Had just about enough of Mariah Carey and looking from something with a harder edge this season? Here are 10 songs guaranteed to get your fist in the air while you’re wrapping presents.
Definitely NOT one to put on for the family party, this one. But, if I have to convince you on the quality of this track, you’ve come to the wrong place, friend.
Doro’s been bringing the metal for decades (I’m a proud owner of Warlock’s Triumph and Agony on cassette, purchased in 1987), and every metalhead worth his stripes is well-acquainted with Sodom’s Tom Angelripper. So, nothing further should be needed to know that this track kicks ass.
If you aren’t feeling jolly this Christmas, Schwarzer Peter Steele has you covered with this doomy original.
This instrumental take on the classic tune is actually quite poignant and beautiful. Zakk Wylde really goes for it here with an extended guitar solo that is quite excellent. This is one you can put on when the family comes over: Grandma definitely will not approve, but Dad will be silently impressed.
Who doesn’t need more Justin Hawkins in his/her life, especially when the last couple of years have been so lousy?
I’m not sure how one says “Hair Metal” in Finnish, but you’ll be convinced this was recorded 30 years prior to its 2014 release. Cheesy keyboards abound and hot licks are plenty, but vocalist Jarkko Ahola steals the show with his earnest performance that is anything but forgettable. You’ll know this isn’t Bing Crosby when the metal yell kicks in at 55 seconds of this rendition of the Christmas classic.
220 Volt is an otherwise forgotten Swedish metal band from the 80’s that surprisingly had four albums released on major labels in the US, but this classic single is timeless. It’s a bit Scorpions, but who says that’s a bad thing?
Nothing says yuletide cheer like the King himself singing a tale of seasonal insanity in his signature falsetto. The lyrics are ridiculous, Andy Larocque lays down a tasty solo, and King delivers his signature cackle in the outro… everything you want in both a King Diamond track AND Christmas cheer.
Only The Metal God himself can make a song about Santa's reindeer a metal classic. If hearing Rob Halford belting those lyrics doesn’t get your metal heart beating, then you are officially The Grinch. Oh, and the riff is killer too!
It literally doesn’t get any more metal than Dio and Tony F***ing Iommi making a beloved Christmas carol into a doom classic. Iommi rips off a scorching solo in the middle, and RJD adds all of the menace you never knew was there when he growls, “To save us all from Satan’s power, when we were gone astray.” You’ll never hear this song the same way again.
