What is the main point of Satanic themes and imagery in some metal music?

[J2112YYZ]

Ask Geezer Butler. He started it all when he wrote the lyrics to the song Black Sabbath.

 

Part of it is being rebellious. But a fascination with the darker side of things is what drives it the most. Butler laid out the path on those early Sabbath albums with his lyrics. Then the band embraced the whole Satanic image and great number of bands followed Sabbath's lead.

 

Black Sabbath never glorified Satan in their lyrics, so I cannot consider them a Satanic band by any means.

And this guy always wore a proper cross around his neck, never inverted.

 

http://loudwire.com/files/2013/11/Tony-Iommi.jpg?w=600&h=0&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89

 

I never said that they were a Satanic band or glorified it. I just said it was mentioning Satan/Lucifer in some of their lyrics that inspired the theme in metal. Other bands then took that theme in more extreme directions as the genre evolved.

[bathory]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

[Segue Myles]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

 

This was a fun read.

 

There are a lot of bands doing that, but I've noticed nearly all these bands have an air of posture and too much cheese. Like they wear traditional metal clothes and sing about cliché things as a novelty.

 

But yeah...I could see a resurgence happening, if the bands were up to scratch.

[bathory]

then again, I love plenty of goofy "political" stuff like DRI, napalm death, nuclear assault, etc. and sabbath actually had really f***ing good political songs

[bathory]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

 

This was a fun read.

 

There are a lot of bands doing that, but I've noticed nearly all these bands have an air of posture and too much cheese. Like they wear traditional metal clothes and sing about cliché things as a novelty.

 

But yeah...I could see a resurgence happening, if the bands were up to scratch.

 

yeah, that's an issue. it's hard to pull off without seeming like you're trying to be retro. I remember finding some modern thrash group who actually advertised on the album cover that they were "bringing back 1986." how lazy! they even named their band after an exodus song

[Segue Myles]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

 

This was a fun read.

 

There are a lot of bands doing that, but I've noticed nearly all these bands have an air of posture and too much cheese. Like they wear traditional metal clothes and sing about cliché things as a novelty.

 

But yeah...I could see a resurgence happening, if the bands were up to scratch.

 

yeah, that's an issue. it's hard to pull off without seeming like you're trying to be retro. I remember finding some modern thrash group who actually advertised on the album cover that they were "bringing back 1986." how lazy! they even named their band after an exodus song

 

I seem to remember in like 2006 there was a wave of retro thrash metal bands in the UK that got big. Trying to remember the names...

 

I think one was Municipal Waste. They were just bringing back the eighties but as I was just getting into metal, I found it off putting.

 

So I listened to Exodus, Flotsam And Jetsam, Sabbat, Testament and the famous thrash bands instead. That lead me to the old works of Paradise Lost, Cathedral, Katatonia, Opeth, My Dying Bride etc. But I guess 2006 most of the big thrash bands were still going strong, at least on tour.

 

I'd like to try some bands of this ilk that are modern but...honestly...I've not found one yet that pleases me.

 

I like stuff like The Sword and other bands that mix up the old with a bit of new but even then.. I tend to stick to the influences.

[cygnify]

Rush isn't metal, and never espoused any of the typical imagery of metal, but they have some lyrics that I suppose could be considered anti-faith. Thankfully, they approach this in a mature way; I wonder what my adolescent mind would have made of these words in the early 80's - I was hardly raised in any repressive environment, but did choose (Freewill!) to go to church with my mother. Yet, in those days, I was also listening to the big 4, Maiden, wore a jean jacket with Eddie on it, etc. That didn't feel hypocritical - just sort of a strange dichotomy I lived as a teenager. It would be years later that I would lose my faith and renounce religion for reasons completely unrelated to metal. lol.

 

"Faithless"

 

I've got my own moral compass to steer by

A guiding star beats a spirit in the sky

And all the preaching voices -

Empty vessels ring so loud

As they move among the crowd

Fools and thieves are well disguised

In the temple and market place

 

Like a stone in the river

Against the floods of spring

I will quietly resist

 

Like the willows in the wind

Or the cliffs along the ocean

I will quietly resist

 

I don't have faith in faith

I don't believe in belief

You can call me faithless

I still cling to hope

And I believe in love

And that's faith enough for me

 

I've got my own spirit level for balance

To tell if my choice is leaning up or down

And all the shouting voices

Try to throw me off my course

Some by sermon, some by force

Fools and thieves are dangerous

In the temple and market place

 

Like a forest bows to winter

Beneath the deep white silence

I will quietly resist

 

Like a flower in the desert

That only blooms at night

I will quietly resist

[Stormtron]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

 

This was a fun read.

 

There are a lot of bands doing that, but I've noticed nearly all these bands have an air of posture and too much cheese. Like they wear traditional metal clothes and sing about cliché things as a novelty.

 

But yeah...I could see a resurgence happening, if the bands were up to scratch.

 

yeah, that's an issue. it's hard to pull off without seeming like you're trying to be retro. I remember finding some modern thrash group who actually advertised on the album cover that they were "bringing back 1986." how lazy! they even named their band after an exodus song

 

I seem to remember in like 2006 there was a wave of retro thrash metal bands in the UK that got big. Trying to remember the names...

 

I think one was Municipal Waste. They were just bringing back the eighties but as I was just getting into metal, I found it off putting.

 

So I listened to Exodus, Flotsam And Jetsam, Sabbat, Testament and the famous thrash bands instead. That lead me to the old works of Paradise Lost, Cathedral, Katatonia, Opeth, My Dying Bride etc. But I guess 2006 most of the big thrash bands were still going strong, at least on tour.

 

I'd like to try some bands of this ilk that are modern but...honestly...I've not found one yet that pleases me.

 

I like stuff like The Sword and other bands that mix up the old with a bit of new but even then.. I tend to stick to the influences.

 

Not gonna lie, I dig a bunch of the retro thrash bands...it's just fun to me. Municipal Waste are local guys so I gotta give 'em a shout out. I ran into the drummer at a Rush show once too (and then at Mastodon where he shouted RUSH! at me and my wife ) Good guys.

 

Totally understand not digging it though, it's derivative as hell and it all sounds the same. Waste and Toxic Holocaust though! I was really into them when that whole thrash resurgence took off.

[Segue Myles]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

 

This was a fun read.

 

There are a lot of bands doing that, but I've noticed nearly all these bands have an air of posture and too much cheese. Like they wear traditional metal clothes and sing about cliché things as a novelty.

 

But yeah...I could see a resurgence happening, if the bands were up to scratch.

 

yeah, that's an issue. it's hard to pull off without seeming like you're trying to be retro. I remember finding some modern thrash group who actually advertised on the album cover that they were "bringing back 1986." how lazy! they even named their band after an exodus song

 

I seem to remember in like 2006 there was a wave of retro thrash metal bands in the UK that got big. Trying to remember the names...

 

I think one was Municipal Waste. They were just bringing back the eighties but as I was just getting into metal, I found it off putting.

 

So I listened to Exodus, Flotsam And Jetsam, Sabbat, Testament and the famous thrash bands instead. That lead me to the old works of Paradise Lost, Cathedral, Katatonia, Opeth, My Dying Bride etc. But I guess 2006 most of the big thrash bands were still going strong, at least on tour.

 

I'd like to try some bands of this ilk that are modern but...honestly...I've not found one yet that pleases me.

 

I like stuff like The Sword and other bands that mix up the old with a bit of new but even then.. I tend to stick to the influences.

 

Not gonna lie, I dig a bunch of the retro thrash bands...it's just fun to me. Municipal Waste are local guys so I gotta give 'em a shout out. I ran into the drummer at a Rush show once too (and then at Mastodon where he shouted RUSH! at me and my wife ) Good guys.

 

Totally understand not digging it though, it's derivative as hell and it all sounds the same. Waste and Toxic Holocaust though! I was really into them when that whole thrash resurgence took off.

 

OH don't get me wrong they were fun live!

 

I remember one band dressed as zombies and they were fun! Thrash, punk really silly...I can't for the life of me remember the name of that band.

 

The thrash revival was great, Coz without it I think I'd have found it really hard to connect to metal. Coz at that time, although nu metal was dying down it was still mostly those bands that my peers listened too. Me and my best friend, we were all about metal as it was for ages. We both leaned towards doom, gothic and the Scandinavian scene at the time (In Flames, Arch Enemy, Katatonia (more her than me).

 

But yeah the thrash revival meant tonnes of metal mags would write up articles pointing newer fans to the classics, and around that time more obscure albums and bands were getting re-releases.

[bathory]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

 

This was a fun read.

 

There are a lot of bands doing that, but I've noticed nearly all these bands have an air of posture and too much cheese. Like they wear traditional metal clothes and sing about cliché things as a novelty.

 

But yeah...I could see a resurgence happening, if the bands were up to scratch.

 

yeah, that's an issue. it's hard to pull off without seeming like you're trying to be retro. I remember finding some modern thrash group who actually advertised on the album cover that they were "bringing back 1986." how lazy! they even named their band after an exodus song

 

I seem to remember in like 2006 there was a wave of retro thrash metal bands in the UK that got big. Trying to remember the names...

 

I think one was Municipal Waste. They were just bringing back the eighties but as I was just getting into metal, I found it off putting.

 

So I listened to Exodus, Flotsam And Jetsam, Sabbat, Testament and the famous thrash bands instead. That lead me to the old works of Paradise Lost, Cathedral, Katatonia, Opeth, My Dying Bride etc. But I guess 2006 most of the big thrash bands were still going strong, at least on tour.

 

I'd like to try some bands of this ilk that are modern but...honestly...I've not found one yet that pleases me.

 

I like stuff like The Sword and other bands that mix up the old with a bit of new but even then.. I tend to stick to the influences.

 

Not gonna lie, I dig a bunch of the retro thrash bands...it's just fun to me. Municipal Waste are local guys so I gotta give 'em a shout out. I ran into the drummer at a Rush show once too (and then at Mastodon where he shouted RUSH! at me and my wife ) Good guys.

 

Totally understand not digging it though, it's derivative as hell and it all sounds the same. Waste and Toxic Holocaust though! I was really into them when that whole thrash resurgence took off.

 

I do think vektor are pretty decent, they sound like voivod/coroner

[Mosher]

it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously. think of it like horror movies or stephen king. also, heavy music naturally lends itself to heavy imagery, and lyrics in metal are usually an afterthought to a good riff, so you end up with a lot of half-assed, goofy diatribes on satan and dragons. but hey, that's metal

 

personally, I wish there would be a resurgence of satanic metal, songs about beer, and other things that are frowned upon now. I think striving too hard to "legitimize" metal with overly emotional or socially conscious lyrics can come across as awkward and heavy-handed. this ain't punk rock, this ain't "emo." if you're depressed or nihilistic or whatever, you're aiming for "under the sun," "born too late" (won't be popular here but it's something of an anthem), songs like that. let the smiths write the smiths, let dead kennedys write dead kennedys, etc

 

I hated the typical lyrics so much- cars/beer/women/party.

 

In fact, I will more quickly like a band if they have something to say, either ridiculous or political. That helps me get past a weak band. A good band isn't enough for me, though. A great one is, but a good band better have more to say.

 

Some people never listen to lyrics, I study them.

 

But I agree that a facade of social consciousness is far worse than just admitting you'd rather just rock out for fun. I'll take an honest band over a posturing band any day.

[Wil1972]

http://46wvda23y0nl13db2j3bl1yx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wearethedevils.jpeg

[rocket ignites]

[rocket ignites]

http://46wvda23y0nl13db2j3bl1yx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wearethedevils.jpeg

 

 

Puddy! :fury:

Edited February 22, 2017 by A rocket that ignites itself

[JohnnyBlaze]

http://46wvda23y0nl13db2j3bl1yx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wearethedevils.jpeg

 

 

Puddy! :fury:

8 ball

[goose]

 

Start at 2:30 for relevant commentary.

[JohnnyBlaze]

http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/eyes_wide_lead.jpg

[custom55]

[custom55]

Since we've been talking about Genesis and Supper's ready, I listened to it again today. I heard this...

 

666 is no longer alone,

He's getting out the marrow in your back bone,

And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll,

Gonna blow right down inside your soul.

Pythagoras with the looking glass reflects the full moon,

In blood, he's writing the lyrics of a brand new tune.

[Xanadoood]

RUSH .. Rule Under Satans Hand

 

KISS .. Knights in Satans Service

[cygnify]

RUSH .. Rule Under Satans Hand

 

 

Rush - Royal Ushers @ Satan's House! :haz:

[Texas King]

I found Cookie Monster vocals to be pretty Satanic. You? :)

[RUSHHEAD666]

Even RUSH is Satanic! RULING UNDER SATAN'S HANDS! The profile of the DEVIL is inside the STARMAN. LEFT SIDE!

 

KISS!

 

KNIGHTS IN SATAN'S SERVICE!

 

You ever open up the gatefold vinyl record cover of "Hotel California?" There is Anton. He's also on the front cover.

 

SATAN SELLS!

 

WE ARE ALL GOING TO BURN IN HELL!

Edited February 19, 2018 by RUSHHEAD666

[Segue Myles]

Ghost is great.

 

Their image and lyrics are so funny...I remember being very religious not that long ago finding it so offensive.

 

Papa would be so proud...especially now I have repented, seen the light and find him hysterically awesome!

[Segue Myles]

I found Cookie Monster vocals to be pretty Satanic. You? :)

I found Cookie Monster vocals to be pretty Satanic. You? :)

I found Cookie Monster vocals to be pretty Satanic. You? :)

I found Cookie Monster vocals to be pretty Satanic. You? :)

I found Cookie Monster vocals to be pretty Satanic. You? :)

 

No.