The Crusades, also set to Heavy Metal

The subject of The Crusades came up in class this past week as a major change in Islamic-Christian relations during the medieval period. The Crusades were a major blot on the name of Christianity, as thousands upon thousands of people were massacred on both sides in the name of religion. Countless atrocities were committed throughout the bloody history of the Crusades, which planted the seed of mistrust between Muslims and Christians.

This view was also shared by the Power Metal band called Demons & Wizards, which was a side project of Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, two European Metal bands. One of their songs is called "Poor Man's Crusade" and it paints the Crusaders as misled individuals under the control of a deceiver. Yet it also accuses the Christian soldiers of mindless slaughter under the guise of "religious purification".

A few song lyrics stand out as relating directly to the discussion in class. The Pope that began the Crusades, Pope Urban II, is referenced in the song as: "He convinced us all. He is a gifted man, though he will slaughter in the name of Christ. Holy and bright, he's a devil in disguise. Protector of the cross, beware of the snake." As a man of the cloth, Pope Urban II should have proclaimed a message of peace, but instead, he deceived many Christians into joining a series of brutal wars.

Demons & Wizards also highlight the fact that the conquering Christians viewed the Muslim rule over Jerusalem as an insult to the birth place of their religion that could only be rectified by pagan deaths. The chorus explains this viewpoint through the following lyrics: "The Holy Land, home of our blessed lord, enslaved and stained by godless hands, they shall be damned. Jerusalem is waiting for you to rise once again, so we will slaughter in the name of Christ."

The last part of the song details the needless sacrifice and the bloodthirsty nature of the Christian soldiers in a senseless war. This set of lyrics also explains one of the strong motivators of the Christian soldiers. By joining the Crusades, the soldiers were deemed pure and free of sin, as long as they fought well in combat against the Muslims. This is shown as:"You'll shed your blood, Your bodies fall. That is the price you'll pay to cleanse you of your sins. Vicious and cruel, let's kill them all, let's kill them all. So we will slaughter in the name of Christ."

With such a violent meeting between two major religions, it seems inevitable that these events would have a lasting impact between Islam and Christianity. Muslims began to view the Christians as barbarians, while the Christians saw all Muslims as vile pagans. The Crusades would go on to influence other aspects of Europe and the Middle East, such as the movement of ideas and the spread of trade.

It seems that Blind Guardian has a recurring Christian theme in some of their songs. The singer is from Blind Guardian, so the vocals may sound similar to "Precious Jerusalem", the song from my previous post. It is the same Power Metal type of music as last week, so it shares the slower tempo and the epic story element.