I’m a conservative Christian who’s spent the vast majority of his life in conservative Christian circles. As such, I’ve heard a lot of takes, from the flaming hot to the icy cold, as to what elements of culture Christians aren’t supposed to intake. To be sure, some of these are truly overly scrupulous: drinking alcohol/playing Pokemon/voting for non-Republicans aren’t going to send one to an eternity in Hades, despite arguments to the contrary. But there’s one of these arguments that’s particularly annoying to me: it’s the Christian distaste for heavy metal, a genre of music characterized by fast tempos, a strong beat, operatic/distorted vocals and high amplification.
Metal is a genre of a thousand origins, borrowing the influence of styles from classical composers like Bach, Vivaldi, and Wagner to blues artists like Pat Hare. In its modern form, metal is also a genre of a thousand variants, from the unconventional time signatures and long compositions of progressive metal to the orchestral elements of symphonic metal.
But I don’t believe the Christian disdain for metal comes from the musical elements. The criticisms come from the lyrical content of metal music, the seemingly extreme aspects of metal subculture, and the perception that metal music is rooted in Satanism. How, I’ve been asked, can I find truth and meaning in a genre so focused on the macabre, the dark, and the unorthodox?
This issue wouldn’t crack the top 50 (or probably 100) most hotly-debated issues Christians spend their time on, and as a political journalist, this is definitely a subject outside the range of my normal writing. Why then do I care about it? Simple: I’ve been a heavy metal fan for a decade—I’ve been to the concerts, I’ve worn the shirts, and I have the long hair to prove it. And, while it’s admittedly a niche topic, I believe many of the Christian ‘critiques’ of metal aren’t rooted in serious logical reasoning but in a misunderstanding of what compelling art looks like.
I’m not here to convince you to listen to metal music. I don’t care what music you listen to. I’m here to dispel the notion that metal music is somehow inherently an evil or un-Christian genre. With that disclaimer out of the way, here’s why Christians shouldn’t discount or dismiss this oft-misunderstood genre of music.
Metal is storytelling, and as such its darker tones create compelling narratives—narratives which show the depraved state of the world. It’s no secret that meaningful storytelling necessarily involves touching the darker parts of human experience. One of the oddest blunders Christians – particularly more conservative Christians – fall into is believing conservative Christian art must imitate neatly-ordered conservative Christian life. Here’s the problem: the ideal conservative Christian life is, to be frank, boring. This is a good thing: you don’t really want your life to be an interesting story. A consistent life of piety and obedience is often one that lacks the highs and lows of human action that make for compelling stories.
People often aren’t compelled by stories of heroes who never err and never make bad choices and live in a world of simple obedience and fellowship. Instead, people turn to stories and art for a lens through which to consider and understand the suffering and darkness of our world.
As a journalist, I know this firsthand. Often, the stories that most compel us are stories that honestly portray the depravity, unfairness, and wickedness of the human condition, thus putting the heroic choice, the choice to act towards ‘the good,’ in sharp relief. Defeat, loss, despair, profound injustice, setbacks in the struggle to do what’s right –these are as much a part of the human experience as the victories and wins and breakthroughs we experience. To only tell one side of that story is to only tell half the story.
Metal is storytelling, and as such its darker tones create compelling narratives—narratives which show the depraved state of the world.
Music is storytelling, and metal music often tells very dark stories, narratives of fighting against depression, injustice, and feelings of powerlessness. These are worthwhile stories to listen to; if framed properly, they illustrate the inspiring resiliency of the human spirit and our capability to overcome tremendous obstacles. As Christians, we know this isn’t a merely human endeavor, but there’s nothing un-Christian about listening to music highlighting such human endeavors. Like it or not, people have tremendous darkness in their lives, and the message of hope within struggle (an incredibly Biblical message) is for them, too, as part of common grace. Many metal songs tell such stories, from overcoming the grief of losing a dead child (Lamb of God’s ‘Walk With Me in Hell,’) to the seemingly endless struggle to be free of alcohol addiction (Dream Theater’s ‘The Glass Prison’). These may not be PureFlix-esque, sanitary stories, but they are real stories that highlight the importance of persistence through the tragedies of life. There’s nothing un-Christian about realizing the beneficial message inherent in many metal songs.
An important caveat here: the metal genre has its negative parts, and as a metal fan who’s a Christian, I’ll be the first to acknowledge it. There are actual Satanists who make metal music, for example, and Christian fans should have the discernment to distinguish between stories involving evil and stories specifically designed to glorify evil. But to label all metal Satanic or evil because of bands like Behemoth and Mayhem is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. It’s a music genre; like any other, it ranges widely and dismissing whole genres based on objectionable parts is simply foolish.
So why aren’t more Christians into metal? I think there’s a fairly simple reason, most of the time: they just don’t like it. And that’s fine. But, as a fan of the genre, let me leave you with this: just because it’s not your thing doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. The world is full of complex cultural outputs, and metal music’s no different. That doesn’t mean the genre that’s gotten me through more difficult times than any other is somehow Satanic or a ‘slippery slope’ for Christian listeners. This isn’t really about legalism or cultural insularity, although I’m sure they play a part in some critiques. It’s about whether Christians can handle stories that dare to portray the darkness of life, the depravity of the human heart, and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of tremendous odds. They can—for many of us, they’re some of the best stories ever told.
The views and opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the values and beliefs of Cogitare Magazine, nor of Grove City College.
