History Main / HorribleHistoryMetal

* Music/{{Skyclad}} has "Think Back And Lie Of England" reminding about unglamorous moments as a jab at PoliticallyCorrectHistory.

* Music/CivilWar was formed by several former members of Music/{{Sabaton}} and continues its parent band's tradition of historical themes, though their lyrics are usually more abstracted than Sabaton's. They named themselves after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar and pattern their stage costumes after Union and Confederate uniforms, and named their first three albums after the Shaaras' novel trilogy about the war. They've also written other tunes such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFFZPOWeOdE "Tombstone"]], about the Showdown at the O.K. Corral from Doc Holliday's perspective.

* Sea chanty band ''The Longest Johns'' has "[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T_5PHU7vQu4 Fire and Flame,]]" about the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion Halifax Explosion]], an industrial accident that levelled a city when two ammunition haulers collided.

* Music/RadioTapok has made {{cover version}}s of a number of historically based metal songs. His original releases include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw0jQBLbhLU "Battle for Moscow"]], about the Red Army's [[YouShallNotPass all-out defense]] against the Axis at the gates of Moscow in 1941, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx_7s5hx_0E "Tsushima"]], about the 1905 Battle of Tsushima, which decided the UsefulNotes/RussoJapaneseWar in Japan's favor.

Note that to fit this trope, the lyrics have to be about a specific historical event. Metal that just evokes the imagery of a more loosely defined historical setting (e.g. [[Music/AmonAmarth Viking]] [[Music/{{Ensiferum}} Metal]] or [[Music/RunningWild Pirate]] [[Music/{{Alestorm}} Metal]]) is not this trope -- that's more of a PeriodPiece. Also note that if the historical events in question were current ''when the song was written'', then that's RippedFromTheHeadlines instead (thus, the Music/DeadKennedys' "HolidayInCambodia" wouldn't be Horrible History PunkRock).

* Music/{{Nile}} covers plenty of events throughout Egyptian history. On top of that, they hold nothing back in regards to discussing the sheer brutality behined a lot of it.

* German blackened death metal band Music/{{Kanonenfieber}} is basically a band about UsefulNotes/WW1, much like Ukranian blackened death-doomers Music/{{1914}}

* German blackened death metal band Music/{{Kanonenfieber}} is basically a band about UsefulNotes/WW1, much like Ukranian blackened death-doomers Music/1914

* German blackened death metal band Music/{{Kanonenfieber}} is basically a band about WW1, much like Ukranian blackened death-doomers Music/{{1914}}

* Music/AdInfinitum's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ugq3ZBNEIM "Marching on Versailles"]] is about the start of the UsefulNotes/FrenchRevolution in 1789, when rioters stormed Versailles palace.

Note that to fit this trope, the lyrics have to be about a specific historical event. Metal that just evokes the imagery of a more loosely defined historical setting (e.g. [[Music/AmonAmarth Viking Metal]] or [[Music/{{Alestorm}} Pirate Metal]]) is not this trope -- that's more of a PeriodPiece. Also note that if the historical events in question were current ''when the song was written'', then that's RippedFromTheHeadlines instead (thus, the Music/DeadKennedys' "HolidayInCambodia" wouldn't be Horrible History PunkRock).

* Music/RunningWild has "Calico Jack" about the famous pirate, and "Ballad of William Kidd" and "Adventure Galley", about William Kidd and his CoolBoat.
* Music/{{Sabaton}} ''is'' this trope. Nine out of every ten songs are about history, to the point the band has fully embraced it. (That last one out of ten is HeavyMeta.) Their name is a type of armor, the band frequently wears camouflage onstage, and their drummer plays on ''a freaking tank.'' They also have a weekly Youtube series devoted to the history behind their songs.

** "Ausgebombt", "Bombenhagel" and [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets "Stalinorgel"]] about UsefulNotes/WorldWarII

* "Brown Sugar" by Music/TheRollingStones is about the rape of female slaves in the antebellum DeepSouth.

-->-- '''WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows'''[[labelnote:*]]He expected a straight example of this trope when reviewing the witchcraft themed rock band Coven; [[SubvertedTrope he ended up getting]] [[BlackSheepHit an allegorical folk song instead.]][[/labelnote]]

So you're writing a HeavyMetal song. You've got a few good riffs and chord progressions down, but now you need lyrics. You don't want to write about [[RockMeAsmodeus Satan]], [[FilkSong existing works of fiction]], [[HeavyMithril elves and orcs]], or even about [[HeavyMeta metal itself]]... so what ''do'' you write about? Well, history, of course!

* Sea chanty band ''The Longest Johns'' has "Fire and Flame," about the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion Halifax Explosion]], an industrial accident that levelled a city when two ammunition haulers collided.

* Indie singer/songwriter and anarchist Music/DavidRovics has multiple songs about historic events, including "The Battle of Blair Mountain" about ExactlyWhatSaysOnTheTin, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain The Battle of Blair Mountain]]: the largest labour uprising in United States history and the largest armed uprising since UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar[[note]]And how many Americans have even heard of it?[[/note]].

* Indie singer/songwriter and anarchist Music/DavidRovics has multiple songs about historic events, including "The Battle of Blair Mountain" about ExactlyWhatSaysOnTheTin, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain The Battle of Blair Mountain]]: the largest labour uprising in United States history and the largest armed uprising since UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar[[note]]And how many Americans have even heard of it?[[/note].

* Indie singer/songwriter and anarchist Music/DavidRovics has multiple songs about historic events, including "The Battle of Blair Mountain" about ExactlyWhatItWhatSaysOnTheTin, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain The Battle of Blair Mountain]]: the largest labour uprising in United States history and the largest armed uprising since UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar[[note]]And how many Americans have even heard of it?[[/note].

* Music/EricBogle's most famous song "...And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is about the Gallipoli campaign in UsefulNotes/WordWarI. A number of his other songs are about specific historic events: most often in one of the World Wars.

-->-- '''WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows'''[[labelnote:*]]He expected a straight example of this trope when reviewing the witchcraft themed metal band Coven; [[SubvertedTrope he ended up getting]] [[BlackSheepHit an allegorical folk song instead.]][[/labelnote]]

* While Music/AmonAmarth's songs about Vikings usually fall under the PeriodPice mentioned above, the album ''Berserker'' has a few songs about specific historical events and figures of the UsefulNotes/VikingAge: "Raven's Flight" is about the Great Heathen Army and the destruction it spread across England, "Ironside" is about the semi-legendary king of Sweden Björn Ironside and "Berserker at the Stamford Bridge" tells the tale of the epic LastStand of the legendary lone berserker at the battle of the Stamford bridge in 1066.