For decades, metal has been stigmatized (by outsiders) as dangerous and immoral, with the people who create it being chastised for their presumed wickedness. Naturally, the more extreme and transgressive their work seems to be, the more misunderstood and maligned they are, too.    

Of course, virtually all their aggressiveness and debauchery are just for show, with countless creators being really good folks behind the scenes and beyond their artistic personas.

Actually, tons of them are highly intelligent, relatable, and altruistic, doing their part to improve the world by spreading messages of equality, donating to charities, fighting injustices, and the like. In fact, there are dozens of metal musicians who’d do wonders for the country if they became politicians at the local, state, or federal level (including if they became POTUS).

With that in mind – and since 2024 is an election year – here are 10 metal musicians that’d be worthy of your vote if they ever ran for office. We’re not saying that they’re perfect people, but they’ve done enough to prove that they might just do the right thing and make a difference.

George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher

Cannibal Corpse are known for having violent, sexual, and all-around explicit album covers/names, song titles, and lyrics. (For example, there’s “I Cum Blood” and “Entrails Ripped from a Virgin’s Cunt” from 1992’s Tomb of the Mutilated). Therefore, you might think that frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher – who joined the band in 1995 – would be one of the last celebrities you’d want in charge of America.

Yet, Fisher’s proven time and time to again to be a remarkably humble, friendly and empathetic person, especially when it comes to playing arcade games to win plushies (which he then donates to hospitals and charities) and helping individuals through tough times.

I mean, he sounds like a great candidate to us!

Devin Townsend

The Canadian master of progressive metal (among many other styles), Devin Townsend’s first decade as a professional creator (between 1995 and 2005 or so) included its fair share of vulgar songwriting, wild on-stage antics, substance abuse, and other less-than-presidential tendencies.

However, he’s also been an incredibly honest and uplifting person in terms of reflecting on his past (and present) struggles while spreading words of peace, unity, introspection, growth, and all sorts of other life-affirming ideals.

In that sense, he’s as much a spiritual guru as anything else (especially since 2007), and it’s far too rare to have a politician who’s as upfront about their strengths and weaknesses as they are unrelentingly compassionate to everyone they meet. 

Mark Tremonti

Say what you will about vocalist/guitarist Mark Tremonti’s musical endeavors – Tremonti, Alter Bridge, Creed, etc. – but you can’t deny that the man has a heart of gold. Why? Well, just look at his work supporting charities and spreading awareness about Down syndrome.

Largely inspired by his daughter Stella’s diagnosis, Tremonti released Tremonti Sings Sinatra, a 14-song covers album of ‘Ol Blue Eyes’ classics made with the help of surviving members of Sinatra’s band. All proceeds went to the National Down Syndrome society, and he even started his own organization – Take a Chance for Charity – which he calls “the start of a new purpose that I will have for the rest of my life.”

Obviously, Tremonti Sings Sinatra is just the beginning of his philanthropy, and it’d be great to have someone so benevolent in the government.

Lzzy Hale

Halestorm co-founder Lzzy Hale is one of modern rock and metal’s biggest badasses, and not just because of her alluringly raucous music. Rather, it’s because of how outspoken and intimate she can be regarding her advocacy of mental health/positivity, women’s rights, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

In particular, she’s been quite open in recent years about personal subjects such as “growing up [bisexual] in a semi Christian household” and wrestling with the fairly common (yet still stigmatized) difficulties of anxiety, impostor syndrome, and depression. Clearly, she’d be there for everyone who could relate, and you know that she would go toe-to-toe with any legislator who opposes her helpful policies and speeches.

Corey Taylor

Admittedly, fans were less than happy with how Slipknot handled the firing of drummer Jay Weinberg late last year. That said, we’d still vote frontman Corey Taylor into office due to his unpretentious personality and, more importantly, his willingness to discuss and advocate for mental health and sobriety.

In the last year alone, Taylor has confessed to suffering “a complete and utter breakdown of boundaries, mental health, ego, entitlement, the whole nine yards, culminating in a very, very real, very near relapse.” He’s specifically spoken about using alcohol to deal with modern hardships and childhood trauma, too, as well as “the numbness” that comes from manic depression.  

He’s already received feedback from fans who say that his frankness gives them “the courage to kind of open up about it” and reach out to those they “care about” to heal. Throw in his work with The Taylor Foundation (whose missions is to help “all veterans and first responders” who’re battling PTSD “find connection and healing through . . . local partnerships”) and he’s undoubtedly a man of the people.

David Draiman

Disturbed singer David Draiman is among the most sympathetic figures in rock and metal. That’s true not only because he’s promoted unity and women’s rights, but also because he’s brought attention to how difficult it can be for Americans to get help for depression and related diagnoses:

My biggest critique of the status quo is that we don’t have enough support. A phone number isn’t enough — it’s not. . . . So finding help, when you finally get to the point where you’re crying out for it, should be easier to get. . . . You get to the point where you’re vulnerable enough that you’re desperate and you need help. . . . I ended up going to one therapist . . . and she ended up telling me she didn’t have enough time to cure me and pawns me off on to three other therapists that didn’t have enough time to cure me. It shouldn’t be that hard. . . . It shouldn’t be as much of a business as it is.

At the time, Draiman was recounting how he was at his “low point” and trying to find support following the death of his dog, Gabriel. “I’m in this house all alone, and my son isn’t with me, and I’m divorced, and I’m not feeling well. . . . I reach out and I tried to get help, and it was un-fucking-believably frustrating,” he added.

Plus, fans connected with him over down-to-earth situations such as his quests to find his dog and find love online, so he’s endearingly relatable in multiple ways.

Serj Tankian

Given how much he’s written and spoken about political biases, societal discriminations, historical tragedies, and the like (such as with Armenian Genocide of 1915 and the Iraq War), it’s fair to say that System of a Down’s Serj Tankian is dedicated to seeking justice and recognition for victims of all walks of life.

He’s never faltered from that stance, either, as he’s recently fired back at Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds for playing a show in Azerbaijan during what’s been labeled “the second Armenian genocide” due to (as Tankian puts it) the country’s dictatorship enacting “ethnic cleaning.” Last year, he posted a video about the Azerbaijan situation, too.

Granted, he’s said that he’s fine losing fans over his left-leaning politics and activism (so it’s guaranteed that certain citizens would disagree with his leadership). That said, he’d get our vote.

Tom Morello

As guitarist Tom Morello rightly suggested back in 2022, fans who’re newly surprised by Rage Against the Machine’s stances on governmental and public issues “weren’t intelligent enough to know what the music that you were listening to all these years was about.” He added that his music has always been “written against” things such as white supremacy and fascism, and unsurprisingly, he’s been one of the music industry’s biggest critics of Trumpism.

Back in 2022, he and his former bandmates even issued a statement promising to “fight against any attempts to restrict or control reproductive freedoms,” adding: “Criminalizing access to abortion will only add to the suffering disproportionately felt by poor, BIPOC and undocumented communities.” Earlier this year, he called upon metalheads to “get their shit together” to ensure that they’re on the right side of history, too.

Keep talking, Tom. We’re definitely listening.  

Robert Trujillo

On a less controversial and divisive note – and whether individually or with his bandmates –Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has routinely given back to the world.

For instance, he helped feed thousands of people during the pioneering thrash quartet’s annual “Day of Service” event at various food banks, commenting in 2019:

[It’s] a special day. . . . Through All Within My Hands, which is our foundation, we decided that we would start to really wave the banner for the food banks. Every show that we do, we donate a certain amount of money to the food bands and to homeless shelters around the world.

Beyond that, he’s obviously been involved in Metallica’s community-themed MasterClass and their Metallica Scholars Initiative (which assists students in getting the training they need for a variety of careers). They’ve donated a lot of money to aid people experiencing homelessness as well, and combined, all of these endeavors paint Trujillo as a man who appreciates what he has and wants others to do as well as they can.

Alissa White-Gluz

The Arch Enemy singer may growl like the devil, but she’s clearly got a pure and compassionate soul. Why? Well, for starters, she’s a devoted animal rights activist who’s even said that she prioritizes her altruism as much as – if not more than – her music career. In July of 2023, she told the Bleeding Metal podcast (via Blabbermouth):

“[Activism’s] really what drives me forward . . . hoping that in some way, my existence on this planet can make it a little bit better . . . You can actually still have all the things you wanna have in life – everything that you like; your food, your makeup, your whatever – you can still have all those things without involving animals as at all.”

She also leads a straightedge lifestyle, and she told Metal Hammer in 2018 that although seeing “stupid, violent acts being committed” in the name of religion makes her “blood boil,” she’s also “really respectful” toward “really good people” who just happen to “have religion for themselves” to “guide their spirituality and philosophy” and/or “comfort their emotions.”

Those are just a few of the reasons we think she’d kick ass in the government. While there’s always the risk of someone pushing their beliefs onto others, we also get the sense that Alissa would spread her messages yet ultimately leave people alone (rather than, say, outright criminalize the consumption of meat and alcohol).