Over the past year alone, thanks to the likes of Stranger Things and other media, more folks are now discovering the wonder that is heavy metal. It’s interesting how, besides metal being awesome, a big factor that can contribute to drawing fans into the genre is who is championing the music.
And this idea got us thinking about the metal ambassadors of the world – specifically, celebrities who vocalize their love for the genre and who introduce non-metal listeners to the music.
With that in mind, from actors to wrestlers and indie musicians, here are 10 awesome heavy metal ambassadors.
Nicolas Cage
As one of the greatest actors working in movies today, it’s incredibly cool to hear Nicolas Cage talk about his passion for heavy metal. In particular, Cage has spoken about how much he enjoys black metal and has mentioned how a couple of metal vocalists have influenced his acting.
Triple H
Triple H, a WWE superstar, is a notable figure in the world of professional wrestling, and his connection to metal music only adds to his icon status. Triple H has not only used Motörhead‘s “The Game” as his entrance music, but he has consistently brought heavy metal to WWE. When he was in charge of the brand’s developmental arm NXT, he brought in Code Orange, Poppy, and more to perform at their events. With his impressive achievements both in and out of the ring, Triple H’s influence on the metal scene and wrestling world remains undeniable.
Richard Christy
Along with having been a drummer in Death, Richard Christy is also well known for his work on The Howard Stern Show. At one point in his career, Christy hosted his own metal show called Richard Christy’s Heavy Metal Hoedown.
Rhea Ripley
Another WWE superstar makes the list of awesome metal ambassadors – that being Rhea Ripley. Ripley has been vocal about her love for bands like Suicide Silence and Black Veil Brides; more recently, Motionless In White vocalist Chris Motionless provided vocals to her entrance song “Demon In Your Dreams” (which made Ripley very happy).
Vera Farmiga
Along with Vera Farmiga being an incredible actor, she’s also one hell of a metalhead. When not working on movies, the actor performs with a band and will sometimes cover metal songs. Recently, she and her band performed the Slipknot song “Duality” (you can watch her performance below).
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John Darnielle
John Darnielle is one of the coolest people around. Along with being the mastermind behind the Mountain Goats and being an incredible writer, Darnielle is also a hardcore metalhead. While he loves different kinds of metal, Darnielle has shared that his bread and butter happens to be death metal. Hell, the guy has written a book about Black Sabbath and recently wrote metal music with Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta for the TV show Poker Face.
Willow
Along with Willow incorporating elements of metal into her music, the rocker has also been open about her passion for the genre. In the past, Willow has shoutout Lamb of God and Deftones as some personal favorite bands, even sharing that she’d love to collab with Chino Moreno.
Brendon Small
This is an interesting one for sure because while many folks know Brendon Small as the creator of Metalocalypse, he also does much of the work in creating the actual music for Dethklok. When it comes to metal media outside of music, Small has done so much to raise awareness of the art form.
Jack Black
However, another celebrity who has done much to elevate awareness of metal outside of music is actor and rocker Jack Black. Most noticeably, Black’s movie Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny is one of the most iconic heavy metal movies ever made (and has done much to introduce folks to metal).
Margot Robbie
During a somewhat recent interview, Barbie and Suicide Squad actor Margot Robbie revealed that she is a big fan of Slipknot. When questioned about her metal fandom on The Graham Norton Show, she defended her taste in metal and spoke about some awesome interactions she has had with Slipknot fans.