Much of heavy metal music is replete with themes from the Occult. Common themes in metal that are influenced by the Occult include death and dying, mysterious rituals, ancient magic and “spiritual entities such as ghosts, angels, demons and witches” (Farley 96). These frightening images fit very well into the common metal theme of mysterious and malevolent forces. A great example of how the Occult influences certain metal musicians is the concept album “Godspeed on The Devil’s Thunder” by the English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. In an interview, the lead singer of the band Dani Filth said the themes of dark magic in the album are referring to “…Gilles de Rais, who was a 15th-century nobleman... one-time compatriot and protector of Joan of Arc. After her death, he slid into a life of debauchery, which ended up with him trying to reclaim his fortune through alchemy and witchcraft.” (Filth). Another notable example is Ozzy Osbourne’s famous song “Mr. Crowley”. This song is referring to the infamous 20th century occultist and mystic Aleister Crowley (shown to the left).
Besides Satanism and the Occult, another non-traditional religion that has greatly influenced heavy metal is Paganism and ancient mythology, specifically Norse mythology. |