Image: Heaven Shall Burn Live @ Impericon Festival 2025 [Jonas Tellkamp, @bookings_always_closed]
It’s now common knowledge that metal and a plant-based diet aren’t mutually exclusive. On the contrary; especially in the core scene, there are plenty of bands and fans who live as vegans or vegetarians. Today, we’re putting 11 bands and even more individual musicians into focus, all committed to a plant-based lifestyle. This includes German core and melodic death metallers Heaven Shall Burn and metal legends Metallica. And even beyond that, many familiar faces can be found on this list. Plus, acts like Heaven Shall Burn, Rise Against, and Architects are also known for their political engagement and environmental subjects in their lyrics.
Let’s dive in!
Oli Sykes – Bring Me The Horizon
Originally the Bring Me The Horizon singer was a vegetarian, then he went vegan with his own 100% vegan restaurant in Sheffield: Church – Temple Of Fun. The venue also hosts live events and interactive games. Check out the website for your next UK road trip: templeof.fun.
Heaven Shall Burn
All members of HSB are either dedicated vegans or vegetarians and take a leading role in environmental activism. This includes supporting the organization Sea Shepherd and releasing the visually striking music video for “My Heart And The Ocean,” which raises awareness about marine conservation:
Architects
Sam Carter and his bandmates all live vegan and have repeatedly advocated for animal rights throughout their career. They’ve collaborated with PETA and received the title “Most Animal-Friendly Band.” Singer Sam Carter is also active as an ambassador for Sea Shepherd. A 2022 English-language podcast episode on the topic with Sam Carter is available here: viva.org.uk/lifestyle/podcast/march-2022-viva-vegan-podcast
Winston McCall – Parkway Drive
Singer Winston McCall of Parkway Dive lives as a vegetarian, which he has discussed in an interview with us. Some other members are either vegetarian or vegan:
"Are Parkway Drive vegan? No, the entire band is not - certain members are. I'm vegetarian. [...] One of the other guys at least is vegan."
For Winston, health benefits are a major reason, as he discussed with Kerrang.
Tim McIlrath - Rise Against
In an interview, Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath confirmed that he lives as a vegetarian. Back in 2011, he commented on vegetarianism:
“I find it very encouraging today that vegetarianism is becoming more accepted by mainstream society, and that more information about industrial meat and food production is reaching people […]. And so more and more people are paying attention to what they eat […].”
Chris Motionless – Motionless In White
Motionless In White singer Chris Motionless was originally vegetarian and has spoken about the challenges of plant-based eating on tour. Later, he became vegan to support his father’s health and to live a healthier lifestyle himself:
“I was a vegetarian from 2005-2007 and at the time we weren’t making any money and we were on the road a lot. I didn’t have the money, refrigeration or oven to cook food, plus the vegan options weren’t as good as they are today, so I wasn’t able to keep it up on tour. A couple of years ago, my dad had a heart attack and the biggest reason was high cholesterol so that put me on the path of healthy eating and helping my dad. I started watching documentaries and reading all this information, it felt like everything I believed in with environmentalism and health was pointing towards a plant-based diet. How could I tell my dad to eat healthier and not go through it myself? It wasn’t a hard transition at all; I really wanted to do it and I’ve never looked back.”
There’s also this amazing video of an insect rescue:
Joe Duplantier – Gojira
Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier participated in a PETA campaign in 2024, advocating for a “vegan revolution.” He and his entire family live vegan and explain their reasons in the video:
“I became vegan for the animals. It’s about the lives of the animals and what they go through. Another benefit of being vegan is my own health. I have more energy when performing since becoming vegan. I also believe humans have the responsibility to challenge society’s laws and traditions—so we can move toward a future where we can truly live. It’s no longer just an ethical issue, but a matter of survival for our species. You have to go vegan.”
Kirk Hammett – Metallica
Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has been vegetarian for over 40 years, since 1985, and discussed in a 1992 interview how he grew up eating and even worked at Burger King, saying:
“Once you work at Burger King, I’m sure that you’ll become a vegetarian soon thereafter.”
Alissa White-Gluz – Formerly Arch Enemy
Singer Alissa White-Gluz, now releasing her first solo singles after many years as a member of Arch Enemy, grew up vegetarian, later became vegan and straight edge, and advocates for animal and environmental protection. On Mercy For Animals’ YouTube channel she said:
“In my opinion, metal is all about rebellion. It’s about carving your own path, thinking against what everyone’s trying to make you think. And veganism is the ultimate form of rebellion, because you are literally taking things that people have told you are normal, that deep down you don’t think are normal, that you’ve been conditioned to accept—things in your day-to-day life like eating, what you wear, or what you choose to buy. Everyone says it’s normal to exploit other living beings for those things, but you don’t have to. Taking a stand against that is what veganism is, and that is really metal.”
Travis Barker – Blink-182
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is vegan and appeared with his daughter on PETA ZWEI a few years ago for a “Never Be Silent” campaign. They also mention “Happy Cow,” where singer and bassist Mark Hoppus is listed.
Rou Reynolds – Enter Shikari
Roughton “Rou” Reynolds, the vocalist of Enter Shikari, also advocates for environmental protection and a vegan lifestyle, for example in collaboration with Veganuary. In a post, he was quoted:
“Veganism is such a quick and direct way to reduce one’s carbon footprint. As world leaders and corporate power fail to properly tackle climate change, we can at least take some things into our own hands and lead by example.”
