As a long-time metalhead, I can say that there are only a few metal movies out there that are decent enough to watch. But then I remembered watching some movies and TV shows where my favorite metal bands and even those that I don’t like were featured. It was surprising, of course, because it’s a bold move to take a metal band to mainstream media. But then, as someone who loves metal, I couldn’t ask for more.
Some of them I was able to watch on streaming services. But for others, I just saw them while I was browsing channels on my TV way back. Let’s talk more about them below.
Black Sabbath – Iron Man
I binge-watched the entire MCU franchise, so this holds a special place in my heart. Black Sabbath is basically one of the foundations of metal, and seeing their song Iron Man play during the end credits of the 2008 Iron Man movie just made a lot of sense. I was surprised when I heard it but then I still remember the goosebumps I got when I started hearing Iron Man playing. It was one of the best feelings ever, at least for me.
Metallica – Stranger Things
This one’s timely as Stranger Things’ season 5 was just released as I’m writing this article. I still remember when Eddie Munson climbed on top of that trailer in season 4 and started shredding Master of Puppets for metal fans (a.k.a me). At that time, the clip spread so fast that people who had never listened to Metallica started checking them out.
And for a band that’s been around for so long, it was really nice seeing them get that kind of new attention. And their reaction to the whole thing was very wholesome which made the crossover even more memorable. By the way, if you’re planning to binge-watch this series to try and catch up, make sure that you have fast internet because it’ll suck for you if not.
Pantera – Spongebob Squarepants
This will always be one of the funniest and most unexpected metal cameo on TV for me. I mean, Pantera showing up in SpongeBob Squarepants? No one saw that coming. But during the Pre-Hibernation Week episode, an instrumental version of Death Rattle played while Sandy and SpongeBob were running around and causing chaos.
It was such a weird combination but it worked. If you haven’t watched SpongBob Squarepants before, I highly suggest you do. Just make sure that your internet provider isn’t acting up when you stream it on your preferred platform or streaming service.
Dying Fetus – South Park
I’ve always enjoyed watching South Park, but then a Dying Fetus cameo? In one of South Park’s episode? Heaven. In the episode Band in China, the boys started a fictional metal band called Crimson Dawn and performed Second Skin at a folk festival. The contrast was really funny because there you’ll see a calm, family-friendly event was suddenly getting blasted with extreme death metal.
It surprised the characters in the show, but it also surprised a lot of viewers who didn’t expect South Park to go that far with a real death metal track. It’s one of those moments that shows how deep the creators go with their references, and it gave metal fans a fun little shout-out.
Metal Finds a Way Into Everything
Even though it’s evident that not a lot of people enjoy metal like we do, it still shows up in places you’d never expect. I know, it’s a heartwarming experience because we know how metal music is perceived for many people. So when we hear it in a movie or a popular TV series, it feels like a small win for all of us and that the universe is giving us a little nod.
