Always dipping into the nostalgia of the '70s, '80s and '90s, Family Guy has always left plenty of room for heavy metal. KISS is practically a recurring character on the show, while random rock and metal stars are often depicted in Family Guy's cutaway gags.
Whether it's depicting artists like Ozzy Osbourne, exploring goth subculture or actually blasting death metal, here are the 10 most metal moments from one of TV's longest running animated series.
Lois Doesn't Know KISS
Lois is a poser?! In the Season Three episode "Road to Europe," Peter and Lois head out to KISS Stock, a five-night concert series headlined by the face-painted legends themselves. As KISS perform "Rock and Roll All Nite," they give the mic to Lois, but she doesn't know the song's iconic chorus. How embarrassing.
Meg Loves Death Metal
This is a newer addition, coming from the 2019 episode "Hefty Shades of Gray." After Peter and his friends try their hands at ghost hunting, the Family Guy patriarch gets locked in his basement and screams out for help. Everyone in the house is asleep, except for Meg, who happily ignores her father and puts on some death metal — Genocide District's "Immortality" to be specific.
Ozzy Gives Up Bats for Sandwiches
The Ozzy Osbourne bat-biting incident is as much a part of pop culture history as it is metal history. Family Guy put their own spin on the piece of Ozzy lore, flipping the extremity on its head by creating a perfectly normal alternative. At least Ozzy won't need any more rabies shots.
Chris' 'Evil' Band
Chris actually throws up the devil horns in this episode. In "Saving Private Brian," Chris starts a band called Splash Log, which is hugely influenced by goth and punk. Splash Log perform an original song called "Evil Monkey Song," based on Chris' freakish run-ins with the evil monkey who lives in his closet.
Angus Young's Outfit
In one of Family Guy's signature cutaway gags, AC/DC lead guitarist Angus Young does a duck walk across the stage in his iconic schoolboy outfit. But Family Guy poises the question — did Angus think he'd still be dressed for school into his 60s? It's an important question only surpassed by, "Does he get cold in that outfit?"
Tommy Lee
In one of Family Guy's dark humor moments, they bring up Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and his relationship with former wife Pam Anderson. Family Guy joked about Lee's assault charge against Anderson (which landed him a six-month jail sentence) and the story that he allegedly gave her Hepatitis C. Did the joke age well or is it not cool? It's your call.
Dr. Hartman Headbangs During Surgery
In this Season 12 episode, recurring character Dr. Hartman is performing surgery on Peter and his vestigial twin, which is growing out of his neck. Halfway through the surgery, Hartman lights up a cigarette in the OR (great bedside manner, doc) lets his glorious locks down and headbangs to Joan Jett. Could've been more metal, but handbanging is headbanging.
David Lee Roth Punching Bag
Why punch a Dave Matthews punching bag when you can zibbity-zabbity-zoobity bop a David Lee Roth punching bag? I dunno, Family Guy gets pretty fucking random sometimes. It's one of the jokes that the guys from South Park would gnash their teeth to, but Family Guy die-hards can't get enough of.
Goth Chris Beats Up Quagmire
From the same episode as Splash Log and the "Evil Monkey Song," Chris' new love for heavy music turns him into a goth. Dressed in all black with Mötley Crüe hair and eyeliner, Chris randomly beats the hell out of Quagmire on his front lawn before stealing his car. Must've been inspired by that rampant wave of goth-on-normie violence in the mid-2000s.
Death
Death is one of Family Guy's all-time great characters, thanks to the iconic and dearly departed Norm Macdonald. Norm's deadpan voice acting made Death legendary in the Family Guy universe, so please enjoy this supercut of the Reaper's finest moments. Rest easy, Norm.
