Heavy metal. It is a musical label that evokes different responses in different people. Some see it as relentless noise, music that encourages Satan worship and suicide. Others believe it is a valid form of musical expression that combines electrical guitar and drums with substantial lyrics.

Whichever side of the fence you stand on, there are certainly misconceptions that must be addressed.

First and foremost among these is that heavy metal is a dying musical form. “That is definitely not true,” Matt Thomas said. Thomas has been listening to heavy metal for nearly 12 years, two-thirds of his life.

“There are plenty of popular bands out right now that were once labeled as heavy metal, Metallica, White Zombie, Corrosion of Conformity and Ministry to name a few,” Thomas said. “Now, it seems these artists want to shed the heavy metal label in favor of alternative, industrial or rock and roll.”

Johnny Kelly, drummer for the heavy metal act Type O Negative, certainly echoes these sentiments.

“People just have a thing for heavy metal, a negative mind set. It’s just not a cool label to use anymore,” he said. “But heavy metal still has its roots everywhere, it seems as if everyone was influenced by Black Sabbath or Kiss.”

Type O Negative is certainly not susceptible to the demise in heavy metal. Its newest release, October Rust, mixes heavy metal riffs with gothic sentimentalism. Lead singer, Peter Steele, was once a member of Carnivore, a sensational death metal group from New York City.

Heavy metal can trace its roots clear back to the ’60s with the advent of such groups as Black Sabbath, Kiss, Steppenwolf and Deep Purple.

Black Sabbath, in particular, presented itself as messiah of gloom and doom, introducing dark rhythms with sensationalistic imagery of witchcraft and Satanism. It was an image from which heavy metal has been hard-pressed to evolve.

“The problem with heavy metal has always been that people have associated it with Satanism,” Ross Palmer, a long-time supporter of heavy metal said.

“Groups like Slayer thrive on presenting themselves as blood-thirsty Satanists who would rather murder and greet demons than conform to Christianity and morals.

Then there are the performers like Marilyn Manson, Gwar and Alice Cooper who thrive on shock value. These people stage executions, have sexual interactions with animals and allude to cannibalism, on stage,” he said.

These sensationalistic performances are the basis for congressional hearings on these artists. Leaders such as Bob Dole moan about the corrosion of our society without ever having listened to the music in question.

“There seems to be a huge contradiction within our government,” Palmer says. “They say they prize freedom of speech, yet take it away whenever something comes along that challenges their religious and moral beliefs.

“A perfect example of this occurred when Body Count’s ‘Cop Killer’ was released. The CD was out for almost a year before the riots in Los Angeles, and then all of a sudden it becomes a target. What ultimately happened was that Ice-T’s freedom of speech was compromised to provide a scape-goat for the rioting.”

The same problem occurred when several suicides arose involving teenagers who happened to listen to heavy metal music.

“Music is not a big influence over whether somebody chooses to end their life or not,” Thomas said. “What it all comes down to is pain, suffering and feelings of dejection, not some kid listening to Slayer scream ‘There is no hell south of heaven.'”

Thomas also adamantly believes that moshing is a valid form of dancing at concerts.

“There is always a slight chance that somebody might get hurt, but that same risk is there every time you cross the street,” he said.

“What it all trickles down to is whether the establishment a heavy metal group is playing in wants to be responsible in its regulation. I mean, what’s worse, letting someone listen to a concert for three hours sitting in a chair banging their head or allowing them to mosh?

“After the concert, those people who were simply sitting are going to want to vent some of their energy. If they had been moshing in the first place, then they wouldn’t have the energy left to go out and destroy things,” he said.

Moshing, or lack thereof, along with the history of heavy metal, will be displayed tonight when Metallica returns to Iowa for the second time this year.