Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

Metal is usually thought of as a very serious style of music - some even consider it threatening or evil. Some styles of metal are highly technical and require a high level of musical talent. However, there are a handful of metal bands, some of which have highly talented players, who are able to have fun with their music and make us laugh.

A few of the more well-known bands are Spinal Tap (who is releasing a new album soon), Gwar, Tenacious D, Green Jelly, Dethklok (death metal), Dragonforce (power metal), and Scatterbrain. Parody and tribute bands exist in nearly every major city. New York boasts King Hell, a comical metal band who manages to sound somewhat like Glenn Danzig channeled through 80's rock. Los Angeles has Metal Skool/Steel Panther, which has a strong and established following. All of these bands feature talented musicians who bring humor into their lyrics and stage shows. You can still party and bang your head, but you'll be laughing your head off too.

You could say that Spinal Tap started it all. Back in 1984, at the height of the hair metal boom, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest , all Saturday Night Live alumni, made a mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap", about a fake metal band. What made this movie so hilarious, and brilliant, was that it satirized all the main elements of being in a metal band (loud music, playing shows, women, partying, band conflicts, etc.). These are things that many bands take to such serious extremes. Even though they are not a "real" band, Spinal Tap's albums have sold well, and they became part of heavy metal history. The band is working on a new album and tour in 2009 - proof of their continued popularity. It's interesting that their reunion comes during the time when old-school metal is regaining its popularity and respect.

Death metal is often considered a frightening, dark style of metal. These are the "Satanist" bands who are suspected of devil worship, animal sacrifices, etc. Their vocal style is one of two types, "cookie monster" (deep growling) or high-pitched screaming. Yet even death metal has its own parody band - Dethklok. Dethklok doesn't actually exist as a "real" band - they're a virtual band featured in the Adult Swim TV program "Metalocalypse". Again, this band takes the normal aspects of metal and turns them into comedy. Dethklok has enjoyed huge success, and they've released two albums. They actually sound pretty good too.

The comical band Gwar is probably best known for its insane live shows. Gwar's members wear elaborate science fiction costumes. Their lyrics, band member names, and general content of their shows are raunchy. Gwar incorporates science fiction and fantasy, horror, mythology, and even political elements into their shows. Stage shows are another aspect of metal that has often gone over the top. Big stage sets, silly props, dressed-up characters, glammed-up costumes and makeup, and wild antics on stage have all been part of the metal scene.

And then there's Anvil. Anvil appears, at first glance, to be a "new" parody-type band - only the big joke here is that they're actually a REAL metal band that has been around since the early '80's. Anvil's new documentary movie is due out this month. It's fun to see a real band, who has doggedly pursued their rock and roll dream throughout the last three decades, finally making their mark. I can't wait to see their movie. Maybe non-metalheads would see two guys in their '50's plugging away as metal musicians as something pitiful, but I think they're great. Go Anvil! In a way that's also part of the humor - most "serious" metal musicians grow old ungracefully, but Anvil holds true to who they are. An Anvil/Spinal Tap tour would be awesome.

Some of these parody bands (especially Spinal Tap and Gwar) have been around for decades, surviving even when the "real" metal bands were out of favor. Why do they make us laugh? I think it's because they take the "serious" aspects of being a rock star and make fun of them. The excesses of rock stars, and their arrogant attitudes, have offended many fans. Any time something is taken to an extreme there must be a counterbalance. Metal, especially hair metal, got way out of hand in the late '80's and early '90's as the stars overdosed on their own success. It's no wonder that grunge arrived only a few years later.

Even metalheads have a sense of humor - I'm glad that Spinal Tap, Anvil, and the others have stuck around to keep us laughing, even as we rock out.