In a recent interview with Ethan Dometrius of the 107.3 The Eagle radio station, James ‘J.Y.’ Young addressed the claims from the 1980s that labeled Styx’s ‘Snowblind’ as ‘satanic.’ He said:
“We got pushed in there because Styx, in Greek mythology, is the river that runs through Hades, so were we devil worshippers? I think that in some of the far right-wing mindset, that kind of pasted us there.”
Commenting on the controversy surrounding the band in those years, the guitarist went on:
“But we have so many uplifting songs, how anyone could have accused us of that seems a little crazy to me. But someone was on a rampage, and then it made news, headlines for a brief period of time, and then it’s been gone ever since.”
Band Members’ Response To The Claims
Anti-rock activists in the 1980s claimed that ‘Snowblind’ contained secret backward messages promoting Satanism. The Parents Music Resource Center targeted Styx’s music for that reason, while Young publicly dismissed the idea by saying:
“It’s a hoax. The whole idea of backward satanic messages is just a bunch of rubbish. At least in relation to Styx — we have never done anything with satanic messages.”
Other band members supported the guitarist, as Dennis DeYoung told In The Studio:
“We have enough trouble making these records sound right forward. People have nothing better to do. It’s the name STYX. Can you imagine attacking the guys who made ‘Babe?’ I mean, please.”
The Result Of The Controversy
The issue reached a legislative peak in February 1983 when Arkansas passed a law requiring albums with backward masking to be labeled. This law mentioned albums by various artists, including Styx, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Queen.
Young criticized the decision and responded to the accusations with a song called ‘Heavy Metal Poisoning’ in 1983. This song included backward masking on purpose, using a Latin version of the inscription on the Great Seal of the United States.
