11 Heated Times Metal Musicians Got Involved in Politics
Heavy Metal is not just a musical style. It’s closer to a way of life. Yes, the same flame that ignites the passion for music also pushes some metal lovers and rock stars to stand up for what they believe in.
Yes, metal musicians have often faced public opinion and taken more than one stand.
These are the 11 times metal musicians got involved in politics.
1. Marilyn Manson
After the tragic Columbine High School shootings, the image of Marilyn Manson became a target because the perpetrators often cited him as a role model. Manson, who’s no stranger to controversy or scandal, responded to these accusations in the media. But that’s not all, he also appeared in Michael Moore’s documentary explaining his position.
2. Freddy Lim
Taiwanese Death Metal band, Chthonic is led by a Parliament member. Freddy Lim, Chthonic’s singer is one of the loudest voices in Taiwan requesting independence from China. He makes sure his strong message is delivered on and off stage, for that he founded the New Power Party and was elected in 2017 and 2020.
3. Joey Keithley
Joey Keithley is Joey Shithead’s real name. It’s the one the leader of D.O.A., one of Canada’s hard-core originators, used to be elected for government. The year was 2018 and Joey was elected city councilor in Burnaby, British Columbia. He ran with the Burnaby Green Party.
4. System Of a Down
While the message in SOAD’s songs is notoriously political, the band took that a step further in 2015 when, after being out of the scene for years, decided to go on a reunion tour. It was a move to bring awareness to the Armenian Genocide. 2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the gruesome killing and the band saw a chance to shed a light on the event through their music.
5. Alice Cooper
This is not the description of a single event because Alice Cooper has been running for president since 1972. For example, his 2016 slogan was “I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing.” Who was his formula companion? Well, no other than Tom Hanks, but without him knowing anything about it.
2024 saw Alice Cooper touring Europe and it was during those shows that he announced his run for president again. According to the Washington Post, the same website for people voting for Alice Cooper for president sells concert tickets.
6. Dee Snider
If there’s one tall, unmistakable, flashy, memorable frontman from the eighties hair metal era, it’s Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider. But he wasn’t just a rockstar back in the mid-‘80s, he was also a loud voice against the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center). In case you don’t know them, they’re the ones behind the “Parental Advisory” label on the records.
In 1985, Snider testified in a Senate session. He wrote a speech and read it to a full room. The difference between the suit-and-tie audience and the big hair, cut-off jeans, and snake boots didn’t scare Dee off, who offered quite a performance.
7. Rage Against the Machine
In its 200 years of history, the New York Stock Exchange market had never stopped. Well, when RATM joined forces with controversial filmmaker Michael Moore to shoot the video for “Sleep Now In The Fire” they caused the building to shut down on a Tuesday afternoon.
That was the first time the market ever stopped.
They had been forbidden from playing in Wall Street by Rudy Guiliani (then-mayor) but the crew decided to do it anyway. The result was shot on camera and shown by MTV for years.
8. Danica Roem
Danica Roem, the vocalist of the melodic death metal band Cab Ride Home became a member of the Virginia Senate in 2024.
Danica, a strong advocate fighting for LGBT rights, became notorious in 2017 when she was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Being born and raised in Manassas, she took her first steps on a stage in the same place she took the steps toward the stand.
Her voice shines loud and proud in both scenarios.
9. Justin Brannan
The hard-core scene in New York has always been politically charged. Well, Justin Brannan, the illustrious riffmaster for Indecision and Most Precious Blood, who once spent his days jumping around busy and sweaty New York basements, became a member of Bay Ridge New York’s council in 2017.
10. Krist Novoselic
Former Nirvana bass player has been involved in politics since the first half of the 1990s. By the year 2004, he was close to running for Lieutenant Governor of Washington. He decided not to go with it close to the election.
But that’s not all, because in 2009 he went for the fictional party named The Grange Party as Wahkiakum County Clerk. He again backed out before the election, but it was as part of a protest against the election method in Washington.
11. Gylve Fenris Nagell
Darkthrone, the legendary Norwegian metal band is fronted by a gifted multi-instrumentalist, Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell. But he’s not just a metal musician, he’s also the reluctant winner of the 2016 local office election in his hometown. He participated in the election with a photo featuring his cat in which you could clearly read “Please don’t vote for me.”
His message didn’t quite have the effect he thought it would have and he won the election. He was the City Councilor from 2016 to 2020.
The Bottom End
The metal musicians on the above list went beyond their craft to pursue their passion. Moreover, some of these musicians stood for what they believed in fighting for their music as Dee Snider did or for their country’s freedom as Freddy Lim. Some even succeeded in the elections and are active members of their governments.
All of them stood for what they believed for the very same reasons they stepped on a stage for the first time. Metal isn’t just a music style, it’s a way of living; and these musicians are living proof of it.
Happy metal-blasting week!
