Heavy metal has always received some negative public criticism for a variety of reasons.
Many bands have been accused of promoting Satanism, when in fact all of this is just a topic. As in other art forms, for example in cinema, the script may refer to demons, dystopias, bad or violent events, without implying that the participating artists promote or support something similar, the same can be said of music or any other artistic expression. The pioneers of Black Sabbath received negative comments, due to the occult elements in the stage presence of the concerts from the very beginning.Iron Maiden’s third album, The Number of the Beast, was also critically acclaimed. In fact, religious organizations have destroyed copies of the album, while the tour to promote the album has been marked by the interventions of many of them. Many black metal bands have also been accused of promoting Satanism. The Greek black metal band Rotting Christ has been confronted with religious groups in Brazil who asked not to perform in their country, which has happened many times in the past.
On several occasions, heavy metal bands have encountered problems due to the depictions of their album covers and t-shirts. Cannibal Corpse album covers have been banned in the past in many countries, and even today they face such problems in Germany. In June 2011, Cradle of Filth T-shirts were confiscated in New Zealand.