According to the people who claim to be his messengers on earth, God is pissed about rock music. From the moment that guitars, drums, bass and vocals were joined together, representatives of the major religions have decried the resulting music as blasphemy and have done their best to curb any chance young people have of enjoying it. Whether its burning CDs, rallying to government to shut down concerts, or just posting up outside of an in-store appearance with a homophobic slogan on a sign, those who claim to be Heavens messengers will always find a righteous way to attack an art form that inspires onlyjoy.
But while religion has disliked rocknroll as a whole for ages, certain artists have become the ultimate scapegoats of those doing the Lords work. These musicians have angered church-goers so muchwhether with insensitive quotes, satanic imagery, or the implication that they might occasionally have sexthat their work and/or live shows have been banned (sometimes, theyve even been held at gunpoint). For the sake of celebrating these rabble-rousers, we put together a list of those artists against whom religion has raised its torch and pitchfork thehighest.
Here are 10 artists whose songs, concerts, or very presence were banned by thechurch
Marilyn Manson
For going on three decades, Marilyn Manson has been the ultimate scapegoat for religious groups. The shock rockers career is peppered with incidents of offended Christians trying to shut him down, including having his live show banned in South Carolina in 1997 and being banned from an Australia resort in 1999. Even the Church Of Satan wants to be distanced from him, having clarified his role within the church to a T so as not to have anyone think hes a minister therein. So divisive youre pissing off the sataniststhe shock rockers goldenring.
READ THIS: From spooky kid to hood goth: The changing faces of Marilyn Manson
The Beatles
The ol Bigger than Jesus line caused an odd speed bump in the rampant Beatlemania of the early 60s. In 1966, two broadcasters from Birmingham, Alabama, named Doug Layton and Tommy Charles went on a hardcore Ban The Beatles campaign over Lennons blasphemous quote, causing record stores and radio stations around America to burn their Beatles records and ban the band. The beef was squashed in 2010, when the Vatican officially forgave the Beatles for their hubris. Good looking out fifty years later,Rome.
Slayer
There was something about Slayers brand of hard-hitting, blood-soaked satanic thrash that freaked out religious figures in the 80s like no other music. Slayer fandom soon became the ultimate symbol of an adolescence gone wrong. Pastor Bob Larson led the charge, making a big show of touring with the band and outing them as everyday metalheads. But it wasnt just in Americas sensitive midsection that the band were pariahs; their 2006 album Christ Illusion was recalled by EMI India after Christian groups protested. Its good to know Slayer remain universally feared by sensitive Christians all over theworld.
Behemoth
Of the bands on this list, Behemoth are one of the few who have fired shots back at the church. The Polish death metal bands frontman Nergal was charged with Blasphemy for ripping up a Bible onstage in 2007, for which he even went to trial (the charges were dropped). The band were later included on a list of bands who focus on murder and Satanism, which resulted in Behemoth being banned from Poznari in 2014. Of course, Nergal also trolled Christians and metal fans alike by making up a story about being ejected from the YMCA on tour, so the feud is stillongoing.
Lamb Of God
In the modern day, its important to remember that the church is a broad term, encompassing a wide spectrum of religions that perceive music as the enemy for no good reason. An example of this was Lamb Of Gods being banned from playing a festival in Malaysia after the Office Of Islamic Development of Malaysia became worried about the bands lyrics, specifically those of the Kiladelphia intro which contains lyrics taken directly from the Quran. The show was finally shut down because the bands shows were found to infringe on religious sensitivities, and because the promoter was receiving death threats. So remember, dont be close-mindedall religions have fundamentalists who are enemies of rockmusic!
Black Sabbath
The original heavy metal rabble-rousers, Black Sabbath were hated by religious authorities the minute they exploded onto the scene. The problem, of course, was that Sabbath werent satanists, and so their constant persecution felt especially plastic. There was one incident where we were due to play in a town and we got banned by the church, guitarist Tony Iommi recalled. The show was announced in all the papers for two weeks before we got there. The church managed to ban us. And then the bloody church burned down and we got theblame.
The Everly Brothers
One doesnt usually think of The Everly Brothers as the kind of band who the church would want to crush, but the pop-rock oldsters managed to get banned in Boston for their lovers lane anthem Wake Up Little Susie. The citys Catholics considered the song unseemly due to its sexual themes (even though the whole song is about two teens who didnt have sex). Its just a solid reminder that no matter how sensitive people get about music right now, back in the day you couldnt even talk about the idea of sex without bible-thumpers calling you aheathen.
Cradle Of Filth
Oddly enough, for all their devil-mongering and perversion, it wasnt Cradle Of Filths lyrics or shirts that got them assailed by armed guards and kicked out of the Vatican. The vampire metallers got in trouble in 1998 when they entered St. Peters Square while their keyboard player Lecter was wearing a priests outfit. Strangely enough it wasnt because I was wearing a tacky I love Satan T-shirt that Id just been given, or that our guitarist had a Jesus is a C**t shirt, Dani Filth told Kerrang! in 2019. It was that Lecter was dressed as a priest and apparently thats illegal there. Theyre a law unto themselves and they could have held us for the rest of our lives if theyd wantedto.
Sepultura
Of all the metal bands in the world, Sepultura feel like a weird one to think that God would hate; the band have an open-minded spiritual bent to them that so many other acts dont. But that didnt stop their Lebanon show from being canceled, with authorities accusing the band of insulting Christianity and being devil worshippers. The implied bigger issue, however, appears to have been that some members of the band had posed prominently in their videos around sites in Israel, which is reason to outlaw the band from entering the country (bands with Israeli stamps in their passports cannot enter Lebanon, for the record). The only real victims here were, of course, Sepulturasfans.
Rotting Christ
Greek blackened death metallers Rotting Christ certainly picked a name that sounds solely intended to upset religious figures. And while plenty of loudmouths have protested their shows, the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Esfirmenou really went all-in, getting the bands concert in Patras, Greece, canceled due to their offensive and satanic messages. Taking the accusation one step further, the monastery even implied that Rotting Christs unholy image was part of why Greece was facing a socio-economic crisis. Blaming a metal band for your countrys problems for playing death metalthe ultimate in culturalacrobatics.
READ THIS: The 50 most evil songs ever
Posted on March 1st 2020, 2:30pm
Continue reading here:
10 Bands Who Have Been Banned By The Church - Kerrang!
- The terrible evil of the witch and the satanist - American Thinker - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- The Blood on Satan's Claw: unearthing the locations for the witchy ... - British Film Institute - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Here's how many modern day witches and Satanists are living in Southend - Yahoo News UK - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- When the Satanists Moved In - The Smart Set - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Letters: Boris Johnson and co must not be allowed to get off scot-free - HeraldScotland - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Toil and Trouble Misunderstood: Rise in witchcraft forces a rethink of ... - Frederick News Post - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- The Religion of Sexual Humanism - Answers In Genesis - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- The rise of the French Intifada - The Spectator - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Who/what is Baphomet? - GBTIMES - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- What is a heathen? - GBTIMES - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- Why Israel Treats Its Prisoners Of War With Dignity -By Joe Dauda - Opinion Nigeria - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- Sunday School Scapegoats: How D&D And Heavy Metal Became ... - FANGORIA - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Age of Democracy Ushered in the Age of Degeneracy - The New American - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Yule - Wikipedia - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- The Satanic Bible - Wikipedia - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Pentagram - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Wicca - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Early Norwegian black metal scene - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Satanic panic - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Black Sun (symbol) - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- The Occult and Satanism in America - The American TFP - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Satan - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Witch trials in the early modern period - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Left-hand path and right-hand path - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Putin Accuses West of Satanism and Announces Annexations in ... - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Putin Annexation Speech: The Russian Leader's Denunciations of Western Imperialism Are Hypocritical - Foreign Policy - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Earth religion - Wikipedia - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs - Church of Satan - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Lucis (Lucifer) Trust Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Modern Witchcraft: It May Not Be What You Think - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Celebrities involved in Satanism, who are they? - Legit.ng - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Satanism | occult practice | Britannica - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- Albert Pike Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- Demon Names and how to Identify them Exposing Satanism ... - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- The Anatomy of Satanism in Hollywood - James True - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- The All Seeing Eye and the Occult Meaning - Exposing Satanism - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- 10 Forms Of Satanism That Exist Around The World - Listverse - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- Frank Zappas favourite books about the occult - Far Out Magazine - July 16th, 2021 [July 16th, 2021]
- Is False Positive a True Story? Is the Hulu Movie Based on Real Life? - The Cinemaholic - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- Satanism - Founders, Philosophies & Branches - HISTORY - June 15th, 2021 [June 15th, 2021]
- Music Styles Live and Die, But Rock is Forever Heres Why - Music Mayhem Magazine - March 31st, 2021 [March 31st, 2021]
- The Deification of Donald J. Trump: The Prince of Pieces - The Good Men Project - March 31st, 2021 [March 31st, 2021]
- Church of Satan and Satanism in Australia explained: from rituals to religion with the controversial group - 7NEWS.com.au - March 3rd, 2021 [March 3rd, 2021]
- Every Johnny Depp Movie Ranked From Worst to Best | Screen Rant - Screen Rant - February 14th, 2021 [February 14th, 2021]
- Far-right conspiracy QAnon surging in Europe as fanatics plot return of Nazi Reich and link Satanists to - The Sun - February 2nd, 2021 [February 2nd, 2021]
- Satanic Temple Abortion Ritual Advertised on Miami Billboard - Miami New Times - January 1st, 2021 [January 1st, 2021]
- The Boomer Rock Renaissance 2020 Never Saw Coming - Vulture - December 26th, 2020 [December 26th, 2020]
- Modern Satanism | Spiral Nature Magazine - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- The Evolution of Modern Satanism in the United States - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- The Story Of Black Metal In 14 Songs Kerrang! - Kerrang! - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- Fact check: There is no evidence to support claims that Lady Gaga is a witch - USA TODAY - November 7th, 2020 [November 7th, 2020]
- BERNSTEIN: We live in two different Americas - RU Daily Targum - November 7th, 2020 [November 7th, 2020]
- The History Behind the Ouija Board is Both Pure and Evil - Nerdist - October 27th, 2020 [October 27th, 2020]
- What It Really Means To Be A Satanist - Kerrang! - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- Pittchcraft: The true history of Wicca and Witchcraft - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- CHLOE WYMA ON THE ART OF AGNES PELTON - Artforum - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- A Modern Witch's Guide to Paris: Where to Find the Occult and Esoteric - Frenchly - February 4th, 2020 [February 4th, 2020]
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Conjures Up a Strong Season 3 - The Spool - January 27th, 2020 [January 27th, 2020]
- Best Documentaries of '19 - Fort Worth Weekly - January 17th, 2020 [January 17th, 2020]
- Sam Dunn: The Journey of the World's Most Famous Headbanger - Daily Hawker - January 17th, 2020 [January 17th, 2020]
- Fears Hampshire Horse Ripper has returned after 26 years and psycho culprit could be next Ian Brady - The Sun - January 14th, 2020 [January 14th, 2020]
- Occult symbols found on New Forest animals killed, and in church vandalism - The Wild Hunt - December 6th, 2019 [December 6th, 2019]
- Concert Review: Spinal Taps Derek Smalls Revives Mock-Rock at the Wiltern - Variety - November 11th, 2019 [November 11th, 2019]
- Curro pupil speaks: 'Stop the satanic panic, art is meant to provoke thought' - News24 - October 27th, 2019 [October 27th, 2019]
- Creepy countdown the 20 scariest horror movies of all time - NNY360 - October 27th, 2019 [October 27th, 2019]
- What does it mean to be a modern witch? 3 real-life witches share their experiences - Vogue India - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]
- Judas Priests Rob Halford: The metal community has always been inclusive, yet weve been kicked around like a football over the years - NME.com - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]
- The 20 scariest horror movies of all time - The Columbus Dispatch - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- What are the 20 scariest horror movies of all time? - Peoria Journal Star - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- I'm a founder of the Satanic Temple. Don't blame Satan for white supremacy. - Washington Post - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Wash Post column cheers Satan, jeers Christians - WND.com - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- The Devil's Cradle: The Story of Finnish Black Metal - The Gauntlet - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Court orders new trial in satanic sacrificial murder case - RT - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- We Asked Diehard Swedish Metalheads What They Consider to be 'Metal' - Noisey - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- A Brief But Very Informative History of How Fascists Infiltrated Punk and Metal - Noisey - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- Why Some Christians Are Calling White Supremacy 'Satanic' - HuffPost - August 20th, 2017 [August 20th, 2017]
- Satanic Leader Calls Upon Christian America to Face Their Contribution to Racist Right - Patheos (blog) - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- The Wild Hunt | Tag Archive | paranormal investigation - The Wild Hunt - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- Nottinghamshire sees increase in Witchcraft complaints - The Wild Hunt - August 11th, 2017 [August 11th, 2017]
- Secular doctors are realizing that demonic possession is real, and needs special attention - Catholic Online - August 8th, 2017 [August 8th, 2017]