Having said that, one genre of music that has always loved exploring the theme in its darkest and gloomiest of details is that of Metal. And metalheads reading this article would agree at once. Metal music deals with the bleakness of life, traverses through themes of life, death and life beyond death. It is more like a philosophy! Things that are too gothic and grave to talk about in pop music are always taken up by these musicians. And on a similar note, in this article, we shall delve into the details of how metal music has resorted to gambling as a theme in more than just one occasion. Metalheads can, thus, rejoice!
We shall start the list with one of the best metal songs of all time, Train of Consequences by Megadeth. Megadeth minces no words here. Gambling, when allowed to spiral out of control, can lead to a train of consequences, and that is where the song finds its inspiration and its name. The song tries to get the message across that uncontrolled gambling can lead to disaster, and it does a pretty good job at that. Music or any kind of art is supposed to hold a mirror up to the society, and Megadeth accomplishes the same with the song.
Motorhead’s Ace of Spades
We have already mentioned this song at the beginning of the article. The song perhaps is the most popular one that you will find when it comes to metal music about gambling. It speaks of the risks involved in gambling and how these very risks seem appealing and interesting to a man. The man in the song is in need of the ace of spades and shall stop at nothing to get to that. Ace of Spades is one such song that stands popular not just in terms of gambling, but also has an overall heavy metal song. It has been used in online casinos in the USA, in their video slot games, and gambling enthusiasts love the use of the song in the games.
Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water
Here is another heavy metal song about gambling that we need to talk about lest our list shall remain incomplete. And the history behind the making of this song is what makes it all the more interesting. The song was written and composed in response to a concert by Frank Zappa which took place on the grounds where a casino burnt down to a crisp. The incident was quite harrowing and the band Deep Purple had witnessed the burning down of the casino from across Lake Geneva, and that left a lasting impact on them.
This is the last song that we have on our list, and a very popular one at that Iron Maiden is a heavy metal band that even the amateur metalheads have heard about. They have dealt with pressing issues of the time with gusto and fearlessness and gambling just happens to be one of them. The song talks about a man who is trying hard to break ties from his nasty habit of compulsive gambling, but is unable to do so, as he keeps finding himself lured by the siren call of the casinos and ends up in a continuous vicious loop.
The Final Note on Metal and Gambling
Heavy metal is a genre of music that can be said to be nothing less than a philosophy. It deals with the raging issues of the time and uses music as an expression of artistic rebellion. The songs about metal music that we have in this genre try to say that there is nothing wrong in indulging in gambling, but not being able to control the habit can lead to disasters.