A gigantic wall of Marshall amps, the likes of which are only seen at concerts like AC/DC, greets the visitor upon entry. There is no doubt we are at the doors of the METAL. Diabolus in musica exhibition. The event, dedicated to this extreme rock music genre, is on show until September 29 at the Philharmonie de Paris, the modern temple of symphonic music.

It's quite a symbol for a genre that was long shunned, relegated to the fringes of popular music. And yet, for 50 years, the forge has continued to strike the iron, metal has become a counter-culture with a strong identity, which has been able to evolve and adapt with a dynamism and diversity few other musical movements can claim. It can count on a loyal and large audience, as confirmed by the success of the Hellfest festival in Clisson (Loire-Atlantique) with 240,000 tickets sold at each event, Motocultor Festival in Vannes (Morbihan) and Xtreme Fest in Albi.

The exhibition promises to be a place of pilgrimage for all metalheads, but is also open to newcomers curious to understand the phenomenon and its foundations. The event is the first of its kind in France, offering a complete panorama of the movement. While other similar initiatives have been seen internationally – an exhibition on Norwegian black metal at Oslo's National Library in 2023; Play it Loud at New York's MET in 2019; Black Sabbath 50 years in Birmingham in 2019 – nothing to date has covered metal so extensively. Even the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio has only a small room devoted to this music.

At the Philharmonie de Paris, the exhibition covers an 800-square-meter space, which has already hosted other musical trends – electro in 2019, hip-hop in 2022. The layout is inspired by the plan of a church nave oriented towards seven (musical) chapels. Illustrations by French graphic design duo Fortifem reappropriate the style codes (medieval stained glass, occultism, demons, cult characters and covers).

This spectacular, even theatrical, universe is linked to concerts with video projections and live sound extracts accompanying the visit. An "immersive" experience, the video "pit" display transports us to the heart of the 2023 edition of Hellfest in an impressive crowd movement, the "circle pit."

But the highlight of the visit is the 400 or so objects, instruments, costumes, masks, rare works and "relics" from the Hard Rock Café and Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame collections. These include iconic guitars belonging to Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani and Kirk Hammett (Metallica), as well as the Rickenbacker bass of Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister (1945-2015). Other "cult" pieces include Alice Cooper's terrifying guillotine, a Marilyn Manson Lycra jumpsuit, and the Alien creature by Swiss artist H. R. Giger (1940-2014), who designed many gloomy album covers for Danzig and Celtic Frost.

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