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Rock The bell that tolls for anyone, Metal Music has influenced more than just the music industry, It has fitted its claws deep into Film and Television for decades.
The Metal Genre has had a deepened footprint in the history of human amusement. Ever since its divergence from its roots in rock back in the mid to late ’60s, it has evolved from a rhythmic-based genre that focused on catchy riffs and powerful vocals to the genre with the most sub-genres in the industry. As the years passed the genre only grew in popularity imprinting its influence along the way.
While metal has had a visibly profound impact on the music industry, set influence extends far beyond music. Metal’s influence can be seen all throughout the entertainment industry, books like ‘House of Leaves’ and video games like the legendary ‘Doom’ series have drawn inspiration from the genre. One industry that has drawn significant inspiration from the metal genre across the years is that one of Film and Television.
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Rhythmic Storytelling
Being a culmination of genres like Blues, Classical Music, and of course the Rock genre, Metal Music has which fosters immense amounts of intricate storytelling. Whether it is a cryptic tale of a messianic figure sacrificing himself for others like the one heard in Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ or a concept album of a post-apocalyptic fictional society in the future where life depends on the Internet and computers like Mago de Oz showed fans with ‘Finisterra’. The Metal genre has held astonishing stories that inspire many.
One piece that greatly showcases this is the song ‘Run to The Hills’ by one of the pioneering bands of the genre Iron Maiden. This one stands as a brutal depiction of the European conquest of Native American lands, despite only lasting almost 4 minutes the choice of telling the story from both perspectives and the band members’ delivery astonishingly showcases the conflict’s complexity and desperations. This masterpiece introduced set topics to the media when it was released as the first single of the band’s third and most popular 1982 studio album ‘The Number of the Beast’, almost a whole decade before themes of colonization and cultural conflict were seen in film with films like ‘Dances with Wolves’ or ‘The Last of the Mohicans’
These levels and qualities of storytelling have influenced many films across the years, drawing from the genre’s bands, and themes to incorporate them into the industry. Found from comedy masterpieces like 1992’s ‘Wayne’s World’ or the legendary ‘Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny’ from 2006 to directly inspiring the foundational vibes and aesthetics of legendary horror films like the ‘Hellraiser’ franchise and Dave Grohl’s ‘Studio 666’, Metal’s unique ability to deliver a tale alongside its attention-catching craftsmanship and aesthetics inspire far beyond the musical realm.
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The Power of The Soundtrack
The concept of a soundtrack where a collection of pre-existent songs are chosen to be included in a film didn’t really come to existent until the end years of the 1930s, with ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ being the first film to feature a commercially released soundtrack album back in 1938. Ever since then many films have held a dyadic symbiotic relationship with music, sometimes like ‘Eye of the Tiger’ in ‘Rocky III’ a song is remembered thanks to the film that featured them while in others like seen with 1980s ‘Flash Gordon’ found success because of their featured soundtrack.
An interesting representation of the latter is the 1981 animated cult classic film ‘Heavy Metal’ and its 2000 sequel ‘Heavy Metal 2000’. While featuring compelling animation with multiple techniques including rotoscoping and model animation, what truly made the series reach “cult classic” status were their soundtracks. Featuring artists like Black Sabbath, Don Felder from The Eagles, Pantera, System of a Down, and Coal Chamber these soundtracks held songs that grew far beyond the Films’ initial impact, with the 1981 soundtrack being inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame.
Unsurprisingly Metal has been the solid choice of a fair share of Films and Shows, this is especially seen in those from the action, horror, and science fiction genres. The genre’s versatility, emotional intensity, and rebellious nature make it align fittingly with the themes, aesthetics, and messages that prevail in set genres.
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Culmination of Art Forms
Thanks to its many sub-genres, Metal has become one of the most versatile and diverse genres ever to exist. From the heroic-sounding harmonious melodies and poetic lyrics of Folk Metal to the playful structure and bright bubblegummy energy heard in Kawaii Metal, the genre has something for everyone to enjoy. This diversity allows for unique collaborations, some of which have shown an outstanding balance with the film and television industry.
The perfect example of this can be seen throughout the later work of the legendary Sir Christopher Lee. While the actor first came in contact with the genre in the Rhapsody of Fire single ‘The Magic of the Wizard’s Dream’ back in 2004, it wasn’t until the year 2010 when he unexpectedly released his symphonic metal concept album ‘Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross’ when the world truly saw Lee’s capability in the genre. Just 2 years later his Christmas single ‘Jingle Hell’ reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart making the legendary actor the oldest performer to hit the charts and the oldest heavy metal performer in history upon releasing the concept album ‘Charlemagne: The Omens of Death’ at the age of 91.
Another way the metal and film worlds are intertwined is through the craft of filmmaking, many esteemed industry directors have laid their fair share of hands into the music video realm. Zack Snyder directed the music video for Lizzy Borden’s single ‘Love Is A Crime’ back in 1989, while Michael Bay has lent his directorial abilities to the Glam Metal scene by directing videos for the likes of Faster Pussycat, Slaughter, and even Britny Fox, proving that the relationship between Metal and film is can’t be any stronger.
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Screaming Features
In more recent decades, the incorporation of pre-established songs into in-universe canon has seen significant growth in film and TV. Scenes like Marty Mcfly’s performance of ‘Johnny B. Goode’ in the legendary ‘Back to the Future’ have turned what once was just background noise into a powerful storytelling tool, blending music with narrative to enhance emotion, nostalgia, and immersion.
This tactic has greatly been used by Matt and Ross Duffer’s award-winning show ‘Stranger Things’. The show’s first subject was The Clash’s 1982 hit single ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ back in season 1. In season 4 Joseph Quinn‘s character Eddie played the legendary Thrash Metal song ‘Master of Puppets’ by Metallica, this allowed the genre to conquer mainstream media like never before showing the world the masterful impact of the Metal Genre.
Metal Music and its subgenres are one of the most human genres out there, born from human imperfection and its restless pursuit of intense unfiltered expression. They have not only changed the way music is experienced, but it has left profound footprints in the entertainment industry as a whole, influencing many of its genres and techniques. Both directly and indirectly, Metal Music has allowed Film and Television to reach heights once thought to be unreachable and attract audiences from every corner of the world.
By Mario Martinez Ignacio
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Author
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Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.
Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.
