Myth and Magic in Heavy Metal Music

Heavy metal is a mythical genre of heroes, outlaws, ominous gods, grotesques, and monsters. It is a proud world of intense battles with chaos and confrontation with modern alienation. Its visual elements draw upon the horror story or film, suggesting chaos and disruption. This study of myth and metal is an attempt to approach heavy metal primarily from a mythological and literary perspective.

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Myth pervades heavy metal. With visual elements drawn from medieval and horror cinema, the genre's themes of chaos, dissidence and alienation transmit an image of Promethean rebellion against the conventional. In dialogue with the modern world, heavy metal draws imaginatively on myth and folklore to construct an aesthetic and worldview embraced by a vast global audience. The author explores the music of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica and many others from a mythological and literary perspective.