This Father's Day, we honour 12 of metal's greatest patriarchs.
Ah, Father's Day, an annual celebration of paternal service and scrambled eggs with a little bit of orange juice spilled in them. Every year, millions take this day to honour the dads, grandads, and stepdads who have put in the gruelling work of dispensing corny jokes, giving hasty birds-and-bees talks, and reminding their kids to pay their damn estimated taxes.
Whether you're a metalhead dating a square, or you and your partner are both in league with Satan, you might be talking about having kids with your significant other. And while one might think of metal as not being a hotbed for model parenting, given its raucous, too-young-to-fall-in-love public persona, there are plenty of dads in metal. Not only that, but on social media they are especially dadded out – the photos are goofier, the lauding of their kids' accomplishments is cuter, and the trips to Walmart are more fruitful than anything your average patriarch could possibly imagine.
This Father's Day, we decided to honour some of metal's dads who most amaze us with their ability to both create extreme music and love the hell out of their families. Here are 12 of the most metal dads ever…
Yes, he screams about serial murder for blasphemous thrashers Slayer, but Tom Araya is one of the goofiest dads – and grandads – in metal. Every time he posts something online featuring his kids, you can almost hear him talking to them in some goofy tone of voice or asking who left this comic book on the living room floor. Meanwhile, no picture better sums up metal dad-dom than Tom screaming at the camera while his daughter looks on mortified.
You might know George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher as the tireless monolith behind Cannibal Corpse, but he’s also a super adorable dad. He’s always showing off his daughters and talking about how much he misses them on his Instagram. A perpetual reminder that you can bellow about the most brutal shit imaginable and still be just a good guy trying to raise your kids. MAKE THEM SUPPER!
For Metallica's Robert Trujillo, the foundation of family is also the foundation of most bands: bass! Rob is always posting pictures of his son, Tye, playing the same instrument as his dad (in one particular case, a bass given to him by Cliff Burton's family). Best of all is the raw, headbanging enthusiasm you can see on both father and son's faces as they play. Thrash is family!
You might notice that while Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour has been an author, actor, and jet-setting star over his career, the first thing he describes himself as on his Instagram profile is 'father'. His glowing love for his son is immediately apparent in every interview and photo we see of the two of them hanging out together. Someday, that boy’s going to inherit the coolest, smelliest trunk of masks imaginable.
Not only is former Machine Head guitarist and current Vio-Lence axman Phil Demmel a dad – he’s a grandfather. The dude is always proudly posting about his kids and his grandkids, whether they’re sporting his limited-edition gear or just being goofballs together. It’s always sweet to see the author of such vicious riffs with a big smile on his face.
Forget a game of catch – Soufly’s Max Cavalera takes the family out on tour with him! The guitarist and vocalist not only has his wife Gloria as his manager, but also tours with Incite, the band fronted by his son Richie. When father and son spoke to Kerrang! about the dynamic between them at the New York stop of their 2019 U.S. trek, Max said, “I think it’s great. It’s the true metal family spirit. Not fake metal family, a real metal family.”
Listen to the howling backwoods madness of Arkansas sludge godfather’s Rwake, you can hear the raging whirlpool of darkness at the heart of the state. But look at the Instagram of frontman Christopher 'CT' Terry, and you’ll see nonstop car rides and volleyball games with his daughters. One can only hope they didn’t want before they crawled!
Every dad is proud when their kids get into the family business. For Alice Cooper, that business just happens to involve face paint and combat boots! Alice’s daughter Calico is an actress and singer who has toured with the king of shock, playing a supporting role in his show. Also among the Cooper kids are son Dash and daughter Sonora, proving that wicked things really do come in threes.
When we spoke to Korn frontman Jonathan Davis for our Lazy Sunday feature, all the singer talked about was hanging with his kids. “Back in Bakersfield, me and my kids are working-class normal people,” said Jonathan. “It’s so much different from LA; I lived there for a long time, and I don’t want my kids around it.” That dedication to family over stardom is the sign of an excellent dad.
It kind of makes sense that Suicidal Tendencies and sometimes-Misfits drummer Dave Lombardo is a dad. The veteran sticksman has always come off as a hard-working but down-to-earth guy, ever since his early days founding Slayer. You can imagine how that ethos is also present in his love for his daughter Sophia. Who knew that Satan’s favourite band was such a family-friendly organisation?
Though technically not a metal musician, Sirius XM DJ Jose Mangin is a massively important figure within metal culture. On top of that, he is such a dad, constantly traveling with and posting pictures of his wife and two daughters. That a man raising two young girls can still sound like the most enthusiastic hesher at the drop of a hat is a testament to his tireless energy and love of the metalhead lifestyle.
As if we’d leave The Prince Of Darkness off of this list! The ultimate metal dad, Ozzy has made his family part of his show-business persona, as evidenced by his infamous reality TV show The Osbournes. And yet the love the Osbourne kids have for their father is palpable; you never get the sense that they think of him as anything other than the absolute best. And at the end of the day, that's all any father can ask for.
