Is a band really metal if its lyrics and iconography don't feature dragons, Frodo, vikings, hellhounds or other creatures and places of Western European lore and mythology? A recent post from one of our esteemed colleagues here at Top 40 Music Sucks criticizes RUSH's lyrics on the grounds that they include such phantasms. But, in defense of Rush and the sacred devil horns, it seems that this is one of the defining elements of Metal -- from Immigrant Song, to Ironman, to Rime of the Ancient Mariner, to By-Tor and the Snow Dog, to Slayer's and Dio's and Maiden's album covers . . . it's elemental. Right?
