Lyrical themes
Black Sabbath and the many metal bands they inspired have concentrated lyrically "on dark and depressing topics, which up until that time, were unprecedented in any form of pop music," according to scholars David Hatch and Stephen Millward. They take as an example Sabbath second album Paranoid (1970), which "included songs dealing with personal trauma. The song
'Paranoid' described the unpleasant side effects of drug-taking, and the tune
'Fairies Wear Boots' was Ozzy's not-so-complimentary opinion of the neo-Nazi's who confronted him; the second half of song's lyrics have nothing to do with the original intent of the song —as well as those confronting wider issues, such as the self-explanatory 'War Pigs' and 'Hand of Doom'.
Nuclear annihilation was addressed in later metal songs such as Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral", Iron Maiden's "2 Minutes to Midnight", Ozzy Osbourne's
"Killer of Giants", Megadeth's "Rust In Peace... Polaris", and Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire". Death is a predominant theme in heavy metal, routinely featuring in the lyrics of bands as otherwise widely different as Slayer and W.A.S.P. The more extreme forms of death metal and
grindcore tend to have aggressive and gory lyrics. Deriving from the genre's roots in blues music, sex is another important topic—a thread running from Led Zeppelin's suggestive lyrics to the more explicit references of glam and nu metal bands.
Romantic tragedy is a standard theme of gothic and doom metal, as well as of nu metal, where teenage
angst is another central topic. Heavy metal songs often feature outlandish, fantasy-inspired lyrics, lending them an escapist quality. Iron Maiden's songs, for instance, were frequently inspired by mythology, fiction, and poetry, such as Iron Maiden's
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner", based on the
Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem. Led Zeppelin lyrics often reference Lord of the Rings as well as other mythology and folklore, such as in the songs "The Battle of Evermore", "Immigrant Song", "Ramble On", "No Quarter", and "Achilles Last Stand". Other examples include Black Sabbath's "The Wizard", Megadeth's "The Conjuring" and "Five Magics", and Judas Priest's "Dreamer Deceiver".
Since the 1980s, with the rise of thrash metal and songs such as Metallica's "...And Justice for All" and Megadeth's "Peace Sells", more metal lyrics have included sociopolitical commentary. Genres such as melodic death metal, progressive metal, and black metal often explore philosophical themes. The thematic content of heavy metal has long been a target of criticism. According to Jon Pareles, "Heavy metal's main subject matter is simple and virtually universal. With
grunts,
moans and sub-literary lyrics, it celebrates...a party without limits. The bulk of the music is stylized and formulaic." Music critics have often
deemed metal lyrics juvenile and banal, and others have objected to what they see as advocacy of misogyny, or hatred of women and praise of the occult.
During the 1980s, the Parents Music Resource Center petitioned the U.S. Congress to regulate the popular music industry due to what the group
asserted were objectionable lyrics, particularly those in heavy metal songs. In 1990, Judas Priest was sued in an American court by the parents of two young men who had shot themselves five years earlier, allegedly after hearing the subliminal statement "do it" in a Priest song. While the case attracted a great deal of media attention, it was ultimately dismissed. In some predominantly Muslim countries, heavy metal has been officially denounced as a threat to traditional values. In countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, and Malaysia, there have been incidents of heavy metal musicians and fans being arrested and incarcerated.
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