Needless to say, as far as heavy metal was concerned, none of the presumptions of the PMRC and its allies had any basis in reality -- least of all allegations of Black Sabbath practicing astral projection. The PMRC and its by-product businesses had taken on metal as the junk culture they saw presented on MTV, full of fake blood and exploding codpieces. All the while, a smarter new breed of bands was on the verge of making its commercial impact. Continuing the lyrical seriousness of classic heavy metal, the increasingly popular power metal bands were grazing on profound subjects, tackling the big themes of nuclear war, crime and punishment, and social injustice.

Previously Metallica had not shied from the demonic tendencies of heavy metal. Though the demo version of "Jump in the Fire" was a sexual boast, just before recording Kill 'Em All, the band changed the lyrics to the more brimstone-scented "Down in the depths of my fiery home‹the summons bell will chime." Furthermore, in a nice display of music company opportunism by the group's British label, Music for Nations, the UK release of this catchy single depicted a horned orange demon emerging from a wall of flames. While writing its second album in 1984, though the PMRC was still merely a proposal, Metallica was already eager to put distance between itself and devilish gimmicks...