Heavy metal musicians are not abrasive, fire-breathing, devil-worshippers, as many might have you believe – far from it. It has been proven though that some of the performers of extreme music are attracted to gambling as a hobby.
This is probably because the most famous track of the legendary heavy metal musician Lemmy Kilmister was dedicated to gambling, or because there has always been a relationship between the activity and a more dangerous, on the edge lifestyle. Whichever one it is, gambling is a thing in the life of most heavy metal musicians. In most of the metal songs, there are references to gambling, although it is not referred to positively. People like Megadeth and Iron Maiden all worked against the harmful effects of gambling, while Lemmy focused more on explaining the care free way that the seminal vocalist went on with his life.
In relation to all these, some of the slots offered in online casinos that you can play and possibly win money to fund your rock and roll life come with heavy metal themes. However, casino payment methods aside, there are free to play versions where you can enjoy the fun without making any real money wager online. Having established the very clear relationship between gambling and heavy metal music, let’s look at the biggest names in the industry that were also gambling enthusiasts.
Scott Ian (Anthrax)
This guitarist, vocalist, and the only living co-founder of the group, Scott Ian does not hide the fact that he loves poker games. He has made efforts to avoid his love for the game interfering in his work of writing and performing songs, but the arrival of online gambling made it easy for him to enjoy a few games when he is free. He stated that he has always been a lover of the games, but that the fire to dedicate more time and resources to it was sparked when he won the charity game hosted by VH1. Since then, he has taken part in 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker and the Aruba Poker classic. He is also said to gather some of his fellow heavy metal musicians to enjoy poker games at home, and the gathering was rumored to have people like Jerry Cantrell of Alice and Chains, the legendary Slash and Kirk Hammett of Metallica.
Sully Erna (Godsmack)
The Godsmack vocalist has also participated in many World Series of Poker events. When he appeared in the tournament in 2006 and 2007, he went home with a total of up to $62,000. He moved away from Godsmack and went solo in 2013 to build his own career and play more poker. He later itted that though he enjoyed some early huge wins, he later experienced a lot lost in the game. But when interviewed after coming back to poker, he posited that he has researched and is now prepared for a better second stint. However, since then, we’ve not heard that he enjoyed any big wins. He tattooed four burning aces with the inscription, ‘no justice’ on his back, in remembrance of how brutal the game can be. For him, this was inspired by one of his biggest losses, when his quad aces were crushed by a royal flush.
Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
He posited that he is the one to advise anyone who likes to gamble, and that the ultimate advice is that they will always win some and lose some, which is the same thing. He is actually among the metal musicians that love gambling. One of the songs by his group, Motorhead, is probably one that talks most about gambling, and this – Ace of Spades – is a legendary track that people will enjoy for decades.
Meanwhile, unlike the others that we’ve talked about, Lemmy does not love poker games. He prefers slots. News says that when he spent some time in London, he always visited the casinos spinning on the slot machines expecting to land the jackpot. Lemmy’s love for slots is not hidden, since he is always seen at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in LA spending time on the slots with a Jack and coke in hand.
Steve Albini (Shellac)
The alternative records producer, vocalist and guitarist of the Shellac group enjoys card games too. He is also a poker lover. While he is making time to work with the biggest alternative music players, he also reserves some time for poker variants. His face is always seen in the 4 World Series of Poker Seniors Championships, taking part in Seven Card Stud and Texas Hold’em no limit poker games. In the 2013 tournament, he finished 12th.
Live Boeree (Metalhead poker goddess!)
This 34 year old poker phenomenon from Britain is not known to have made great metal music and sold out albums, but she is a well-known lover of metal music. This girl, who is known as the Iron Maiden has some poker titles, a First Class Honors Degree in Physics with Astrophysics and a great iration for the darkest of noises. As a student in Manchester, she was the lead guitar player for the local metal music group, Dissonance. She also played for the Punky Nemhain in London. You may also check out her YouTube renditions of Children of Bodom’s “Kissing the Shadows” to be sure of her rightful inclusion on this list.
