Pagans and the Heavy Metal Subculture
Publication information:
Abstract
The heavy metal subculture has, since the beginning, clothed itself in the trappings and aesthetics of the occult, the demonic, and all things non-Christian and mythic. It is also equally fair to say the modern Pagan movement has been influenced by this subculture. In this presentation, Ryan Smith will review and discuss the findings of a research study on this relationship with particular focus on how practitioners incorporate heavy metal and heavy metal aesthetics into their spirituality, the role of heavy metal in their spiritual journeys, and the ways the heavy metal subculture influences Pagan aesthetics and artistic expression.
Presenter Biography
Ryan Smith is an anti-racist Norse Heathen author. He has written The Way of Fire & Ice: The Living Tradition of Norse Paganism, is the host of the Wayward Wanderer Heathen podcast, and is the Provisional Chair of the Fellowship of Fire & Ice. He can be found at onblackwings.com.