Cthulhu Mythos in Heavy Metal | H. P.

Lovecraft

26.11.2023

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. And the oldest and strongest fear is the

fear of the unknown."

- H.P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American writer best known for his contributions
of
to the horror genre, especially the subgenre cosmic horror, also known as Lovecraftian horror.
the reader
This genre doesn’t horrify with killers and ghosts, instead it revolves around the

themes of ancient and powerful cosmic entities that exist beyond the understanding of humanity,

risks associated with scientific discoveries, the fragility of the human mind, and the

insignificance of humanity in the face of the vast, indifferent universe. What it really works on is
pretty quite
our fear of not knowing. After all, we tend to think that we are important as a
a
species, and it’s part of our nature to search for meaning in everything. Most of Lovecraft's

characters eventually encounter forbidden knowledge that challenges their understanding of

reality, leading to their madness.

Lovecraft created a fictional universe known as the Cthulhu Mythos, which encompasses the

shared elements, characters, settings and themes found in his works. It includes a pantheon of

cosmic deities, such as Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Yog-Sothoth. These entities are iconic figures

in the horror genre. While he was not widely recognized during his lifetime, his work gained
works of
posthumous acclaim and inspired a lot of literature, movies, music and other forms of

art.

One of the most important The primary musical genre s in music that keeps his work alive is

heavy metal. As a matter of fact, the connection between Lovecraft and heavy metal is so deep

that the online H.P. Lovecraft Archive has an entire section dedicated to Lovecraft’s influence on
will
music, which mostly includes heavy metal songs. In my paper, I discuss Lovecraft’s

influence on music, with a specific focus on the shared themes and philosophical underpinnings
will why of is being
that connect Lovecraft's cosmic horror with heavy metal. I analyze the reason it
 one of the most suitable genres for exploring Lovecraftian themes, and suggest that certain

strands of heavy metal music share a common understanding of existential dread, fragility of life,

fascination with the unknown and ambivalence towards immortality.

Heavy metal, with its diverse subgenres, has proven to be one of the most convenient genres to

express the themes associated with Lovecraftian horror and existential philosophy. Several

aspects, both musically and thematically, make it a fitting medium for exploring cosmic,

existential, and otherworldly concepts. This genre is known for its intense and aggressive sound,

often characterized by distorted guitars, powerful drumming, and guttural vocals. This intensity

perfectly aligns with the nature of Lovecraftian horror. Certain subgenres of heavy metal, such as

black metal and death metal, are explicitly dedicated to exploring dark, occult, and cosmic

themes. These subgenres, in particular, provide a specific thematic palette that complements

Lovecraftian concepts.

Another reason can be that heavy metal has often been associated with a sense of community

among those who identify with its themes. The subculture's status as an outsider in mainstream

music culture aligns with Lovecraft's portrayal of individuals discovering forbidden truths and

existing on the fringes of conventional society. This shared sense of otherness fosters a

connection between the themes of Lovecraft's works and the metal community. “I know always

that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.” (The

Outsider, 1926).

Lovecraft's portrayal of existential dread and the fragility of sanity often aligns with heavy

metal's exploration of the delicate nature of human existence. One example is "Beyond the Wall

of Sleep" (1919), a short story written by H.P. Lovecraft which has a number of adaptations in
music. The plot revolves around a criminally insane mental institution patient, who has recurring

dreams. A doctor becomes fascinated by his case, decides to conduct experiments and learns that

the hallucinations are actually messages from an aura of light that is using his body to transmit

them. The narrative blends psychological elements with cosmic themes, creating a dreamlike and

unsettling atmosphere. Black Sabbath's "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (1970), released on their self-

titled album, shares its title with Lovecraft's short story, but the lyrics of the song do not directly

mirror the narrative of Lovecraft's work. Instead, the song's lyrics were inspired by Black

Sabbath's bassist Geezer Butler’s dream. On the other hand, ”Pyre” (2011) by Opeth has a lot of

references to this work. The line “Familiar voices speak behind the wall of sleep.” is a nod to the

story, and the line "What you've been seeing is not all what it seems." references the wild

hallucinations that the patient was having.

Perhaps the best known Lovecraftian heavy metal music is Metallica’s “The Call of Ktulu,” the

instrumental from their second album “Ride the Lightning” (1984). “The Call of Ktulu” has

mysterious wind sound-effects at the opening, haunting bass parts, intensive guitar solos, and a

powerful closing. And this is not even the only song by Metallica that paid tribute to Lovecraft.

In their album “Master of Puppets" (1986) they included the track “The Thing That Should Not

Be,” a Lovecraftian song about creatures lurking in the deep.

"The Dunwich Horror" (1929), one of Lovecraft's horror novellas, also influenced some heavy

metal works. The tale revolves around the Whateley family and their dark rituals. Electric

Wizard, a doom metal band, pays direct homage to Lovecraft with their track "The Dunwich

Horror" on their album "Witchcult Today" (2007). The lyrics seem to be speaking directly to the

son of Yog-Sothoth, a cosmic deity who was born to allow its father into our dimension. The
song captures the eerie, occult, and cosmic aspects of the original story atmosphere, combining

heavy riffs and slow tempos to create a sense of dread.

The album “Lemuria and Sirius B” (2004) by Therion included a lovecraftian song called “Call

of Dagon”. The origins of this come from Lovecraft’s Story “Dagon”. This one has an almost

progressive rock-like ballad structure. It has strong symphonic textures, operatic female singing,

and sounds extremely powerful.

Morbid Angel is a death metal band that has a lot of references to Lovecraft, too. Their

“Formulas Fatal to Flesh” (1998) album includes several songs with Lovecraftian themes. The

first song is “Heaving Earth”, which makes mention of “Chthhuhlhu”. “Prayer of Hatred” opens

with the following Lovecraftian lines: “Blessed be the ones / The most ancient ones / Blessed be

the ones / Who were here before and after remain….” While their “Disturbance in the Great

Slumber” is an instrumental piece, it seems to reference the Mythos by its title. This is a creepy

and dark piece.

Symphonic metal SepticFlesh’s “Lovecraft’s Death” (2008) serves as a musical anthology of the

late author’s works as it references many of his stories such as “The Music of Erich

Zann”(1922), “The Hound”(1924), “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” and many others.

The album “The Music of Erich Zann”(1988) by Mekong Delta seems to be a concept album that

shares its name with one of Lovecraft’s stories. The plot of the story revolves around a musician

who is intensely focused on creating bizarre and mesmerizing music that seems to tap into

unknown forces. The music in this album is intriguing, chaotic and sometimes symphonic, which

feels a lot like what Erich Zann could have created.

There are countless examples of heavy metal songs and albums inspired by Lovecraft. Overall,

Lovecraft's influence on heavy metal is multifaceted, encompassing thematic, aesthetic, and

intellectual aspects. In my opinion, he was able to capture that state of fear that all of us have

experienced when our worldview was shattered by a frightening reality. It feels like heavy metal

musicians understand the core of his worldview in many ways and translate it into music that is

suitably dark. Lovecraft’s appeal to musicians could also be the intense atmosphere he created in

his stories, and the way he describes the otherworldly. His vivid and disturbing imagery provides

a rich source of inspiration. Therefore, the love affair between Lovecraftian themes and the

sounds of heavy metal creates a unique and compelling blend.

References

● Smith, D. G. (2015). H.P. Lovecraft in Popular Culture: The Works and Their Adaptations in
Film, Television, Comics, Music and Games. McFarland & Company.
https://books.google.am/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=BHWuBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=h+p+lovecraft+music&ots=qbZaJN
XIv_&sig=dFQS_J0tgAiAkpUq1xCg-TK9SJQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=h%20p
%20lovecraft%20music&f=false (25-26).
● Hill, G. (2006). The Strange Sound of Cthulhu: Music Inspired by the Writings of H. P.
Lovecraft. https://books.google.am/books?
id=ZyFoBl6M6LEC&pg=PA69&hl=hy&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false
(Chapter 5). I used this source to get some examples of works of music. If you can’t find a
mentioned work in this chapter then I just knew about that work and added it to my paper.
● The H.P. Lovecraft Archive. (n.d.). www.hplovecraft.com. I used this Archive for finding works
of music, too
● Carl Hinckley Sederholm, & Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock. (2016). The age of Lovecraft. University
Of Minnesota Press. (Chapter 10) (PDF attached)