The answer is actually very short, simple, and straightforward: in fact there isn't all that much Satanist stuff in heavy metal, although it may seem so to the casual observer. But since such an answer is hardly satisfying, and would make for a very short chapter, let's modify the question a bit: “Why all that Satan stuff in heavy metal?” Now we’re getting somewhere. While outright “Satanist stuff” is not exactly prominent in Heavy Metal overall, there is no denying that Heavy Metal is deeply infused with references to Satan, demons, and occult lore of all sorts. However, those references take on many different forms, ranging from the overtly Satanic or occult by professedly occult and/or Satanic bands to the anti-Satanic and anti-occult by Christian metal bands, with most instances being far from either end of the spectrum.

Nonetheless, Heavy Metal is often regarded as inherently Satanic. There is no lack of materials on Youtube that decry the purported Satanic or occult nature of other genres of popular music, but in that case the focus is commonly on specific major artists. When it comes to Heavy Metal, it is more often indiscriminately denounced as a whole: meaning everyone and everything that can be in the least bit associated with Heavy Metal – artists, fans, and scenic institutions alike, with no regard for the diversity of its myriad subgenres. This has been the case pretty much since the genre emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s; but its precursors, blues and rock, were likewise condemned as the Devil's music and faced very similar accusations of engaging with the immoral, the Satanic, and the occult earlier in the twentieth century. For example, a supposed Faustian pact with the Devil has been posited both as an explanation for the extraordinary talent of legendary blues artist Robert Johnson (1911-1938) and as the cause of his untimely death. While the accusations are greatly exaggerated, and many are clearly born from the sordid imaginations of various moral crusaders, not all of them can be outright dismissed, and artists and fans cannot be held entirely blameless for the sinister reputation of Heavy Metal. No other musical genre is as steeped in references to the Devil and the occult as blues, rock, and Heavy Metal, in ascending order.

Although the study of Western esotericism is fairly new as an independent discipline, the question of what meaning “esotericism” holds has been the subject of much scholarly debate. Unfortunately, the meaning of “Western” has not been subjected to the same rigorous scrutiny. If “Western” is to be a defining term, as it can be expected to be in the study of Western esotericism, then it should be discussed thoroughly. The term may seem simple, but it is actually a tricky one to define in a way that makes it analytically useful. As with identities in general, “the West” as a region, “Western” as a quality and “Westerner” as a self-identity are often defined in relation to that which is conceived of as non-Western. In this, esotericists have been no different. However, whereas the “non-Western” is commonly depicted in a negative tone in order to present the “Western” in a good light (see Said 1979), esotericists have tended to adopt romanticized views of “the other”, or at least of certain aspects of “the other”. The prominence of this romanticizing tendency, combined with the near impossibility to demarcate “the West” from the “non-West” in any conclusive and satisfactory manner, suggests that “Western” is best approached as an internal, emic, category in esoteric discourse. Furthermore, in a late-modern globalizing world solid distinctions between “West” and “non-West” are becoming increasingly difficult and problematic to sustain.

“Esotericism” is often linked with “tradition”. References to “hidden” or “perennial” traditions abound on the emic level, and often enough esotericism has itself been conceived of as constituting a “tradition” traceable through history. These two general tendencies hide a web of interrelated questions, which can be probed from the perspectives of sociology and history. In the present chapter, we chart some of the most important of these, aiming at a comprehensive overview of the problems surrounding the notion of “tradition” in the field of esotericism and pointing at ways to deal with them.

Our approach is therefore synthetic, and ploughs through several layers of discussions. First, we discuss briefly the vague and problematic uses to which the term tradition is often put. This brings us to a discussion of attempts to operationalize the term in the context of sociology. We generally find that a lack of historical awareness is detrimental to sociological uses of “tradition”/”traditional”, although the more nuanced notion of “detraditionalization” and attendant processes does have some promise. After pointing out shortcomings of these conceptualizations of tradition, we turn to a critical constructivist approach emphasizing the inventedness of traditions.

From the very birth of sociology in the mid-nineteenth century, the eventual demise of religion was seen as inevitable. In recent times, however, increasing numbers of sociologists, social commentators and social theorists have come to describe the current state of Europe as “post-secular”. What is suggested is not a straightforward “return of religion”, but rather an awareness of the continued relevance of religion in secular societies, as well as changing perceptions of what actually counts as religion, what functions it may have and where it can be located. Quite naturally, the post-secular should be conceived of as having relevance for the esoteric as well. In fact, if looking at new arenas of religion (and I am thinking in particular of popular culture), we might even be witnessing a popularization of the esoteric that is unprecedented in Western religious history.

In this chapter I will be looking at secularization theory, and link it to recent discussions on the post-secular. I will then address, somewhat briefly and introductorily, potential transformations and further effects on the esoteric from both secularism and post-secularism. Finally, I will provide a few examples of the intersection of the secular, the post-secular and the esoteric on a particular genre of popular culture: science fiction film and television.

The academic study of Western esotericism is well into its second decade of professionalization and institutionalization. University departments and study programmes have been established, specialist book series and journals launched, academic societies founded, and several international conferences and panels are organized every year. In addition, scholars in other subdisciplines of religious studies are starting to take notice of the scholarship produced within the field. However, the religious studies scholars who are most likely to take an interest will also notice a striking gap in scholarship on the esoteric: very little research exists on contemporary phenomena. Several contemporary currents that can be regarded as historically and/or typologically related to esotericism have been the focus of scholars in other branches of religious studies. For example, sociologists of new religious movements have debated “New Age spiritualities” for decades, and “pagan studies” has in recent years emerged as its own religious studies subfield. Meanwhile, scholars working in the field of esotericism have (with a few notable exceptions) neglected such developments.

The neglect is largely due to the strong historiographical emphasis in previous research on Western esotericism. Although the professionalization of the field has largely come about within religious studies, major scholarly impulses have come from historians of ideas, historians of science, and historians of art – typically specializing in Renaissance and early modern European culture.