Talk about a headbanging entrance into this world: A New Zealand mom has reportedly named her three children Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera.
The extraordinary tidbit was shared via a newsletter article from New Zealand documentary filmmaker and actor David Farrier (Netflix’s Dark Tourist), who also summarized the story on his Twitter account (as first reported widely by Metal Hammer). He divulged that a woman, whom he doesn’t identify in his article, has indeed named her kids after three of heavy metal’s biggest bands.
“Proud to report that a New Zealand mother has named her children Metallica, Pantera and Slayer,” wrote Farrier. “She told me, ‘It’s not easy raising three of the heaviest bands.’”
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The filmmaker, who claims to have seen the birth certificates, admitted he was initially suspicious, especially after noticing that the kid named Metallica had a middle name of “And Justice for All,” in honor of the band’s fourth album.
“I reached out to the Registrar-General himself, asking if there are any restrictions naming babies after band names, or albums,” wrote Farrier. In response, New Zealand Registrar-General Jeff Montgomery answered, “There are no restrictions on naming babies after bands or albums, as long as the word used is not generally considered to be offensive or does not resemble an official rank or title.”
While he didn’t name the mother, he did share a photo of the woman, writing, “I think it’s important to note (as you can see in the photo in my article) this mother is also a big fan of crossbows, which are also truly metal, and she deserves our complete and utter respect for this (and for raising three kids).”
So, there you have it. Next time you’re thinking about baby names, don’t sleep on such choices as Megadeth, Slipknot, or Tool. Nah, probably not Tool — that kid would have a complicated life.
See David Farrier’s series of tweets below.
thread 2/4: i become a bit suspicious when she also included @metallica‘s best album “…and justice for all” in her kid’s name too, but new zealand’s registrar-general seems to confirm it’s a real thing: pic.twitter.com/1jOy5AUWxT
— David Farrier (@davidfarrier) July 7, 2021
thread 4/4: finally, i think it’s important to note (as you can see in the photo in my article) this mother is also a big fan of crossbows which are also truly metal and she deserves our complete and utter respect for this (and for raising three kids): https://t.co/kiXGTrr60A
— David Farrier (@davidfarrier) July 7, 2021
