Though Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons, and other fantasy stories and games are popular now, becoming a part of mainstream pop culture, they weren't considered that way before. They were either thought of as the domain of geeks or worse, as symbols of occultism and witchcraft. Which is probably why many heavy metal bands used elements from them as inspiration for their music, logos, and even band names.
Desert rock pioneers Kyuss took their name from a Dungeons & Dragons monster; one-man black metal band Isengard’s logo was swiped directly from the Middle-earth Role Playing game; and, decades before Stranger Things, there were a host of groups named after the ultimate D&D baddie, the Demogorgon.
Metal and table-top role-playing games have shared influences since their beginnings. To this day there remain a handful of bands who proudly proclaim their love of RPGs, and plenty more who have been inspired by them, one way or another.
-via Daily Grail
(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)