Let me rephrase and see if I can get my meaning across: the author is asking if there is a pre-existing genetic/morphologic/physiologic/whatever predisposition that makes it so that some people can listen to death metal and suchlike and have a positive reaction where others (anecdotally, the majority of other people) will have a strong, visceral negative reaction.
Is there a biological cause? Is it a "learned" like/dislike?
some people can listen to death metal and suchlike and have a positive reaction where others (anecdotally, the majority of other people) will have a strong, visceral negative reaction.
Couldn't you find exactly the same thing about lots of genres of music? Opera and some genres of jazz for example can cause extremely different reactions in people, at least as strong as that of death metal.
I wonder how much of it is simply due to unfamiliarity and baseline expectations of what music 'should' sound like. We've all heard old stories of people reacting to Rolling Stones the same way people who grew up listening to Rolling Stones might react to Dimmu Borgir.
I know my perception of jazz changed a lot after I spent time with huge jazz fan who taught me about the genre and explained the different aspects of the music and how to approach it. I bet if someone sits down and honestly tries to learn about and understand the different aspects and genres of death metal then their negative reaction will, if not go away, then at least greatly diminish.
Personally, it's been a process of learning. At first I even found something like Nirvana too much, but I could appreciate classic rock and metal like Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. From there it was a journey of discovery that ended with death/doom metal and black metal. Most death metal is just not really my taste but I can totally see what people like about it.
Is there a biological cause? Is it a "learned" like/dislike?