What's blasphemous about it? Is it because they're admitting their desires are erotic and pleasure-chasing?

What's blasphemous about it? Is it because they're admitting their desires are erotic and pleasure-chasing? — Moliere

Not at all. Admitting that one's desires are erotic and pleasure-chasing is all fine and dandy in the world of heavy metal. What's not fine and dandy in that world is admitting that you're a sellout. The lyrics are quite explicit in that sense:

We're only here to have fun, get drunk
And make loads of money
Cos nothing else matters to me — Alestorm

This is the most blasphemous thing that a heavy metal musician can say. And, to add insult to injury (but true to their over-the-top antics), there's nothing metal about the attire that they purposely chose for the official music video. They're dressed like hooligans. In other words, they threw the entire Pirate Metal thing out the window for this song. Because this is what they're really all about: having fun, getting drunk, and making a lot of money. They don't give a shit about "the idea of metal", and they've made it quite clear that they don't give a shit about what their fans expect from them either. And that is far more metal (to my mind, at least) than all of the heavy metal bands that do give a shit.

Compare that song to (for example) Biohazard's song "Sellout"

In any case, it doesn't seem (to my mind, at least) that metal can be reduced to a sort of pseudo-Shakespearean dilemma, as if "to be a sellout, or not to be a sellout" were the only legitimate question here. Because there's something to be said about the pursuit and eventual mastery of a craft. Biohazard may not be sellouts, but they're not exactly masterful musicians either. And while metal can't be reduced to complex instrumentation either (I'm looking at you, Dragonforce), that doesn't necessarily mean that good instrumentalists are somehow soulless. Yngwie Malmsteen is the paradigmatic example here. Throughout his career, he was obsessed with playing the guitar to the same technical degree that Paganini played the violin. He used to practice hour after hour, all day, until his fingers were literally bleeding. And while no one is under the obligation to do the same thing, I don't think that this level of commitment to one's craft is something that can be glossed over. To Alestorm's point, Malmsteen could have composed more palatable songs just to make more money. To Biohazard's point, the fact that he didn't means that he never sold out.

Selling out isn't wrong per se. Having fun, getting drunk and making loads of money is fine. So is screaming half-naked "I'll never sell my soul" with a polluted bridge in the background. And, arguably, so is wanting to take the craft of musicianship to an unprecedented level.

Speaking of jazz and metal, here is Napalm Death as performed by NY arty jazz musicians. It blew my young mind when I heard it first.



The "technicality gap" mentioned by @Arcane Sandwich is evident. Ain't no metalheads playing this. They could play it note-for-note live:

Have you heard this one?



Napalm Death is fucking awesome BTW.

Lay down your souls to the gods' rock 'n roll.

"I'll take you to a place where we can find our roots."

Disturbed is my only favorite heavy metal band and Down with the Sickness is one of my favorite songs.

:up:

What about the "hate" though? — Metaphysician Undercover

Here's a song that talks about that:

They're from Canada.

Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists