This past weeked, social media creator Alex Lajas a.k.a. Queen of the Ring sat down with Aleister Black. The enigmatic wrestler, known for his dark and complex character, delved deep into the musical influences that shaped him not just as a performer, but as a person.

For Black, music is not just background noise or an entrance theme; it is the very blueprint of the character fans see on screen.

Finding a Character in the Music

Aleister Black explained that his journey began long before he stepped into a ring. At 12 years old, his discovery of bands like Fear Factory, Biohazard, and Immortal coincided with his early love for wrestling. While he began his formal wrestling training at 15, his initial character lacked a crucial element: himself. He was either a generic good guy or a rule-breaking bad guy, with no real personal connection.

It wasn’t until his early twenties that he had a breakthrough. Frustrated with his inability to connect with the audience, he decided to look inward and embrace the things that truly defined him.

“At one point I was just like well f— it. I like horror music. I like black metal. I have this childhood experience that kind of forced me to look at life a certain way. Why don’t I utilize that into my wrestling?” Black recalled. “And that’s kind of where the darker characters came from and that’s where the… black metal influences came from. That’s where the hardcore influences came from. It just resonated a personal journey for me… the attitude and hardcore with the aesthetic of black metal and then the things that I experienced in my childhood that created the Tommy End, Aleister Black, Malakai Black… darkfather type characters.”

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A Musical Mount Rushmore of Influences

When asked to name his musical Mount Rushmore, Black found it difficult to narrow down to just four artists, explaining that his key influences rotate. However, he pointed to Fear Factory‘s album Demanufacture as one of the first that truly opened his eyes. He also gave a significant amount of credit to an unexpected source for his theatrical presentation: Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth.

“When I was like 16, 17, I read this interview with Dani Filth from Cradle of Filth where he talked about the theatrics,” Black said. “The way he spoke about his theatrics is what kind of made me go, ‘Well maybe I can do theatrics,’ so I had to mention Cradle of Filth in there too.”

He also cited bands like Watain and Behemoth for their presentational influence, while hardcore acts like Guns Up!, Have Heart, and Biohazard helped shape his attitude. His current entrance theme is performed by the vocalist of Incendiary.

A Fateful Meeting with Brody King

Black‘s connection to the hardcore scene also led to a memorable first encounter with his future tag team partner, Brody King. Long before they teamed up, Black was already a fan of King‘s band, God’s Hate. He shared the story of meeting him for the first time while wrestling for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG).

“Even before I knew Brody, you know, God’s Hate… when I first got into the United States wrestling for PWG and then like, you know, Brody King‘s there,” he explained. “At the time, his name is Nate and he was just starting out his wrestling journey… I was like, ‘Man, I know your band. Like, I know God’s Hate. That’s so cool.’ So all these things are so pivotal for me.”

From his early days discovering metal to finding his identity and even meeting future partners through the scene, it is clear that for Aleister Black, the worlds of music and wrestling are intrinsically and permanently linked.

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