Dallying with danger, transcending the Rubicon: metal extremo, islamismo, o inefável e o indizível.

The musical genre designated as "metal", contrary to most popular music genres, highlights religious phenomena within its discourse. Controversy, opposition, and transgression of social norms are entangled in its narrative since its inception. Despite its relatively long history, it had until recently received little attention from social scientists. In this article, we analyze the symbolic context of songs from three subgenres - thrash, death, and black metal - that deal with an unusual subject matter: Islam. We argue that, through a specific attitude regarding the autonomy of the artistic field, the deep, derisive, and scathing critiques of social, political, and religious structures reflect public discourse, becoming an emblematic case for various cultural tensions in contemporary society, as it converges against expectations both from the left and from the right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]