13 Unexpected Places Where Metal Music Has Appeared

Soundtracks—whether for a movie, show, game, or commercial—grab our attention and keep us engaged. Sometimes, however, the song choices surprise us. Take, for instance, a metal song appearing in an episode of How I Met Your Mother or in an ad for an online casino with the lowest playthrough deposit options. It’s shocking, and for metal fans, it’s usually an exciting experience to hear one of our favorite genres breaking into the mainstream.

Whether you’re curious about where metal songs have wound up in pop culture or want to relive the thrill of hearing metal music unexpectedly while going about daily life, here’s a roundup of the most unexpected places metal music has been used—some might truly shock you.

Movies & TV Shows

Movies and TV shows use music to add to the story, so it’s not surprising to find a mishmash of different genres and styles of music within them. That said, it can still be surprising when metal music is used. Some of the most surprising and wildly enjoyable movie and TV moments featuring metal songs include the following:

Iron Man

The movie Iron Man was filled with a catalog of classic rock anthems, but the addition of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” to Tony Stark revealing he was, in fact, Iron Man at the conclusion of the movie was the perfect pick to punctuate the moment.

Thor: Ragnarok

Iron Man may have been one of the first Marvel movies to incorporate metal music into its soundtrack, but it has not been the only one. Thor: Ragnarok delivered Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” at a pivotal moment in the film, perfectly complementing the strength and fury of the God of Thunder’s actions with intense guitar riffs and an epic sound.

Thor: Love & Thunder

It seems the addition of a metal song in Thor: Ragnarok proved to be a successful pairing because the next Thor movie, Thor: Love & Thunder, unleashed yet another metal song at a key moment. When Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” plays during an epic battle scene, it makes for an unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable addition to the soundtrack.

Shrek the Third

The third installment of the Shrek movies had a fun little twist. As Shrek and the Disney princesses take action to thwart Prince Charming and his group of villains, Snow White unleashes metal vocals from Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” to help the heroes win their battle.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Jim Carrey films of the ‘90s were known to deliver goofy eccentricity from the comedian, but Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’s addition of a death metal mosh pit to the tunes of Cannibal Corpse wasn’t expected whatsoever. It was, however, an enjoyable moment of entertainment and has led many to believe Carrey is a devoted metalhead.

Zombieland

Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” opened the Zombieland movie with plenty of gore and slow-motion action. This set the audience up for the film’s over-the-top style, which was sheer entertainment amid the zombie craze taking over popular media.

How I Met Your Mother

As the main character, Ted, relays the very long story of meeting his children’s mother in the series How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM), a few noteworthy and unexpected songs are unveiled. One of these is when the group finds out Robin Scherbatsky was a Canadian pop star and “Let’s Go to the Mall” is introduced. However, one instance of song introductions that fans didn’t see coming was when The Foreskins song “Murder Train” was released on the show. The song has had a lasting impact on HIMYM and metal fans alike.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

With the show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, people either loved it, hated it, or had never heard of it. Whichever camp you fall into, you’ll likely appreciate how the show worked in a metal song to its typically non-metal series. The show’s main characters surprise a family with a home makeover in an unexpected and terrifying way that feels more like a kidnapping than kindness, set to the Literally Illiterate song “Get Out.” It was certainly a noteworthy moment in the show.

Video Games

The right music enhances the gameplay experience, and in these two video games, the addition of metal was nothing short of an unexpected delight.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The GTA series is known for having epic soundtracks. Within the songs of the San Andreas edition of the game series, the sound of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Hellraiser” adds to the thrill of gameplay by playing on its fictional radio station, Radio X, as you drive around.

Tony Hawk: Pro Skater 2

Anthrax and Public Enemy’s cover of “Bring the Noise” was central to the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 game. It set the tone for perfecting tricks and gaming to your heart’s content. While rock and music with an edge were expected to help set the tone, the impact of this metal-pairing cover wasn’t—but it sure was appreciated.

Commercials

The right song for an ad captures attention and engages people in the product, service, or brand. Songs are often carefully chosen for a specific impact, whether to engage fans of the genre or shock people into attention. These companies used both these factors in their campaigns, leading to unexpected metal music during commercial breaks.

Gatorade

The sports drink brand Gatorade took advantage of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” to promote their product in 2014, alongside the star power of baseball star Bryce Harper.

Fiber One

When you think of fiber, you might not think of metal music, but the brand Fiber One saw an opportunity and went for it. The company played the Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” to promote its Fiber One bar, and it achieved its attention-grabbing objective.

Kia

Many car commercials have come and gone, but few have used metal songs to highlight their latest car model. However, in 2012, Kia used Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart” to capture our attention—and pulled it off perfectly.

Conclusion

Whether you’re playing video games or watching movies with your kids, always keep an ear out for a metal masterpiece—because you never know where metal music might appear.