Deena Weinstein

In the following selection, Deena Weinstein refutes the claim that heavy metal supports satanism. Critics of metal have long alleged that satanic messages can be found in the lyrics of the songs. Weinstein argues that these lyrics are not a religious statement but are instead critiques of a judgmental society. She asserts that cultural conservatives are threatened by heavy metal because the music offers an alternative to the white male audience that fundamentalists target. Weinstein is a professor of sociology at DePaul University in Chicago and a reviewer of metal music. In addition to her own books, which include Heavy Metal: A Cultural Sociology, the source of the following viewpoint, and Serious Rock: The Artistic Vision of Modern Society in Pink Floyd, Rush, and Bruce Springsteen, Weinstein's essays have been published in several anthologies...