Montreal council passes motion declaring itself a heavy metal city

Montreal has formally proclaimed itself a heavy metal “city of excellence.”

City council passed a motion recognizing metal music’s place in the history of the city and the province.

Coun. Craig Sauve of the governing Projet Montreal party tabled the motion, seconded by fellow metal fans on council.

Sauve said the city’s vibrant heavy metal scene has been ignored, maligned and under-appreciated in the past, so institutional recognition of the city’s place in developing the genre was an important step.

The city has given rise to several heavy metal bands and plays host to a two-day metal festival in the summer, Heavy Montreal.

The declaration, which was adopted during Monday’s council meeting, received bipartisan support.