Coming Up on Nightline

W A S H I N G T O N, May 2 -- — My father used to complain, "What is that noise you're listening to?" My siblings and I would to exlain to him that rock 'n roll is not noise. The summer we played Pink Floyd's "The Wall" incessantly on the stereo nearly drove him mad. Of course, that was exactly the point.

So I am surprised to find myself as an adult listening to "Slayer," a so-called "death metal" band, and thinking "what is that noise?" It's loud, it's not particularly melodic, and if you can make out the lyrics, and that isn't easy at all, it's stunning. Stunningly violent, that is. Lots of talk of murder, blood, and Satan.

Embracing a musical genre that parents fail to appreciate is a generational rite of passage. And the fans of "death metal" are probably no different than I was in that sense.

But now comes a lawsuit that takes music appreciation to a new level. Twoteenage boys in San Luis Obispo, California pleaded no contest to murdering Elyse Pahler, age 15. They selected her as their victim, they said, because she matched the description of a virgin to be sacrificed to the devil, described in a Slayer song called "Altar of Sacrifice." The boys are now serving 25 years to life.

But Elyse Pahler's parents are suing the band and its record company. Had the boys never heard this song, would they have committed this horrific crime? And can artists be held accountable for the actions of their fans?

ABC News correspondent Judy Muller will tell you more about the Slayer story. We'll follow that report with a conversation with three people with strong opinions on the subjects of freedom of speech and art: Senator Joseph Lieberman, former vice presidential candidate and an outspoken critic of the sex and violence in popular culture, Hilary Rosen, who represents the recording industry, and Bret Easton Ellis, a novelist who penned the controversial and violent book, "American Psycho."

We hope you can join us.

Sara Just is a senior producer at Nightline.