Metal stuff

[Alex K]

I think you're reading your own interpretation of what they are thinking or  trying to accomplish into it and are focusing on relative irrelevancies. I don't think anyone doing Death Metal in the year 2017 still thinks they are being super edgy and shocking by using a pentagram. Michael Amott was in Carcass back in the day, I highly doubt that he still thinks he needs to prove his edgyness by using the pentagram that is on one of the  traditional band logos. Arch Enemy  are usually projecting a political anarchist and environmental protection message. They have had a pentagram in one of their logo designs, but it's not something that has played a large role conceptually as far as I am aware.

Perhaps in this instance.  But you can't deny that anti-religious themes are super prevalent in metal and used by many bands to seem dark.  It just seems that it's been done to death(pun intended), and at this point bands would want to steer clear of it.

BTW, that question about the singer was serious and not meant to be an insult.  I've been wondering why metal fans like some vocalists and not others.  I don't know if you listen to Suicide Silence, but the big thing on YouTube now is to shit on the vocals in their song "Doris."  The main objection seems to be when the vocalist actually sings some high notes instead of screaming, but I actually didn't mind it and couldn't figure out why everyone is hating on it.

We're on an atheist message board, so it's not like anti-religious themes are something you find completely pointless

I think in some of metal, the occult symbolism has just become part of the style of the general culture. Some of these bands were founded by 14 year olds who used it to shock the establishment, and kind of kept the themes. Much of thrash metal and death metal has moved away from prominently using occult symbolism even if they are still often explicitely anti-religious, but now from an atheist or secularist perspective.

Here's some classic death metal with an anti-religion message but without much references to the occult





Here's one of my favorite bands heavily using Aleister Crowley's symbolism of demonology although they are to my knowledge atheists. TG Fischer in his lyrics mostly ponders about psychology and relationships, and all the demonology as far as I understand it serves as metaphors for a personal struggle. They have an inverted cross in their logo, but you'd have to ask them what exactly that means. They certainly don't claim to actually worship any demons or Satan, which they do not believe in.





Most of my favorite Thrash metal doesn't use anti-religious symbolism at all