From the very conception of heavy metal, supernatural and occult influences have been woven into the music of countless bands. Some use these themes to embed spiritual thought into their work, like the ritualistic Satanic duo Twin Temple, while others employ them for metaphorical and creative purposes.
For Mötley Crüe, their flirtation with the dark side was primarily artistic. Nevertheless, they faced a wave of backlash from religious groups and concerned parents following the release of their 1983 second album, Shout at the Devil. This album, steeped in ‘sinful’ lyrical themes and emblazoned with a large pentagram on its cover, originally had an even more provocative title: Shout with the Devil. The name and imagery alarmed many who feared the band was inviting “evil” forces to collaborate with them.
Nikki Sixx, the band’s bassist, was fascinated with dark imagery, which fit well with the era’s Satanic Panic. He saw the concept of evil as a metaphor for resisting authority. Specifically, Sixx used it to express his disdain for President Ronald Wilson Reagan, whom he viewed as the true epitome of corruption. He pointed out that each part of Reagan’s name contained six letters, forming the number 666.
In Mötley Crüe’s 2001 memoir The Dirt, Sixx explained, “He was the devil I wanted everybody to shout at.”
Tom Zutaut, the A&R rep who signed Mötley Crüe to Elektra/Asylum Records, was particularly troubled by the album’s occult angle. “It was upsetting to the label, and it was upsetting to me,” Zutaut explained in the book, recounting how Sixx had tried to downplay the imagery by saying, “It just looks cool. It’s meaningless symbols and shit. I’m just doing it to piss people off. It’s not like I worship Satan or something.”
Despite Sixx’s assurances, Zutaut remained unconvinced, especially after experiencing strange occurrences at Sixx’s house, which allegedly exhibited regular poltergeist activity. One incident, in particular, “freaked” Zutaut out so much that he feared for Sixx’s life. He claimed to have witnessed a knife and fork rise off the table and stick into the ceiling during a visit to Sixx’s home, which he shared with Lita Ford at the time.
Zutaut recalled in the book, “I looked at Nikki and freaked out, saying, ‘There is no more Shout with the Devil. If you keep shouting with the devil, you’re going to get killed.'”
Zutaut believed that Sixx had unknowingly tapped into something evil and dangerous. “Nikki must have realized the same thing because he decided on his own to change the album title to Shout at the Devil.”
In a 1984 interview, Sixx explained why listeners should not be concerned over the album’s title, providing further clarity on the name change. “We tell these religious fanatics: ‘Read this: ‘Shout at the Devil,'” he said, presenting the cover. “It doesn’t say ‘Shout with the Devil’—’at the devil.'”
Singer Vince Neil added, “And that’s why we put the pentagram right on the front. A lot of things, if you stand in the middle of it, the evil can’t get in to you.”