There's a lot that can be said about Metallica's 1986 classic Master Of Puppets, from praise of its musicianship and forward-thinking writing to its iconic cover art and impact on the metal world. It can also be said that it helped Jackass star Steve-O chill out his hormones as a teenager.
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Steve-O said he (like the rest of us) was an angsty ball of raging hormones as a teenager and that the brutality of Master Of Puppets really helped him tone it down.
"That was a moment in time that was riddled with angst for me. I remember trying to cope with hormones and being overpowered by urges to have sex and shit like that, and all the angst that came with puberty and sexual desire was really alleviated by the brutality of Master Of Puppets."
See? Metal does help you relax! Though we already sort of knew that thanks to a 2019 study by Cardiff Metropolitan University lecturer Nick Perham, whose research showed exactly that.
"Despite the often violent lyrical content in some heavy metal songs, recently published research has shown that fans do not become sensitised to violence, which casts doubt on the previously assumed negative effects of long-term exposure to such music," said Perham at the time.
"Indeed, studies have shown long-terms fans were happier in their youth and better adjusted in middle age compared to their non-fan counterparts. Another finding that fans who were made angry and then listened to heavy metal music did not increase their anger but increased their positive emotions suggests that listening to extreme music represents a healthy and functional way of processing anger."
Oh, and in case you were wondering what album pumps Steve-O up before doing any shows or appearances, it's Deicide's 1990 self-titled. "'Sacrificial Suicide' is the track that gets me the most pumped up," said Steve-O. "It tunes me in with reckless abandon."
