Since the beginning of time, a battle has raged between the powerful forces of good and evil. Humans can choose to act morally, in the hopes of reaching salvation, or they can be tempted to commit evils acts. In heavy metal music, evil themes have always triumphed over righteous ones. This presence of evil in the genre can be seen through various religious references in both the lyricism and visual elements. It is clear that themes from non-traditional religious denominations are displayed more prominently than traditional religious themes and virtues in the characteristic style and presentation of heavy metal music. In order to determine how different religious themes fit into the presentation and subculture of heavy metal, one must first take note of the characteristic themes upon which the genre is based.