Back to the front page
Strange History

40 Facts about the Church of Satan

Anton Szandor LaVey - Church of Satan

11. Though rock and metal bands from Black Sabbath onwards associated themselves with Satanism, LaVey actually loathed the genres

Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album from 1970. Amazon

LaVey’s influence on 1960s popular culture also extended to music. Many rock bands, such as Black Sabbath (above), adopted creepy symbolism and wrote songs about Satanism to give them a distinctive image and broad appeal to audiences. Most however were not serious about their affiliation with the Dark Lord, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin being a notable exception, and the type of Satanism they claimed to endorse had very little to do with LaVey’s Church beyond aesthetics. Despite the extra publicity these bands brought him, LaVey was outspoken on his dislike of rock music and his preference for classical composers.

Written by

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk

Keep reading

Advertisement