Some people consider metal music just loud noise. Some consider it a harbinger of bad activity to come. The strongly religious believers think metal is the music of the Devil. It all depends on how you look at it. Ella Brown, a writer for MSN.com page Back in Time Today, has compiled a list of metal bands parents wanted their kids not to listen to
1. Black Sabbath
-Just the name is eerie enough. Considered to be the godfathers of British heavy metal, these guys are also known as the founding fathers of heavy metal. They played into every parent's worst fear. Occult imagery, dark, ominous music with its tritone sound, often nicknamed "The Devil's Interval." Any parent who discovered their child was listening to Black Sabbath feared they were messing around with the dark arts
-Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, with his wild onstage personality, didn't help matters much. He looked like a madman released from an asylum to front a metal band. The band even took their name from a Boris Karloff film, suggesting even further connections to devil worship. Conservative parents worried about songs like "War Pigs" or N.I.B", which they thought meant Nativity in Black. Songs like this they thought corrupted innocent youth
2. Judas Priest
-Another Midlands, England metal band, Judas Priest created the studded leather look, twin lead guitar and devastating vocals from Rob Halford that helped define heavy metal. Parents were scared by Halford's seemingly intimidating stage persona and songs deemed rebellious, such as "Breaking the Law" or "Living After Midnight"
-This panic centering on morality reached an all time high in 1990. Two teens made a suicide pact after claims that the band inserted subliminal messages into their songs. The case was thrown out, but their reputation was already damaged. Conservative groups issued warnings about the band's supposedly devilish influences, despite the fact that the songs centered on fairly mild themes of rebellion and freedom
3. Iron Maiden
-Nothing frightens conservative parents more than Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie. He's a snarling, skeletal concoction created by artist Derek Riggs. Each of Iron Maiden's albums feature this snarling creature in some adventure. This legendary British metal band became the center point of all parents fears, despite the fact that their lyrics were often inspired by literature, history and mythology
-Their albums, like The Number of the Beast, were burned at the stake at church-related events. And all of this actually backfired because even their manager, Rod Smallwood, laughs as he says it was great for the band because that meant people actually bought the album. Parents thought it was about devil worship and it was really about a nightmare. The band's complex stage setup showed Eddie as a giant monster. This scared the living daylights out of parents who believed that imagery like that could corrupt their children. Elsewhere, teenagers could not get enough of the music by the band
4. Motley Crue
-Not surprisingly, these guys definitely were a cause for concern. They were known for raunchy lyrics about drug use, strippers and living the fast life. They had teased hair, wore makeup and wore revealing clothing. A parents worst nightmare. MTV embraced their music, with videos for their songs, such as "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Looks That Kill". Parents felt uncomfortable with their seemingly unburdened lifestyle and barely hidden drug references in their songs
-The band members were frequently arrested, overdosing or causing fatal car accidents. This only strengthened their already dangerous reputation. Teens found them appealing-the ultimate symbol of freedom
5. Venom
-Legendary British heavy metal band Venom took metal to nightmarish new heights. They had a raw, unpolished sound and straight, in your face, devilish imagery. Their albums often featured pentagrams and other demonic imagery that seemed almost designed to scare parents and religious communities
-Their song titles left little to the imagination. The band members openly embraced their reputation as the bogeyman of metal, despite the fact that the band members didn't actually worship the Unholy One. Parents were firmly convinced Venom were actually worshipping the devil and were corrupting the youth of the world with their music. The band was noisy, chaotic in their music, with low production only adding to their dark charm. They appealed to teens who were looking for the next thing to shock their parents
6. W.A.S.P.
-One of the great 80s metal bands, this band was fronted by a vocalist named Blackie Lawless. Their stage shows shocked all. Bits of raw meat were thrown, drinking blood from skulls, semi-naked models being tortured, this all came together to form the ultimate nightmare for parents. One of their songs was targeted by the Parents Music Resource Council (PMRC) for having dirty lyrics. It earned a spot on their "Filthy Fifteen" list. This council deemed that albums with explicit lyrics get the famous black and white "Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics" label. This made them even more famous
-The band created metal excess when vocalist Blackie Lawless had a codpiece with a chainsaw hanging from it. Their acts were purely theatrical, but many parents firmly believed that the band was a threat to the morality of the kids
7. Slayer
-The dark side and Slayer seem like a match made in metal heaven. They have lightning fast music with lyrics about serial killers, warfare and the occult. This made them the ultimate forbidden fruit to teens looking for a new sound. Their albums, such as Reign in Blood, or songs like "Angel of Death" (about Nazi doctor Josef Mengele) crossed lines that even other metal bands refused to cross. Their logo, which features a pentagram and eagle symbol, became the symbol of fear for some parents
-Parents and even religious groups became convinced that Slayer were members of a satanic cult. The band members never denied this. They knew their terrifying reputation was only part of the reason they appealed to fans who were looking for the most extreme metal music that was out there
8. Ozzy Osbourne
-Known as "The Prince of Darkness", Ozzy Osbourne embarked on a rather successful solo career after leaving Black Sabbath. His solo career turned out successful songs like "Mama, I'm Coming Home", "Desire", "Mr. Crowley" and more. Unfortunately, his solo career also attracted controversy. Urinating on the Alamo while drunk and accidentally biting the head off of a bat gave him a reputation as a madman of rock
-He came under fire for the song "Suicide Solution" because it ended in a lawsuit. Claims were that it encouraged a teenager to commit suicide. The case was dismissed when the courts discovered the song was not about urging people to commit suicide, but rather a warning against alcoholism. Unfortunately, the damage was complete. Parents were worried about the classical-inspired solos by guitarist Randy Rhoads. His solos partnered with Ozzy's lyrics made the music accessible to all audiences. This worried parents that the music could corrupt impressionable young minds. This resulted in widespread panic in parents all over North America
9. Mercyful Fate
-King Diamond is their iconic vocalist. With his insane vocal range and unique black and white face paint including black crosses or inverted crosses, became the symbol of the supposed devilish connections with metal music. The Danish metal band horrified parents with albums like Melissa and Don't Break the Oath. The reason being explicit occult themes and imagery. Their stage setups often featured inverted crosses and bones, creating a complex and theatrical experience that would also be deeply disturbing
-Many parents didn't understand the high level of sophistication the band's music involved. There were complex arrangements, King Diamond's beautiful but also devastating vocal range. Many teens saw Mercyful Fate as strongly appealing because of their forbidden nature
10. Megadeth
-One of the "Big 4", a series of thrash metal bands who came out around the same time as each other, Megadeth was created by former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine after he'd been fired from Metallica. He combined the technical precision he'd learned with Metallica with politically powered lyrics to make a music that scared parents. Their mascot is a skull with metal caps over the eyes, ears and mouth. Nicknamed Vic Rattlehead, he symbolizes "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" in the most visual way possible
-"Peace Sells" questions mainstream values and authority. The band's name is a deliberate misspelling of the term megadeath. This term means one million deaths by a nuclear explosion. It seemed almost tailor made to cause maximum fear. The aggressive sound and sneering vocalist represented every parent's worst fear about metal. Elsewhere, teenagers loved the highly technical sound and politically charged lyrics
11. Anthrax
-Just the name alone has parents worried. The band took their name from a bioweapon that was all over the news in the wake of 9/11. The New York-based thrash metal band set off alarms with parents who worried about the influence of metal on young minds. Some metal bands embraced darkness, while these New Yorkers included pop culture and humor into their music. Their songs reference Stephen King novels and comic books, making them easily accessible to younger listeners, worrying parents even more
-When they worked with hip hop group Public Enemy on "Bring the Noise", it caused even more concern amongst parents because metal and hip hop were considered problematic genres. The combination of urban East Coast attitude and the speed and aggression of Anthrax's music made a combination of music dangerous to parents all across North America
12. Twisted Sister
-This band is every parent's worst nightmare. Grown men in garish makeup and drag. Twisted Sister intimidated parents with wild vocalist Dee Snider and his mane of blonde hair and onstage presence. He became the villain in the eyes of many parents. Their best known song "We're Not Gonna Take It" became the soundtrack for rebellious teens. The video for the song came under fire, as it showed a rock music loving teen humiliating his father, seemingly making a direct assault on authority
-Dee Snider famously appeared before Congress to testify against music censorship. He stated thoughtful, intelligent arguments that surprised the Senate committee conducting the session. He was highly intelligent and defensive of metal, which only frustrated parents more. It undermined their argument that metal musicians were brainless degenerates who corrupted the young minds of the world with their songs and messages of defying authority
13. Celtic Frost
-The Swiss metal legends frightened parents with their music. The band is considered, by some, to be avant-garde, because of their experimental approach to music. Their albums, which include Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion, featured complex, but disturbing work by artist H.R. Giger, who is famous for creating the Alien movie monster. The band's heavy use of symphonic instruments made the dark themes their music centered around even more unsettling and dramatic. Vocalist Tom G. Warrior and his iconic "UGH!" grunt became the symbol of everything incomprehensible about extreme metal. The band is more than willing to incorporate female vocals, classic inspirations and experimental sounds. Combined, it makes for a truly original sound that parents could not place into a category, making them seemingly more dangerous
14. KISS
-Some of the more conservative parents thought the name stood for something else, most commonly Knights in Satan's Service. Despite being popular in the 1970s, they introduced controversy in the 1980s. Their makeup, mostly bassist Gene Simmons, who was known as the Demon, spit blood, breathed fire. This had parents convinced that Kiss was satanic, despite the lyrics mostly being party-based
-The rumor that their name stood for Knights in Satan's Service spread like wildfire through concerned parents groups and churches, despite the fact there is no information proving it. Their marketing genius extended to as many markets as possible, bringing their supposedly demonic influence to children. Parents were strongly worried about the open sexuality and Gene's constantly wagging tongue, seeing it as a way of corrupting young people
15. Metallica
-The speed and aggression Metallica put into their music scared the living daylights out of parents. Their early albums, like Kill 'Em All or Ride the Lightning, which featured an electric chair surrounded by lightning, depicted violent imagery that seemed almost tailor made to incite the maximum amount of parental concern. The band wrote songs about warfare, addiction and death, striking fear into parents. This nihilistic and dangerous attitude scared parents. The band wrote a song as a tribute to their fallen band member Cliff Burton. The song "To Live is To Die" struck a chord of fear because it was misinterpreted as being a promoter of suicide when it was really the band's way of mourning the loss of their friend and fellow band mate
-The band's fan base, known as the Metal Militia, had a cult-like devotion to the band that terrified parents. The strong intensity of the connection between the fans and the music suggested unhealthy obsessions to parents. Some of the parents couldn't comprehend the actually healthy, stress-reducing release valve that Metallica's aggressive, speedy sound provided for teens who were navigating those challenging years known as adolescence
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