Topic: MUSIK - on May 1, 2004 at 7:51:00 PM CEST
Heavy metal umlaut
A heavy metal umlaut is an umlaut (not to be confused with a diaeresis, the name given to the same symbol when used on the second of two vowels to show that both are pronounced) over some of the letters in the names of a heavy metal band. The names of bands such as Motörhead, Mötley Crüe and the Blue Öyster Cult led to journalist and author Steve Almond coining the term "spandex and umlaut circuit" in 2002 to describe the heavy metal touring scene. Needless to say, this makes the names sound very silly to people who know how to pronounce these letters, like Scandinavians and German speakers. The use of umlauts is often in concert with using Blackletter types (or more often Pseudo-Blackletter) in band logos, to give it a more Gothic feel.
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