In the days following the deadly shooting spree in Dayton, Ohio that left nine people dead, details about suspected gunman Conner Betts’ passion for violent, satanic music is coming to light.

According to the Independent, Betts, 24, was a member of “pornogrind” heavy metal band that sang about extreme violence against women. Artwork on the band’s album covers depict highly graphic, sexualized bloody violence against women. The band often performed naked wearing only Santa Claus hats or executioner hoods.

For those who have never heard of it, pornogrind is a subgenre of Death Metal, which is an extreme version of heavy metal music. This music contains lyrics that are solely about death, pain and suffering. They also invoke extreme violence and gore, Satanism and occultism. The music has a distinctive sound with very aggressive and powerful drumming and deep growling vocals.

Pornogrind, has a similar sound but with lyrics dealing with sexual and pornographic themes such as rape, necrophilia, and misogyny.

For Betts, this choice of music surprised no one who knew him. He was well-known among friends and classmates for his penchant for violence. In high school, he was suspended for creating a “hit list” of female students that he wanted to rape and murder and he openly described himself on social media as being a supporter of socialism and Satan. Even some of his band members were disturbed by the way he would speak about the violent lyrics in their songs as if it was real.

Even though authorities are not blaming Betts' actions on his music tastes, this kind of music can definitely affect young people in a negative way, and not just due to the violent and Satan-loving lyrics.

In his book, Exorcist: More Stories, the late Rome exorcist, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, speaks about the negative affects of this music on the minds of listeners.

“Subliminal signs are transmitted at such a high pitch that we are unable to hear them. The signal is meant to disorient; at an intensity of 3,000 kilocycles per second, it acts on our unconscious, but our ears cannot capture it precisely because it is supersonic. Unbeknownst to us, the brain produces a natural drug as a result of the stimuli it receives, and it disorients us. Suddenly, we feel strange. This strange feeling induces us to seek real drugs and causes drug addicts to increase their intake” (page 73).

Recordings that contain these signals are often consecrated to Satan during a black mass before they are released to the market.

Fr. Amorth also testifies to the existence of Satanic backmasked music, saying that when played backward, the messages are always the same: “rebellion against parents, against society, against all that exists; the unleashing of all sexual instincts; and the urge to create an anarchist state with the ultimate triumph of Satan’s universal kingdom. A few songs are hymns dedicated to Satan” (pg. 74).

Let us keep the victims of Betts' murderous rampage in Dayton in our prayers.

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