Anecdotally, readers of S&S listen to heavy metal in higher proportion than country or rap music. There are reasons for this.
The sound of S&S is heavy, and of battle. James Taylor cannot be the soundtrack of “Black Colossus.”
Another is the appropriation of sword-and-sorcery imagery by metal bands. Dangle Kings of Metal in front of a Robert E. Howard reader and you’ll get a grunt of recognition, if not appreciation, even though they might have never heard of Manowar. Some will go on to sample the music, discover that “Heart of Steel” is really fucking awesome song, and become a metalhead.
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| Ken Kelly and Manowar can be none more metal. |
That’s partially what happened to me. Fantasy imagery—along with the influence of high school friends and what was going on in the broader popular culture circa 1987--led me to sample metal bands. The sound and fury hooked me. And the rest is history.
Metal and sword-and-sorcery also share some deeper DNA …. a thematic attraction to the Outsider. Some examples fired off over a beer:
Judas Priest with “The Sentinel”
Whitesnake and “Here I Go Again.” Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.
Helloween: I Want Out
Metallica: Escape (Life’s for my own, to live my own way)
Etc.
Metal does not have a patent on the outsider concept; rock has always contained its seeds. See Dion’s “Runaway” and Rolling Stones “Tumbling Dice.” But the combination of imagery+heaviness+outsider makes metal music a substantial overlap in the venn diagram of S&S.
Iron Maiden’s “Drifter” is another fine example. As Paul DiAnno sings:
Gotta keep on roaming, gotta sing my song… ‘cause I’m a drifter, drifting on.
I hope you drift into a fine weekend on this Metal Friday.
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