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Heavy Metal Themes

Common themes in heavy metal lyrics are sex, violence, fantasy, and the occult. The sexual nature of many heavy metal lyrics, ranging from Led Zeppelin’s to those of latter-day nu metal bands, derives from the genre’s roots in blues music. Heavy metal songs often feature outlandish, fantasy-inspired lyrics, lending them an escapist quality. Iron Maiden’s songs, for instance, were frequently inspired by mythology, fiction, and poetry, such as “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” based on the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem. Other examples include Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard,” Megadeth’s “The Conjuring” and “Five Magics,” and Judas Priest’s “Dreamer Deceiver.” Other artists base their lyrics on war, nuclear annihilation, environmental issues, and political or religious propaganda. Examples include Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Killer of Giants,” Metallica’s …And Justice for All, Iron Maiden’s “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “For the Greater Good of God,” Accept’s “Balls to the Wall,” and Megadeth’s “Peace Sells.” Death is a predominant theme in heavy metal, routinely featuring in the lyrics of such different bands as Black Sabbath, Slayer, and W.A.S.P.

As with much popular music, visual imagery plays a large role in heavy metal. A heavy metal band’s “image” is associated with the thematic content of their lyrics, and is expressed in album sleeve art, stage sets, the clothes of the band, and even band logos, as well as the sound of the music.

The thematic content of heavy metal has long been a target of criticism. Music critics have often deemed metal lyrics and imagery banal, and others have objected to what they see as advocacy of misogyny and the occult. During the 1980s, the Parents Music Resource Center petitioned the U.S. Congress to regulate the popular music industry due to objectionable lyrics, particularly those in heavy metal songs.

Physical gestures

Certain body movements are widely performed at heavy metal concerts, including headbanging, moshing, and various hand gestures such as the infamous devil horns, popularized by vocalist Ronnie James Dio while with Black Sabbath and Dio. Gene Simmons of Kiss claims to have been the first to make the gesture in concert. Stage diving, air guitar, and crowd surfing are also practiced.