11 Popular Metal Musicians Who Went to Jail
Lots of heavy metal musicians choose to live just as dangerously as their music sounds. Often those people go too far and commit crimes of tax evasion, domestic abuse, and sometimes even murder.
We here are MetalShout disagree with committing crimes of any sort, but these make for interesting and tragic stories, here’s a list of popular metal musicians who went to jail.
1. Varg Vikernes
The highly influential black metal band Burzum in the 90s he eventually found himself at the forefront of all Scandinavian black metal. of course eventually led to the murder of a fellow musician in 1994, Euronymous, the guitarist from Mayhem. Did I mention he also burned down a bunch of churches?
He was in prison for 16 years but upon his release in 2009, he got right back to it and his music career. He continues to be kind of a polarising figure. I wonder why, but I bet he’s a chill dude.
2. Tim Lambesis
For many of us of a certain age as I lay dying was one of the coolest bands to see live, especially if you were into medical core or Emo or post hard-core. Interestingly, when his career started to dwindle, he hired a hitman to murder his estranged wife.
Eventually, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison during which he conveniently underwent a spiritual transformation. He began to rebuild his career after expressing remorse for his actions, but who to say that remorse actually comes from a place of understanding, or if he just wants to be famous again?
3. Randy Blythe
The frontman for your best friend, favorite metal band, “Lamb of God”, was arrested in the Czech Republic in 2012. He was arrested on charges of manslaughter following the death of a fan. This unfortunately died during one of their concerts.
After a battle, he was equitably charged in return to the States, but his experience led to the album: “VII: Strum und Drang”.
4. Phil Spector
The legendary Wall of Sound inventor himself, mastermind producer Phil Spector. For working with the Beatles and the Ronettes, and with the Ramones in addition to many metal projects his life took a tragic turn.
In 2009, he was convicted of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison and died in 2021 while serving his sentence. I always remembered him as the guy who had the coolest hair in the world.
5. Jon Nödtveidt
Jon Nödtveidt In 1997, he was convicted of being an accessory to the murder of a homos****l man in Sweden and served several years in prison. He was of course founder and vocalist of the Swedish black metal band Dissection.
Nödtveidt’s involvement in the black metal scene brought him both acclaim and controversy. Following his release in 2004, Nödtveidt resurrected Dissection and released their final album “Reinkaos” before tragically taking his own life in 2006.
6. Gaahl (Kristian Espedal)
Kristian Espedal, widely known by his stage name Gaahl, gained notoriety as the lead vocalist of the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. Gaahl’s imposing stage presence and distinctive vocal style contributed to the band’s dark and aggressive sound. In 2006, Gaahl was sentenced to 14 months in prison for assault, stemming from an incident in which he and a friend tortured a man for several hours.
After serving his sentence, Gaahl continued his music career with various projects, including the band Gaahls Wyrd, while also exploring other artistic endeavors.
7. Otep Shamaya
Otep Shamaya rose to prominence as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the band Otep, known for their aggressive blend of nu-metal and alternative metal. In 2003, Shamaya made headlines when she was arrested for assault following an altercation with a fan at one of the band’s concerts. Call me old-fashioned, but I always liked it when lead singers didn’t punch people in the audience.
8. Lord Worm (Dan Greening)
Dan Greening, better known by his stage name Lord Worm, was the original vocalist for the Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy., Greening’s personal life was marked by legal troubles. In 1995, he was convicted of assault and served time in prison.
Despite his legal issues, Lord Worm remains a revered figure in the death metal community for his contributions to the genre. My personal feeling is that he’s important to the Canadian scene because of his incredible name. It is a genre full of incredible names. This one has got to take the cake.
9. Jef “Wrest” Whitehead
Jef Whitehead gained recognition as the mastermind behind the black metal project Leviathan. However, his personal life was overrun by legal issues. Not least of which includes charges of domestic violence.
In 2017, Whitehead was released from prison after serving prison time for the offenses. Domestic violence of surefire way to lose fans and tank your reputation.
10. Randy Rampage
Randy Rampage was a Canadian musician best known as the bassist for the thrash metal band Annihilator and the vocalist for the punk band D.O.A. Randy battled with addiction and legal issues, including multiple arrests for offenses such as assault and dr** possession.
11. Kevin “Nergal” Darski
Kevin Darski, known by his stage name Nergal, is the frontman and guitarist for the Polish extreme metal band Behemoth. In 2010, Darski faced legal troubles when he was charged with offending religious feelings after tearing up a Bible on stage during a concert in Poland. is it just me or does this seem quite late for someone to be upset about tearing up a Bible? Next thing you know they’re going to be upset when someone tears up a picture of the pope.
He was acquitted of the charges, but the incident sparked controversy and led to heated debates about freedom of expression in Poland and beyond.