Ozzy is gone, but heavy metal lives on, stronger than ever

So far this year, hard-rock streaming has been up more than 12% in the U.S., according to Luminate

- Katherine Sayre

Mark Kelehan grew up listening to Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss and Metallica. But he didn't add new bands to his rotation for 20 years as adult life kept him busy, including with four daughters.

Then, the 50-year-old executive heard the melodic voice of a Swedish rocker who dons the robes of a satanic pope for legions of fans. Aficionados of the heavy-metal band Ghost dress as demonic nuns and skeletal clergy and fill arenas around the world.

Metal was back. He was hooked.

"My four girls are Taylor Swift fans for sure, but it warms my parental and musical heart to hear them singing 'Satanized' along with me in the car on the way to school," Kelehan said.

Their family is part of a resurgence in heavy-metal fandom that has stormed a music industry more dominated in recent years by pop stars. Osbourne, the frontman of pioneering metal band Black Sabbath, gave his last performance earlier this month in a concert that served as a farewell. Sitting on a black throne, he sang in front of a crowd of tens of thousands in Birmingham, England. A lineup of metal bands—including the lead singer of Ghost—played in tribute.

Osbourne died about two weeks later, but heavy metal is stronger than ever.

Ghost's rise to the top ranks of global music, and its popularity among Gen Z listeners, is a testament to how the once-ironclad boundaries of musical genres are eroding in the age of streaming.

Younger listeners are streaming '90s metal bands like Korn and Slipknot who've gone back on tour in recent years. Middle-aged listeners have more money to spend on their high-school favorites.

Meanwhile, the walls around what is considered metal have fallen as bands blend thrashing guitars with sounds of R&B, pop and jazz.