Not everyone has a soft spot for metal, but I do. But let’s all be true to ourselves. Metal doesn’t just make noise… it makes headlines. And definitely not the cute kind. I’m talking about the “your mom turns off the TV because she thinks demons are involved” type of headlines. But when you think about it, that’s probably the point. Metal bands were never meant to fit in. They were meant to kick the door down and challenge everything people said was “appropriate”.
The funny thing is, the more people tried to cancel these bands, the bigger they got. It’s probably because metal fans love chaos. We thrive in it for sure. And aside from listening and watching them on streaming services, I swear half the fun is diving into their history and seeing how wild things actually got behind the scenes.
Mayhem
Mayhem is literally the definition of metal gone nuclear. Their early days were wild: their vocalist Dead treated the stage like a horror show, literally painting himself like a corpse. The things went full-on dark because Dead died by suicide in 1991. The band’s guitarist found his body… and instead of calling the cops first, he snapped photos and one of those photos later became the infamous cover of a bootleg album.
But it gets worse. In the years after Dead’s death, members were involved in church burnings, extreme ideologies, and even murder because their guitarist Euronymous was stabbed by one of their own. Everything was so chaotic that many people got interested in metal itself. If there were streaming services before, I’m pretty sure half the world would’ve been watching their every move.
Metallica
Metallica isn’t exactly a band that’s “wild on stage” in the same way as Mayhem, but in 2000, they caused one of the biggest controversies in music history. When Napster started letting people share music for free, Metallica freaked out, especially after someone leaked an unreleased track. They sued Napster and suddenly, every teenager with a dial-up connection was either cheering or cursing them.
Fans argued it was selling out, while Metallica argued it was theft. It blew up media headlines and sparked debates about music, piracy, and artist rights. There were lots of dramas that time and it’s still being referenced up to this day.
Body Count
If you’re already a metal fan during the 1980s, you’ve probably heard of this scandal. Body Count stirred up absolute chaos in 1992 with their song Cop Killer. The media, politicians, and police unions all lost their minds, and suddenly everyone had an opinion. Fans called it art, critics called it outrageous, and poor Ice-T was stuck in the middle while he was trying to explain himself while basically holding a fire extinguisher to the controversy.
Body Count was a big thing back then, and if people had accessible mobile wireless service before, I’m pretty sure everyone would’ve been tweeting, posting, and streaming the drama nonstop.
Infant Annihilator
Infant Annihilator basically specializes in how far can we push the shock factor before people lose it? Their music videos and lyrics are just over-the-top. I’m talking about absurdly grotesque imagery that makes even long-time metal fans raise an eyebrow. They’re literally unapologetically insane, while critics and basically anyone with a sense of normalcy call it… well, disturbing.
Black Sabbath
Oh no. My nightmare. Black Sabbath basically invented doom and controversy. I heard about this from my dad, and it’s about how their dark riffs and lyrics about the occult had parents freaking out in the ’70s. People genuinely thought listening to Sabbath might summon demons or turn kids into little satanists. Meanwhile, the band was just a bunch of guys making heavy music and having fun.
Metal Will Never Be Boring
Since metal is not for everyone, I don’t think it will become boring because it has always been and will always be chaotic. These controversies are not something to be glorified, but they do show how metal music challenges norms and makes people sit up and pay attention.
