Metal and the Devil

[nattiep]

Just a question. I've listened to so many songs by so many bands and most of them have some mention of the Devil. Some bands focus on the evil stuff all the time, such as Mercyful Fate did for their first two records.

What is with the obsession? I figured you may have an answer and it would make for some good discussion.

[phlemmy]

I don't think there is a definitive answer. You've got bands like Venom and SLayer who did it but according to them it is only a joke. Then you get the guys like Bathory and Fate who seem to really mean it. The main thing is about the rebellious nature of it all.

[admin]

Nate and Sean. I suppose even the casual observer has noticed the references to the devil in heavy metal music even if they don't follow this genre too closely.

While I may not have given this topic the thought required to write intelligently about it, I have reflected on the use of the devil in music over the years. To my way of thinking the use of the devil in music is about as good an attention getter as one can get next to references in sexuality.

Certainly the body-mind dichotomy and associated good/bad, God/devil and religious/secular continua have been around for a very long time and have coloured many periods in history.

I would argue that the use of the devil in music has been around for a very long time and certainly well before the Heavy Metal period. Further, I would argue that it has been used in different ways over the period 1960 to 2000 but in each instance its use has been to elicit attention from listeners.

I have though about a few examples which I will comment on in this post, but I do not mean to suggest that the list is in any way exhaustive.

In the 1960s the use of the devil was for more playful purposes suggesting that relationships had perhaps crossed conventional boundaries. Examples of this way of thinking would be seen in Devil Or Angel (1960) by Bobby Vee, Devil in Her Heart (1963) by the Beatles or perhaps Devil In A Blue Dress (1966) by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. The Stones turned things up a bit with Sympathy For The Devil(1968) in which an allegiance with the devil may be suggested.

In the 1970s, and this is an arbitrary cut off that I cannot ridigidly adhere to, the the devil was used to suggest a formidable force that one cannot escape once exposure occurs. Some examples that I would offer would be Devil Woman (1976) by Cliff Richard, Running with The Devil (1978) by VanHalen and Devil Went Down To Georgie (1979) by the Charlie Daniel's Band.

The 1980s ushered in a slightly different aliance with the devil as seen in Motley Crew's Shout At The Devil (1983) and the Devil Inside (1987) by INXS.

The view of being attracted to, taken over or shown in the image of the devil was seen in the 1990s in such songs as Devil's Got My Woman (1992) by Ry Cooder and Devil's Haircut (1996) by Beck.

It is of interest to read the lyrics of these songs in determining themes and a careful reading will reveal commonalites between the different decades. You can find the lyrics to the songs I have listed here at devilmusic.

[rickenbrother]

Great post Peter. All of the songs that you make reference to either tell a story. "Sympathy For The Devil" is the devil telling the events in his existence. Other songs make reference to a person with the "devil" in them. These references are not necessarily of evil people or the devil, but rather of people who might be mischievous, exciting and wild, especially pertaining to sex, drugs and rock and roll.

There are bands that take it to a different level though, especially some of the bands in the death metal genre, where I think they go too far, but that's just my opinion and I just don't have to listen to those bands. I realize that many of these bands do it for shock value and rebellion and many of these musicians are noting in real life as they portray themselves to be in their music and image. In most cases I feel it's actually harmless, no different than watching a horror movie about evil. However, for a certain amount of young people who are not guided properly by their parents or guardians, it could be an influence.

[phlemmy]

Peter, I agree whole (black)heartedly with your post. The Devil's been around a long long time, but metal took it to a newer level. SEE: Norwegian Black Metal. These guys live and breathe "satan" and often times have killed each other over it. Crazy stuff.

[rikk]

I used to know a guitar player of Venom. He said he played along, but was not a satanist. I think for the most part it's a gag so your parents would not like it. It had to up the ante every generation. Alice Cooper and Ozzy look like cartoons compared to the stuff out today.

[hieronymous]

I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been any mention of Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin.

Sabbath were always kind of ambiguous, because although the image was dark and "Satanic," Geezer Butler would always say that the influence came from the Hammer horror films. Plus, they would wear those giant crosses (upside up!) made by Tony Iommi's father. And their lyrics weren't always about Satan, they were just as often about science fiction or even anti-war songs ("Children of the Grave" and "War Pigs" being two examples).

Led Zeppelin are murkier, because although their songs rarely dealt explicitly with "Satan," there's the infamous backwards "my sweet Satan" in "Stairway to Heaven." It's also confusing because Jimmy Page had a fascination with Aleister Crowley, who wasn't really a Satanist either, but often gets saddled with that simplistic image.

And who could forget the interpretation of Kiss being an acronym for "Knights in Satan's Service"?

[nattiep]

Only a slight mention by me and Sean of Mercyful Fate who's first two records had songs like "Black Funeral" and "The Oath". One is shocking with it's lyrics and the other is openly hostile to Christians. Excellent Records, excellt singer and excellent lyrics. King Diamond got what he was goin for with shock value.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Diamond

I'm thinking of doing a review a la Sean of King's works.

[hieronymous]

I keep meaning to say: Hey Nate! How's it going?

I never listened to King Diamond. I remember reading interviews with him in Kerrang! magazine when I was in high school, but was never inspired to pick up a record. I like King Crimson and King's X though!

[nattiep]

Hahaha! Not too bad, not too good. Usual kinda thing. Ampless and not playing my bass much but I'm working on my voice (pm if you want a ****** sample, I can email it to ya) so I'm kinda bored sometimes. I just had a RAM card in my comp die last night too. ugh.

How've you been, Harry?

[shamustwin]

Using the "Devil" excites the little squirts who listen to these guys and makes them feel they're doing something rebellious.
Older folks should realize it's a tired marketing ploy.

[nattiep]

What if they actually mean it like a couple band mentioned?

[shamustwin]

What if they actually mean it like a couple band mentioned?

Same as Christian music. I don't want someone preaching to me when I listen to rock and roll. Nothing against Christianity!

[whojamfan]

Heavy Metal has this stereotype of being satanic, and in that stereotype is the illusion that being a "satanist" or evil is somehow rebelious,or cool. This is unfortunate, as many good bands and players get overlooked, as the ones associated with the satanic images and lyrics usually get all of the attention. Many bands preach this rhetoric, and then hide behind some pretense of "Oh, it's all for a laugh," or some other lame reason. It's all designed to make mommy and daddy mad, which sells records, and misleads kids into believing that embracing evil is somehow going to make them tougher, harder, and shock everyone at the same time.

I don't want to be preached to, one way or the other, when I'm trying to rock out. I'm sick of guys like Kerry King who say things like "my amp sounds like it was touched by Satan himself," because he's trying to be hard, and sell amplifiers to his fans that buy in to his line of ****. I'd bet every guitar I own he would wet himself if he actually met the devil. I also love these guys who claim to be "Christian" or whatever, yet preach the praises of evil and the devil.

If I want a sermon, I will go to a house of worship to get one, and by someone who really believes in what they are preaching, whatever religion that may be.

These black metal, death metal,(or whatever metal)Scandanavian Devil worshipper guys in the halloween makeup actually stand behind their satanic beliefs, and embrace all that evil represents, so I won't really lump them in to the "do it for the money" category. I absolutely do not agree, or condone their criminal actions, (just as I don't agree with "Gangsta Raps" glorification of it), and the completely nihilistic, selfish lifestyle they promote. On top of that, they mostly suck musically, and you only hear about them because they burn down churches and kill each other, and make jewelry out of their dead friends body parts.Gee, isn't that cool.

Good hard rock/metal/speed/thrash or whatever doesn't require the devil, demonic influence, or imagery to be good. There are plenty of bands out there tearing shxt up without having to resort to the oldest trick in the book. I'm not saying limit self expression in your music, but there's a point where the art ends and preaching begins.The results of relying on the old devil gimmick can be devastating, as well as drastically reducing your probability of ever being taken seriously musically.

I'm not going to get religious on this, but if there is even the slightest chance that Satan and hell are real, do you really want to go there and hang out with the one thing in existence that hates you the most?

Does listening to Heavy Metal cause you to be satanic, kill your family, or kill youself? No,not any more than watching American Idol, the nightly news, or the liars in government. I do have to say though, listening to the majority of the **** on the radio in all genres these days really makes me wanna blow my brains out sometimes.

[loendmaestro]

I'm firmly convinced that American Idol is the work of the devil.