Death Metal & Screamoslipknot,cradle of filth, korn <- are all nice hard rock bands (except Filth, which is a fine death metal band).

Actually satanic bands include such fine examples Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor, Gorgoroth, Behemoth, and Tiamat; among many others. Check out the subgenre "black metal" (which is, by definition, satanic).

Cradle of Filth, Death Metal? Yeah... I don't think so.

Most bands professing to be Satanists do it only for show - there is no real belief. Which is why bands such as Slayer, Emperor, et. al. dropped the motif completely.

The first band to actually release an album devoted to the occult was an Acid Rock band from the United States called Coven, with their 1969 album, Witchcraft Destroys Souls and Reaps Minds. UK Prog Rock band Black Widow followed closely on their heels with their debut album, Sacrifice. At the time of these releases (and for some time afterwards) you didn't see Satanic philosophy in Heavy Metal - the bands actually tended to manifest a fear of the occult and dark forces (Black Sabbath's lyrics, and those of true Doom Metal bands who followed in their footsteps are a great example of this). You didn't really see it in Metal until the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, when bands like Venom came into the fold. As with most "Satanic" bands, their lyrics were for show - for the sake of being "extreme" - rather than for any real belief. In the wake of the NWoBHM, a Swiss band by the name of Hellhammer released their "Satanic" album, Apocalyptic Raids. However, after recording in Germany, where they found themselves mocked by the much more professional German bands, they ditched the Satanic motifs, and reformed as Celtic Frost. Thrash Metal followed suit, notably with acts such as Slayer, who also did it for show. During this time period, you also began to see bands which were the precursors to the aforementioned Black Metal - Bathory (who were also a precursor to European Death Metal) and Mercyful Fate. In America, the band Possessed released what is often to be considered the first Death Metal album - Seven Churches. Also utilizing the Satanic motifs, they kicked off the distinct wave of American Death Metal, from which many South American/South American migrants to the US bands would take their cues from - Sarcafago, Incubus (now named Opprobrium in order to avoid confusion with the Alt. Rock band of the same name), and Sepultura (who were a much different band in the late 80s than what they are now), among others.

Meanwhile, Death Metal bands in Scandinavia began looking for a new extreme to market. Starting with a member of Mayhem, and engulfing already existing bands such as Old Funeral and Darkthrone, the new wave of Black Metal professed to believe what bands of the past (namely, Venom and Bathory -who, by this time, had dropped Satanism in favor of Odinism) had only pretended to believe. But, in spite of their statements, and even their actions, it ultimately turned out to be a marketing scheme, again with no real belief behind it.

Some bands and their members do align with the occult outside of the music business. King Diamond - responsible for Mercyful Fate and his own solo project) is a member of Anton Lavey's Church of Satan and a devout believer in Laveyan Satanism (itself an object of scorn amongst Black Metal musicians and their fans, who profess to believe in a more Medieval form of Satanism). Cradle of Filth do have occult affiliations outside of the music industry. But, for most "Satanic" bands, they simply do it for show.

Resources

Top Categories

Product

Company