choose to listen to music.


If you would like to contact me or ask any questions, please email me at:
B1225624@live.tees.ac.uk