Subgenres form in a wide variety of ways, but one of the most effective methods is combining a larger genre with a separate form of art. Not every type of media pairs well with every other, but when creators find a combination that works, they stick with it. Look no further than the long iron-forged bond of metal and fantasy, known colloquially as Heavy Mithril.
There area lot of fantasy storiesthat fit into an annoyingly familiar mold. Despite the theoretically infinite possibilities implied by the name, a lot of people are sick of the elves, dwarves, and wizards. A little bit of heavy metal music can really spice up the swords and sorcery.
RELATED:The New Weird Subgenre, Explained
In 1969, the beloved English rock band Led Zeppelin released their second albumLed Zeppelin II. The third track on the record’s B-side was entitled “Ramble On.” The song is heavily inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien’s seminal classicThe Lord of the Rings. Zeppelin would go on to referenceLord of the Ringsseveral more times throughout later albums, using the text much like they used ancient European mythology in previous tracks. Tons of other rock bands of the era reached for Tolkien when writing their lyrics. Though this is one of the earliest examples of rock borrowing high fantasy elements, it isn’t technically metal. Those elements were properly combined as heavy metal evolved over the seventies. The true development of Heavy Mithril can be credited almost entirely to the efforts of one man, Ronnie James Dio.
In 1975, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left the band for the first time. Blackmore started a new project, simply entitled Rainbow. Blackmore’s Rainbow became something of a supergroup, but its initial lineup absorbed another hard rock band called Elf. Elf’s lead singer was Dio, who brought his love of fantasy to the newly formed act. Rainbow put out classics like “Stargazer” and “Kill the King.” In 1979, Dio became the vocalist of Black Sabbath,replacing Ozzy Osbourne. The first song he wrote with Sabbath was “Children of the Sea,” which began the new trend of more mystical tracks from the band. Dio’s career would continue to combine the burgeoning heavy metal world with classic fantasy. His influence can still be felt today in the entire power metal genre. Bands like Blind Guardian, Sabaton, and DragonForce still carry the torch today.
Heavy Mithril is a musical genre first and foremost, but its glorious aesthetic has madeits way into other art mediums. Unlike most fantasy subgenres, literature plays almost no part in Heavy Mithril. Instead, visual mediums own most of the best examples. The classic 1981 animated filmHeavy Metalripped off a little from a lot of different genres, but it plays with fantasy pretty frequently. Both “Taarna” and “Den” play out like extended Heavy Mithril music videos, playing with the tropes of the music and the media. The film is a bit of a mess, a mountain of random stuff piled up to get teenagers excited, but it’s still a lot of fun.
For a more recent example, the 2018 filmMandytakes a slightly different approach to combining fantasy and metal. Rather than mashing the tropes together or setting a classic heroic fantasy to a heavy soundtrack,Mandyrecontextualizes a classic sword and sorcery narrative into a more grounded setting. Theprotagonist is Nicolas Cageeffectively playing the modern Conan the Barbarian, the villain may as well be Saruman with a failed music career, and the story follows a simple revenge quest. It’s a dark fantasy set in 80s America, with a healthy metal soundtrack behind it all.
Good news for anyone who’d like to really immerse themselves in the world of Heavy Mithril, Tim Schafer made an entire game out of the subgenre. Double Fine’s 2009 classicBrutal Legendimagines a hack-and-slash real-time strategy odyssey, set in the Age of Metal. Jack Black,the objectively correct choice for the role, stars as dedicated metalhead roadie Eddie Riggs. Riggs is transported back in time to a mysterious and mystical period that is under siege by demons. He must teach the world the virtues of true metal to save the day. Half of the cast members are metal musicians, the soundtrack is exactly what one would imagine, and the entire landscape of the game consists of metal album covers. It’s the perfect distillation of Heavy Mithril anda long love letterto its entire history.
Something about the power of ax-wielding barbarians and lightning-infused wizards gels perfectly with the world of heavy metal. Maybe it’s because of thewayD&Devolved alongsidemetal into the satanic panic era. Maybe it’s because every hardcore metalhead is only one step removed from being a fantasy nerd. Maybe it’s just because both genres rule in exactly the same way. In any case, Heavy Mithril is the genre that delivers magic and metal in the way they were meant to be heard.
