Heavy Metal and Violence

While heavy metal has heavily dealt with incorporating religious themes, another theme has also been very prominent in the genre and that would be themes of violence. Violence has always sold in movies, literature, and art, so naturally it was a good selling point in music; namely heavy metal. Bands sing about topics such as violence, death, suicide, mutilation, and horror. So naturally, if some one not into the genre sees this, they feel it is a negative force and having a negative effect on its listener. Many people have tried to argue that the violent lyrics and artwork are inspiring listeners to commits acts of violence, mutilation, and even suicide.

For many years now, heavy metal has been under attack for inciting listeners to commit murder and suicide. "I think people look at heavy metal and label it for all sorts of things because we need easy answers to complex questions," says Sam Dunn, anthropologist and creator of Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. "I think that it's easy to target a heavy metal band for inciting violence or making kids turn to a cult than it is to actually look at real problems in the real world." (Heavy metal and violence: More than a myth? -CNN.com)

Bands like Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson, and Slipknot have all come under attack for allegedly encouraging their listeners to commit suicide. For instance, in 1985, two teenagers committed suicide while listening to a Judas Priest record. "Judas Priest were taken to court in 1990 and the parents claimed that there were 'subliminal messages' in the music that encouraged the boys to commit suicide; such as 'Try suicide,' 'Let's be dead,' 'do it, do it, do it.'" (BBC - Seven Ages of Rock). First of all, people don't listen to music for a sense helplessness and loneliness. They listen to it for a sense of hope and empowerment. It's supposed to be a positive art form for the artist and the listener. Judas Priest themselves "made a point of testifying in person at the proceedings, where they merely pointed that if they wanted to use subliminal messages in their music it would be tell the kids to buy more records." (BBC - Seven Ages of Rock).

Aside from accusations of subliminal messages, heavy metal has a background with violent subject matter in the lyrics, album artwork and stage shows. In Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Sam Dunn quotes one of his favorite lyrics from the band Autopsy: "Burning from the inside out, bloody foam spews from your mouth, smell the putrid stench of flesh, as it burns you to your death." While the lyrics are grotesque, they are just words. As stated before, extreme sells, so what's more extreme than violent imagery?

Aside from violence in lyrics, many bands use violent artwork to help sell their music. A key group in this area would be Cannibal Corpse. They are infamous for their shockingly gruesome albums covers since they formed in the early 90s and for this, many of their albums have been banned around the world or released with different cover art. Lead singer George Fisher sees it as art. "Just look at it as art. Yeah, it's disgusting, but there's a lot of things. Go to the Vatican. That's real. That's representing something that could happen....Monsters aren't going to rip out of people bodies any time soon, I don't think." It's all just a shocking art form. They're not trying to encourage violence to others, it's just something interesting to write about and visualize.

Another way violence and heavy metal are entwined are live shows. Bands like GWAR and Alice Cooper have been making a career out of over-the-top theatrical live shows. In the early days, Alice Cooper was being banned from country because there was blood in his show. As a reply to his banning because of the blood, Alice Cooper states, "There's more blood in 'Macbeth' than in my shows and that's required school reading." (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey). He's enhancing the content of his music. If he's singing about a nightmare, he gives you the nightmare.

On the other hand, GWAR just goes over the top with on-stage violence, with tongue placed firmly in cheek. They "execute" celebrities, world leaders and terrorist on stage, while spewing "blood" and "entrails" into the crowd. It's all for the purpose of entertainment. It's not promoting real violence.

Violence is very prominent in popular culture, and it takes its place in heavy metal. Heavy, aggressive needs an extreme topic to follow the music. It's not used in the music to promote or condone violence, it's just a fascinating topic to write about. I do not believe violence in music gives the listener violent tendencies. These tendencies come from a deeper, more repressed part of their life. The music is just an outlet.


- Donkin, James. (May 12, 2008.) "Heavy metal and violence: More than a myth?" Retrieved from "http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/09/metal.violence/index.html#cnnSTCText"

- "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey." Dir. Sam Dunn. Banger Productions, Inc. 2005.

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- http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/a/album_covers_naughty/flipbook_102307/cannibalcorpse.jpg