Heavy metal was first popularised during the 1970s as an expressive form of rock that focused on war and violence; bands used this genre as a platform to express their disapproval of Vietnam War, an ongoing conflict which claimed millions of lives.
In the 1980s, hard rock gained tremendous popularity. Bands such as Black Sabbath were eager to shock their listeners with dark images in their songs like Satanic imagery.
Subliminal messages
Heavy metal music has long been associated with psychological issues. Studies have demonstrated the correlation between listening to sexually degrading lyrics in heavy metal songs and an increase in sexual activity within two years.
Additionally, there can also be subliminal messages found within the music of different bands that send subliminal messages – visual and auditory alike.
Visual subliminal messages are images flashed at such a rapid speed that the human eye cannot detect them. James Vicary conducted an experiment which demonstrated this concept: people did not notice when “Thirsty?” and “Hungry?” appeared side-by-side on a display board.
Backmasking is another technique used to send audio-based subliminal messages subtly inserted into music so they are unrecognizable to listeners; Judas Priest are notorious for doing this in their song “Better By You, Better Than Me”, resulting in two fans taking their lives after hearing what is believed to have been an intentional subliminal message therein.
This was a sensational case that made headlines around the globe, forcing a band to defend their music and any alleged subliminal messages they contain. However, in the end the judge determined there was no proof linking these subliminal messages with the deaths of two young men.
By discussing the claims made in these examples, you can help your students develop critical thinking skills by exploring what methods were employed during experiments and whether these can be applied in real life situations.
Heavy metal music is also an immensely popular form of entertainment among teens, according to research findings that those exposed to metal are twice as likely to engage in sexual activities within two years than their peers who do not listen to metal.
People have also claimed that heavy metal music contains hidden satanic messages, with examples including Judas Priest and Slayer music being examples. As its popularity has led to accusations that this type of music indoctrinates teens into becoming violent and even suicidal individuals, many people have made claims against it as being indoctrinating or leading them down that path.
The Satanic nature of the genre
Heavy metal music has long been associated with occult themes, and certain subgenres within this genre boast strong Satanic connections – this is particularly evident within black metal which often references Satanist imagery and lyrics.
Satan and metal have always had an intimate connection since rock’n’roll’s early days in the 1950s and 1960s, when bands such as Bill Haley & His Comets On Fire and Chuck Berry used satanic symbols in their songs.
Heavy metal bands in the 1970s and ’80s, however, explored occult themes to produce a new genre of rock with stronger mysticism than previous. At that time, fundamentalist Christians frequently accused these bands of having “Satanic” influences.
However, these accusations were false; the artists were simply experimenting with various themes and styles in order to gain an edge in their art practice.
Though not every metal artist includes Satanic themes in their songs, most metal music contains religious and spiritual connotations – Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden use biblical eschatology as the basis for many of their albums.
National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) is another genre with Satanic themes. Artists promoting this movement combine Neo-Nazi ideology with ethnic European Paganism; sometimes merging both into Satanism or Occultism.
Black metal also exerts a considerable impact on modern heavy metal music, with several of the genre’s renowned musicians, such as Judas Priest and Metallica, adopting themes associated with Nazi ideology into their songs.
Ghost, a band from the United Kingdom, has also integrated satanic black metal into its music. Their lyrics describe Satan both as an entity and destructive force and they feature imagery and rhetoric associated with Satan within both their songs and videos clips.
Heavy metal has long been associated with Satanic themes, yet it is important to acknowledge that this relationship may not be solely determined by lyrics alone. Other elements can contribute to making music appear demonic such as high gain amplifiers, drop D tuning, pinch harmonics or bad vocals.
Violence
Heavy metal music has long been associated with violence. In fact, it has even been blamed for mass murders and other violent acts. Ultra-conservatives alleged during the 1970s-1990s that listening to heavy metal music turned people into Satanists while bands like Cradle of Filth, Ozzy Osbourne, and Marilyn Manson infiltrated children with violent and depraved ideas through music listening sessions.
People have often claimed that heavy metal music causes people to turn evil. One reason could be due to its aggressive sound and dark lyrics. Many find the distorted guitars and loud vocals of death metal frightening – this phenomenon especially holds true with early metal bands like Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin.
Early heavy metal albums featured musical elements that were inspired by classical music. Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth, for instance, used eighteenth-century Baroque motifs to craft their unique styles of metal music.
One theory behind some people’s belief that listening to heavy metal music turns people evil is because it promotes aggression and antisocial behavior – particularly among men, who tend to exhibit these traits more when listening to songs with violent lyrics than to ones without.
Recent research indicates otherwise; Macquarie University researchers discovered that listening to heavy metal music with violent lyrics does not usually desensitize people to violence.
Researchers used the binocular rivalry paradigm to compare how fans of extreme metal music with violent lyrics responded to images of violence versus those who did not listen to aggressive themes in music. While heavy metal fans had negative responses to pictures depicting violence, no signs of desensitization to it were found among their ranks.
This study formed part of an overall project exploring the effects of music on the human brain. Researchers explored whether long-term exposure to aggressive themes within music could cause listeners to experience increased anger and aggression and how this might impact on their mental health. This groundbreaking investigation will enable them to develop strategies to minimize its harmful impact.
Self-harm
Heavy metal music has long been associated with aggressive themes. Yet studies show that listening to it may actually reduce stress and improve one’s mood.
Some individuals claim that listening to heavy metal music may even help those suffering from mental illness. Lyrically-themed heavy metal can provide comforting social support that may provide much-needed comfort.
This can be especially helpful for people suffering from depression or other negative emotions, allowing them to regulate their emotions and overcome suicidal thoughts.
Research suggests that although listening to heavy metal music has its benefits, its fans are at increased risk for mental illness and self-harming behaviors. Adolescent metalheads are five times more likely to commit suicide than their non-metalhead peers.
Relationship between music preference and suicidal behavior is complex and hard to predict, making it hard for individuals to know if heavy metal increases their risk or they just have an inherent propensity for self-harming behaviors.
Study results conducted by Stack (1998), Lacourse (2001), and Martin (1993) demonstrated that individuals who preferred rock and metal music were more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drunk-driving, shoplifting and drug abuse, as well as showing a higher acceptance of suicide than those who didn’t enjoy this genre of music.
These findings have been replicated in several other studies, but not comprehensively. As such, it is crucial that their results and any subsequent ones undergo thorough scrutiny to ensure they are valid, accurate and trustworthy.
There can be various reasons for why people become fans of music, from seeking identity to rebelling against society or seeking solace against feelings of shame or victimisation.
Satanism and other occult themes are frequently associated with Heavy Metal music and fans, yet that does not indicate they worship him or worship occult themes themselves. Instead, most artists place aside personal beliefs to instead focus on what fascinates and inspires them.
But media loves to focus on any connections between music and terrible acts.
It’s blasphemous
People often assume that heavy metal music is offensive. This misconception is incorrect as most metal bands do not worship Satan or demons but use heavy music as an outlet to express themselves while glorifying God at the same time. Many musicians who perform metal are actually Christians; many even write Christian metal songs to emphasize how much stronger is Christianity than Satanism and evilness.
While some bands do worship Satan, this shouldn’t be taken as a widespread phenomenon. Although YouTube videos have exposed what many consider Satan-worshiping tracks from other genres of popular music like hip-hop or country to be, such attacks tend to target specific artists while metal music often receives blanket condemnations.
Metal music has long been accused of glorifying evil and encouraging suicide, due to its aggressive lyrics and sexual imagery. Additionally, its darker themes serve as a counterbalance to the prevalent “peace and love” hippie culture in America.
Other than black metal, which is undeniably offensive in itself, most metal bands don’t worship Satan or demons – in fact most don’t even use images or language associated with such. An exception to this trend would be Sepultura who were recently banned from Lebanon over allegations they held “satanic beliefs.” These accusations have no basis in fact and it is upsetting that supposedly democratic countries like Lebanon ban metal bands on this basis alone.
It promotes suicide
Heavy metal music has often been depicted by critics as inherently sinful and demonic, prompting accusations of devil worship, murder and suicide – some even allege it contributes to mass school shootings! Although such claims may be exaggerated, it’s important to acknowledge there may be those with negative experiences with metal who cannot stand it.
Although certain metal songs do feature lyrics about death or the devil, this does not indicate they promote suicide. Instead, such lyrics convey power and strength to young listeners while serving as a form of self-expression for artists themselves. Furthermore, songs often focus on emotions or fantasy inspired themes; moreover some metal artists are highly educated enough to incorporate history and mythology in their lyrics as sources.
MTV was instrumental in fomenting moral outrage against metal in the 1980s with shows such as “Devil Worshipers” and “The Satanic Bible”, depicting metalheads as blood-drinkers, grave-robbers, sacrilegious hooligans, pentagrams, inverted crosses and devil horns being prominent imagery portrayed. These shows had an enormous effect on young metalheads who would soon find themselves accused of suicide promotion or other grave transgressions by media vultures or moral crusaders.
Over time, most of these accusations have been disproven, and media no longer focus on tenuous links between metal music and heinous crimes. Unfortunately, metal may still be demonized like any other popular culture; however, its supporters could continue scapegoating it despite this reality. While metal can have positive influences on some fans such as helping reduce stress in everyday life; feeling accepted within communities of metal fans; improving mental health or increasing logical thinking capabilities etc – its negative side can only go so far before people turn against it!
It’s violent
Heavy metal music can foster many negative behaviors, including drug use, graphic violence and suicide attempts, fascination with the occult, sexually degrading lyrics, aggressive rebellion and an obsession with power and status. Furthermore, this music reinforces attitudes and behaviours linked to sexism, racism, blasphemy, pedophilia as well as reinforce “devil-worshipping” cultures with some reports attributing metal bands with violence incidents or depraved sexual behavior as the culprit.
Some metal songs criticize religion, like Machine Head’s song “Death Church,” which attacks Christianity’s hypocrisy. Other metal bands use apocalyptic themes and Satanic imagery in black metal subgenre songs referred to as demonic.
Metal music’s thematic, compositional, and musical qualities have made it immensely popular with many listeners. Originating as part of countercultural movements in the 1960s – often as an oppositional response – to peace-and-love hippie culture – metal is known as an artform that draws heavily upon dark fantasy elements to resist bland pop culture; its sound combines elements from blues-influenced reality with mythical aspects typical of rock.
Studies have demonstrated that metal music’s violent lyrics do not cause its listeners to become sensitised to violence in their music; some listeners actually respond better to its aural elements than those who do not enjoy metal. Furthermore, research shows that long-term metal listeners tend to display less negative behaviors than non-listeners as well as being happier in youth and better adjusted as middle aged individuals than those who don’t appreciate the genre.
It’s occult
Heavy metal music has long been associated with occult themes. Bands often employ Satanic imagery or demonology as part of their message. Yet the occult does not represent only a dark force – many use its knowledge and power for strength during difficult times.
Hard rock music has often been accused of being Satanic. While such claims may sound scary to some people, it’s important to remember that such claims often stem from gossip or imagination rather than actual evidence. Although Satanism and occultism may cause fear among some individuals, taking these claims seriously could only make things worse.
Sandy Pearlman first popularized the term “heavy metal” in 1970 and immediately employed it to discredit rock music, particularly Black Sabbath’s slow three-chord riffs and tales of death, hellfire, and destruction which were seen as being associated with Satanism. And ever since that initial coinage by Sandy, metal heads have been stigmatized as murderers, devil worshipers or even Satanists.
While metal music may include elements of Satanism, the genre does not equate to the occult. Occult themes have long been part of rock music – as evidenced by bands like Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate, Led Zeppelin and KISS using them. Additionally, bands often incorporate aspects of satanism into their music to express personal beliefs or express experiences they’ve encountered personally.
Morbid Angel has been described as “heavy metal’s real religion”. Their lyrics and sound draw heavily from pagan mythology, Sumerian deities, ancient incantations chants and ancient rituals. Furthermore, Morbid Angel has included symbols like skulls, pentagrams and crosses into their artwork while their songs often reference death, destruction, or wrath in some way.
It’s dangerous
From its infancy, metal has long been associated with Satanism and evil. Conservatives have blamed metal music for society’s woes such as depraved sexual content and violence – though there is no concrete proof to back these claims up. While some fear its dark imagery and themes, most fans find them empowering; those concerned should take measures to ensure their children do not listen to this type of music or at least closely monitor them while listening.
Heavy metal music offers both aesthetic and educational value; for example, students can learn about logical fallacies and research design issues through its lyrics. Furthermore, heavy metal can serve as an educational tool by engaging viewers with controversial issues in popular culture – an especially vital function in an age when scientific claims are often challenged by media and the general public.
Heavy metal lyrics often cover controversial subjects like satanic worship, death, hell and devil worshipping; this stems from its flirtation with occult themes. This was most evident during Norway’s 1990s black metal scene when Mayhem and Gorgoroth were accused of selling their souls to Satan; other metal bands have also been accused of possessing hidden messages of Satanism such as Black Sabbath and Judas Priest who have also been accused of having hidden messages buried within their songs.
Thankfully, most metal musicians do not hold to satanist beliefs and worship Satan; their songs reflect ideas, feelings and subjects which fascinate them – from mythology and fantasy to ideas from their personal experience. Johan Hegg of Swedish band Amon Amarth is an atheist but still writes songs influenced by Norse mythology and Prose Edda for example.