Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture
Loudwire’s Katy Irizary explains that the “cover-art alone… is very Dante-esque.” A dragon, which Irizary claims “could be a representation of the centaur Cacus who has a fire breathing dragon in Canto 25.”
Lionheart describes meeting Ulysses in Hell with the lyrics ““Drown Ulysses / Drown here in the silence / Cause down to Hades I’ve gone / But I cannot get out.”
Read the full Loudwire article here.
Anthrax’s “Medusa” is featured on their album ‘Among the Living.’
The song includes the lyrics “Endless curse, blood runs cold / Evil stare, will turn your flesh to stone / Land of doom, world of sin / All subside, don’t venture near / The island where she lives / Oh, she’ll suck you in,”
These lyrics reference the fallen angels, including Medusa, who deny Dante and Virgil entry into the city of Dis in Canto VIII.
Read more about the song in the Loudwire article by Katy Irizarry, 11 Metal Songs Inspired by Dante’s Inferno.
The Dantes were a British style garage band in 1960s Columbus, Ohio.
“If you were a mid Ohio teen in the 60s, the Dantes were your house band. They were top draws at all the teen clubs and opened for many national touring acts. This Columbus combo started as a British styled garage band, picking up strong shots of the Byrds and Rolling Stones. A Dantes gig would include a whole set of all Stones, done as well as five Ohio boys could deliver. They recorded three 45s. The first, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” was written by rhythm guitarist Lynn Wehr and exploded over the mid-Ohio airwaves in the spring of 1966. The B-side, the bluesy instrumental “80-96”, was originally titled “8-69” but this suggestive title was changed by the record company. The Dantes scored again with their second release “Under My Thumb” to accentuate their Stones devotions. Lead guitarist Dave Workman left the band to pursue blues (harbingered on “80-96”), and has lead the Dave Workman Blues Band since (he now resides in San Francisco). The band released one more 45 in 1967 (a cover of the Stones “Connection”) and continued until 1968.” –buckeyebeat.com
“Many metal musicians have incorporated Dante’s nine circle’ template and epic storytelling style into their own music. This list examines some of the best songs that pay homage to one of the greatest poems of all time, ‘Dante’s Inferno.'” –Katy Irizarry, Loudwire, August 15, 2018
The Loudwire piece lists 11 metal songs inspired by Dante, including “Medusa” by Anthrax, “Lion Heart” by Blind Guardian, and “Demon’s Gate” by Candlemass.
Read the article here.
Hexperos’ 2020 release, “Midway Upon the Journey of Our Life” draws inspiration from Canto I of the Inferno.
“‘Midway upon the journey of our life, we could found ourselves within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.’ Never there was a sentence more apt to describe the disturbance we all feel at some point of our lives, when we feel lost, empty and we don’t know if the road that we have chosen, the journey of life undertaken, is actually the right one for us.
“The songs are stories of life, of sharing as well as in the Divine Comedy. As a matter of fact, who is in pain, often makes new encounters, shares their stories, through sharing and listening to the experiences of others we grow, we find a light in the darkness.” [. . .] — Alessandra Santovito, Hexperos
Listen to the song here.
Learn more about Hexperos on their website, here.
Album art by Nicolás Menay
