In a moment that proves metal is actually pretty good for survival (and that some people are assholes), NYC-based musician and composer Brittany Anjou turned to metal to escape a potentially dangerous situation with a stalker, and the moment has since gone viral across Instagram and TikTok.
Anjou, known for their work across jazz, avant-garde, and extreme metal with bands like Bi Tyrant, shared a now widely circulated video recounting the harrowing incident. While walking home alone, said asshole on a bicycle began following them for several blocks, persistently circling and repeatedly asking, "Why don't you want to talk to me?"
Things escalated when the man blocked Anjou's path with his bike at an intersection and bluntly asked, "Where do you live?" That's when instinct — and metal — kicked in.
"I literally stopped, turned to him full body square, and I shouted in my best death metal growly voice the chorus to the song by Kittie, 'Raven,'" Anjou recalled. With guttural force, Anjou belted out the iconic lines: "Get away from me! Stay the fuck away from me!"
Anjou used the viral moment to drive home a point about self-defense, encouraging others to use whatever tools they have at their disposal. For them, it was death metal: "Believe me when I say metal saves lives."
Kittie frontwoman Morgan Lander responded to the story with heartfelt support, telling Loudwire: "It's wonderful to hear that the mantra, 'keep away from me, stay the fuck away from me,' is still useful and valid 25 years after the fact. I love it. I am so glad that this person is okay. I'm so glad that the stalker, the man that was harassing them, was deterred and took off."
Lander also revealed that the lyrics to "Raven" were inspired by the band's own experience with being stalked and harassed in their early years: "I suppose things were still very local at the time and we had someone that would threaten us, that would send us email, that would threaten our lives at some of our local shows. It never ceases to amaze me what people are capable of doing. It's quite disgusting. But I'm glad they're okay. And it fills my heart with pride to know that those lyrics helped to possibly save a life."
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