The Devil Made Me Do It
Famous Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Controversies
June 02, 2007
The genres of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock are often victims of misunderstanding and ignorance. There are those who believe the bands are symbols of irresponsibility, irreverence, and anarchy. It is the metal music that has often become victim to baseless accusations from the moral "majority".
The truth of the matter is that although the great majority of metal bands out there obviously do not fall in to the lame characteristics accused by the ignorant; there has been a minority of incidents that have contributed to people having this type of attitude toward heavy metal and hard rock.
Here are six such incidences and controversies that have helped perpetuate the myth that rock is evil and is the tool of the devil:
Mayhem and the rise of Black Metal
Mayhem was a black metal band from Norway, emerging in the 1980's as possibly one of the first bands of their particular metal genre. The band's history is what gave rise to their popularity, which was rife with controversy. The most notable issue was the suicide of the vocalist who was ironically named "Dead". After he killed himself, guitarist Euronymous took photos of the end result, which ended up as being one of the album covers of the band that was released as a bootleg. He also later claimed he made and ate a stew containing remnants of Dead's brain. Deaths continued, when Euronymous was later murdered by members of other bands. The disturbing and murderous behavior by a select few bands unfortunately gave advocates against metal a brush to paint the entire scene with broad strokes - again portraying all of metal as pure evil.
Iron Maiden and the Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden's break to international stardom came with the song and the album of the same name: Number of the Beast. While the song was written by Steve Harris after watching the film The Omen, and was developed as a conceptual storyline, the song inevitably was misconstrued and misinterpreted by the American religious right as the band's declaration of Satanism. The accusations fueled further ignorance, seeing bands like KISS and AC/DC also be slapped incorrectly with Satanic tag; and would eventually evolve into the rise of the PMRC.
The Rise and fall of the PMRC
Al Gore's wife, Tipper Gore, formed and led the group known as the Parents Music Resource Center in their crusade against immorality in music during the 1980's. It was inevitable that their main target would be heavy metal. The controversy raised by the group eventually led to a senate hearing, in which facts were distorted by ignorant assumptions made by the moral "majority". The highlight however, was the attendance of Twisted Sister lead vocalist Dee Snider and musician Frank Zappa who both testified against the cause of the PMRC. Their very presence surprised the crusaders with their clear intelligence, patience, and well-spoken nature. The whole issue eventually turned into the creation of the "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" labeling of CDs, which ironically actually assisted record sales. The unfortunate side effect of the PMRC though, was the skewed media coverage, which did nothing but help continue the perception that metal was immoral.
Marilyn Manson and the Columbine Massacre
No artist in the history of hard rock and heavy metal has been criticized as much as Marilyn Manson. In retrospect, it was almost inevitable that certain accusations would be thrown his way. When the disaster and tragedy of the Columbine High School Massacre went down on April 20, 1999, the media automatically went after a scapegoat and they found it in Marilyn Manson. The media claimed the perpetrators were fans of Manson and were influenced by his music to undertake the shooting. It was later revealed that the two boys were not fans - but by then, it was too late. The damage had been done and Manson is still incorrectly pointed at as the cause behind the massacre.
Metallica vs. the Fans
While the issue of file sharing currently has its focus on the RIAA being the evil overlord, initially it was Metallica that made file sharing controversial. The band, with drummer Lars Ulrich acting as Mr. PR, took Napster to court. The two opposing forces eventually settled out of court but the damage was already done... Metallica's fan base recoiled negatively to their action, and would later impact fan perceptions of their musical direction. Even though the coverage of this controversy did not contribute to the perpetuation of ignorant myths about metal; it brought the issue of file sharing to the forefront of the war on copyright, which has since evolved into the RIAA and their frivolous lawsuits - in turn, the Metallica lawsuit affected the fan base and the appeal of heavy metal and hard rock in general.
Judas Priest and the Subliminal Message Trial
In 1985, 20-year-old James Vance and 19-year-old Ray Belknap, after a day of heavy intoxication, attempted suicide. Belknap died instantly, Vance did not - and the parents of the pair accused Judas Priest of being the cause. Their smoking gun was the belief that, when played backwards, the song "Better by You, Better than me" included the subliminal message of "Do It". The family and their legal team took Priest to court over the issue, a legal proceeding that was eventually dismissed on its merits. Though it was clear that Priest had no direct involvement in the choices made by the two suicide victims, sadly the media coverage of the legal proceedings aided in perpetuating the myth of heavy metal being evil.
It is unfortunate, but heavy metal and hard will continue to be perceived by many in a negative light. At the end of the day, those who crusade ignorantly against metal and rock will always be around. There's been quite a few studies in recent years revealing that metal fans are quite intelligent; and actually use their taste in music to reduce stress and depression. In the end, it is the metal heads who know better and have often quoted that the music is a positive aspect of their lives. Keep it brutal - Horns up and hails! Metal forever!
The genres of 
Mayhem was a black metal band from Norway, emerging in the 1980's as possibly one of the first bands of their particular metal genre. The band's history is what gave rise to their popularity, which was rife with controversy. The most notable issue was the 
Al Gore's wife, Tipper Gore, formed and led the group known as the Parents Music Resource Center in their crusade against immorality in music during the 1980's. It was inevitable that their main target would be heavy metal. The controversy raised by the group eventually led to a senate hearing, in which facts were distorted by ignorant assumptions made by the moral "majority". The highlight however, was the attendance of 
No artist in the history of hard rock and heavy metal has been criticized as much as 
While the issue of file sharing currently has its focus on the RIAA being the evil overlord, initially it was Metallica that made file sharing controversial. The band, with drummer Lars Ulrich acting as Mr. PR, took Napster to court. The two opposing forces eventually settled out of court but the damage was already done... Metallica's fan base recoiled negatively to their action, and would later impact fan perceptions of their musical direction. Even though the coverage of this controversy did not contribute to the perpetuation of ignorant myths about metal; it brought the issue of file sharing to the forefront of the war on copyright, which has since evolved into 
In 1985, 20-year-old James Vance and 19-year-old Ray Belknap, after a day of heavy intoxication, attempted suicide. Belknap died instantly, Vance did not - and the parents of the pair accused Judas Priest of being the cause. Their smoking gun was the belief that, when played backwards, the song "Better by You, Better than me" included the subliminal message of "Do It". The family and their legal team took 
