Punk, Metal and American Religions

Abstract

Abstract Since their inception in the 1970s, ‘hard’ musical genres such as heavy metal and punk rock have come under attack for their criticism of institutionalized religion and their desecration of religious symbols. However, recent academic scholarship offers a more complex interpretation of the relationship between heavy metal/punk music and religion. Heavy metal and punk rock artists articulated a range of religious beliefs. Christian heavy metal bands used the Judeo‐Christian religious symbolism deployed by secular bands as an entry point for a cultural conversation with mainstream heavy metal. Also, punk drew from a variety of traditions – including Rastafarianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Scholars have also suggested that fans have created music‐based subcultures – including metal, straight edge, ‘do‐it‐yourself’– that function as extra‐institutional religions by providing a sense of identity and community as well as an ethical code for living.

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