Disturbing Images: Stereotypes Behind Heavy Metal Culture Iconography

Images are a powerful tool in creating icons, defining a culture, and explaining a purpose.  Every culture, and counter culture in existence has its own iconic imagery and art to define itself.  Heavy metal music, and the culture that surrounds it, is no different.  Imagery and iconography are crucial elements to defining this culture.  Often associated with masochism, satanic worship, and the lower class, this culture is defined through its imagery.  Metal music produces art that is evil and dark, but with a Marxist lens it is difficult to understand why associations with low culture are present.  Bethany Bryson says in her essay “Anything But Heavy Metal”: Symbolic Exclusion and Musical Dislikes, “forms of cultural consumption serve as markers for social status” (885).  The question that begs to be asked, then, is: Why is the imagery of heavy metal considered lower class?   What makes the images of metal taboo or offensive?  The idea that this imagery and these icons engulf the culture creates questions about stereotyping and class discrimination.  Everybody thinks they know what a metalhead looks like simply by the stereotype of the imagery.  Evil images are a trademark of metal, but exploring where they come from, and why, sheds light on the origin of the stereotypes.  It is the misconception that mass culture has on this sub-culture, or anti-culture, through imagery that drives metal to create evil icons and immerse itself in the offensive.

Metal is a musical derivative of the evil and dark orchestrations of the past.  This evil sound is what inspires metalheads to play and artistically express their angst, an effect of relieving their anger, unhappiness, or anxiety.  Knowing what makes metal evil can help explain where the imagery and iconology develops.  The concepts of evil are often associated with power, and this creates the “distinctive and often confrontational style of the genre” (Weinstein, 146).  This concept is what the imagery can be attributed to, and why the culture seems obsessed with the taboo.  Imagery of evil, the dead, and corruption of innocence creates a discomfort among mass culture.  “This kind of discomfort is by no means a universal human trait; indeed that is the dark and fertile subsoil out of which our individual identities spring” (Browne, 72).

This image is the cover to Black Sabbath’s fifth album, Heaven and Hell.  The angels become iconic in this imagery, but it must be understood what they are iconic of.  Through this understanding the reasoning behind condemnation of such images occurs.  The true problem, or rather, the cause of controversy and distaste for such a picture, stems from the mass culture’s view of the icons.  Angels are always portrayed as pure beings, absent of flaws, and inherently good.  This image takes that concept and turns it upside down.  Smoking and gambling are culturally seen as sinful and impure specifically to the religious.  It is the views of the mass culture that make this image dark and controversial in any way.  Metal music creates a culture of individuals that embrace the corrupt and taboo.  The imagery often exemplifies that which the masses choose to ignore or cast aside.  Imagery of smoking angels is a concept that would be ignored, but perhaps not taken offense to.  This is why metal art has evolved to such evil imagery.  The artwork strives to be darker and more evil than its predecessors.
The mass culture has created a monster out of this counter culture, and the metalheads are proud of what they are; hence the darker iconography.  A strong music develops strong characters, as well as evil icons coming from music that thrives on the devil’s note.  Images of early heavy metal, like that of Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell album cover, are often ignored, but the metal culture is not one to be passed over easily.
The metal culture has responded to the mass culture’s reference to metal being a lower form of music, and embraced the controversial.  This spawned artists such as Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister, and has further progressed to bands like Lamb of God and Slayer.  “Music has long been considered an important part of social life.  Its [Metal’s] symbolic and ritual powers are used to explain both social cohesion and cultural resistance” (Bryson, 885).  The concept of pride regardless of the ugliness that the stereotype creates only enhances what metal is not.  Metalheads are proud of what they are regardless of the social standard, and this lets the stereotype run wild.

Imagery such as this was created as a response to criticisms of metal and the evil sounds contemporary metal musicians were writing.  This imagery from Slayer was the beginning of the pentagram iconology, alongside bands such as Venom, in metal music.  This embraced metal’s most controversial subject, religion.  The fact that this music is a derivative of the “devil’s note” begs the need for exploration of religious iconography.  Black Sabbath, years earlier, was infamous for having upside down crosses burning on stage during their performances.  This icon, or rather deconstruction of an icon created a lot of controversy that the metal culture has come to embrace.  Imagery, such as this masochistic bones and swords pentagram, enhances some of the stereotype metal creates.  It presents a contradictory and hard personality, but there is no evidence of a lower form of musicality, or the favoring of a lower class.  In fact imagery far more sadistic and evil than this is present in the worlds famed museums, and viewed as high art.  The question is then why is an image such as this, relating to metal music, considered the lowest standard of controversial art while statues of Christ being tortured in the Vatican is considered high art?  It is this social construction of cultural standards that condemns the satanic imagery and condones the Christian icons.  It is obvious that this image looks evil, but the origin of the idea of evil is the real issue.  Alice Cooper says, “Very rarely do you ever find somebody that is truly scary.  The image is just that, an image.  Everyone needs a gimmick.  Let’s see how far you get without one.  We do it to get a rise out of people and the crowd embraces the power to ruffle some feathers.”  The skulls and pentagram images support a stereotype to the mass culture, while within the counter culture of metal there is no question that it is simply art.  The images are there to make audiences want to look, and act as propaganda and advertising for album purchase.

Cannibal Corpse has become infamous for their cover art and the controversy it draws.  It is obvious why these images are considered taboo and are often censored from the public eye, but the idea is that it is art.  An image such as this drives the common citizen to a conclusion about metal and its fans that is unrealistic and stereotypical.  The lower class, masochist becomes a poster child for the metal culture through these images.  This stereotype has been pushed so hard by the music industry and throughout the mass media that during most of the 90’s, bands that were clearly heavy metal refused to refer to themselves as such.  When 2000 hit, a revolution occurred and metal artists, like Cannibal Corpse, used their vivid and masochistic art to shatter the stereotype by embracing it. An image such as this becomes attractive to a metal fan, not because of the disgusting and perverse nature of the image, but rather the reaction the image creates outside of the metal counter culture.  Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse states in Dunn’s documentary, “the first time somebody who knows nothing about the death metal scene sees one of our album covers, or something like that, it is going to shock them.  If it doesn’t then we didn’t make a very good album cover.  It’s art, just look at is as art.  Yeah, it can be disgusting, but there are lots of things… look at church art, that’s something that can happen, that’s real.  Whoa, now that’s perverse.  I don’t think monsters are going to rip out of people’s bodies anytime soon.”  Art like this has caused Cannibal Corpse to be banned from performing or distributing any of their songs off this album, as well as three other albums, anywhere in Germany, Korea, and Italy.  The censors never heard the album; they simply banned the music based on the stereotype and imagery of the album.  There is a desire in metal to explore that which is dangerous; that which is scary.  The mass culture, then, inadvertently causes art from bands like Cannibal Corpse to develop.  It is our cultural censorship of life through death that drives the desire to find this kind of imagery.  “In the past we knew that death was a part of the very essence of life, and as our culture forgets that, we seem to desire more vivid images of death,” says Keith Kahn-Harris, a sociologist from Dunn’s documentary, “this is why we see forms of mortality in all of our art through the ages.”   Metal isn’t the imagery, it is the concept behind the imagery and the iconology which the art creates that Heavy Metal and its culture embraces.

These images are the darkest and perhaps the most frightening of metal’s icons.  The band Slipknot wears masks for every photo shoot, every performance, and any public appearance.  All of these images were taken for promotional posters to spread the word about one of the band’s albums, The Subliminal Verses.  Again, the iconology of these characters creates a rise in the media and mass culture.  The use of masking, both literally and metaphorically creates icons out of these band members.  Masking allows metal fans to relate to these characters, while alienating the mass culture.  Bryson talks about “High-Status Exclusiveness” which is exemplified as, “knowledge of the fine arts, literature, and upper-class etiquette signals wealth and prestige” (885).  Iconology such as this is a response to these stereotypes.  The mentality is that if mass culture is going to call us low class for what we do and enjoy, then we are going to embrace that, and become the lowest form of any class imaginable.  This explains the crude, and ever changing masks of the band.  The group shot even portrays the band standing in a gritty, impoverished area.  The background and coloring cause the dark image to get even darker.

The image of the singer, again, creates a very gritty and disturbing background.  In this image the lack of objects in the backdrop creates a feeling of intimidation.  This feeling is not welcomed by the mass culture and therefore becomes denoted and dark and evil.  This image portraying their minority of evil overpowering the majority of self-proclaimed morality is a triumph that all metal imagery strives for.  The images that enhance the stereotypes are pushing to overcome them through force.

The image of the clown denotes many concepts of evil.  This portrays corruption of innocence with the contorted smile of a childhood entertainer that appears even more disturbing with the lighting.  The pentagram carved into the face creates both a satanic and masochistic image.  The horns and the number 6 complete the satanic image.  The images of evil and darkness are synonymous with power as shown in The Satanic Bible.  The nine satanic statements say, “4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates! / 5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!” (LaVey, 25).  Embracing these inner evils creates power and allows for cultural resistance.  The mask creates a stylistic pictorial symbol that is relatable, identifiable, and most of all, powerful.  It is this very power that the imagery of metal tries to portray.

Heavy metal has a vast array of imagery and iconography associated with it.  The images created are related to metal’s evil and blues ridden origins, dating as far back as the dark ages and the devil’s note, or the tritone.  This is where the imagery of evil originates and develops into the masochistic and dark images that many people associate with heavy metal music today.  The products, specifically visual art, that develop from a culture dictate the social class that group is associated with.  The dismissal and condemnation of metal art by both mass culture and upper-class scholars leaves only a small counter culture of individuals.  Due to the opposition, this anti-culture becomes stereotyped as lower class and ignorant.  The art and imagery of Heavy Metal is responsible for creating this stereotype, but has also succeeded in tearing it down through over indulgence of the iconography.   Bryson says, “musical taste provides a good test for questions about symbolic boundaries” (885), and Heavy Metal tears down every boundary laid down.  The many misinterpretations of metal art by the mass culture and creations of skewed stereotypes pushes the metal culture to indulge in their evil icons.  Metalheads take on the evil and darkness that surrounds their culture.  Metal icons and images embrace their stereotype and allow the misconceptions to fuel the power of their ever growing and changing counter culture.

“Your trust is is whiskey, and weed, and Slayer, it’s goddamn electric!”

-Pantera

Sources:

Bryson, Bethany. “Anything But Heavy Metal”: Symbolic Exclusion and Musical Dislikes. American Sociology Review 61.5 (1996).

LaVey, Anton S. The Satanic Bible. New York: Avon Books, 1969.

Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey.  Dir. Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen. DVD. Banger Productions Inc. 2006

Weinstein, Deena. Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture. Da Capo Press, 2000.