10 metal songs for Valentine’s Day
February 14th is upon us once again, and whether you’re a hopeless romantic or you think it’s a made-up Hallmark holiday, there’s no getting away from Valentine’s Day. Fortunately, metal has you covered. Head-over-heels in love with someone? There’s metal for that. Sworn off love forever? No problem, there’s metal for that too. Here’s a list of 10 full-on metal tunes to celebrate (or forget) V-day however you choose.
First up, for the love-birds:
LOVE RULES!
Yes, metal can be romantic!
1. “Walk With Me In Hell” - Lamb Of God
There is no rule book that says love songs have to be slow, mellow or quiet. Yes, this is a love song, written by guitarist Mark Morton to his wife. Granted, it’s a dark and brutal love song, but a love song nonetheless, and one with a bludgeoning main riff to boot. The lyrical gist of it is this: Life is pretty terrible, but you’re not alone. Take my hand and walk with me through this hell. See? Romance!
2. “N.I.B.” - Black Sabbath
Can love make you a better person? Black Sabbath thinks so… even if you happen to be the devil. Bassist Geezer Butler wrote this one from the first person point of view of Lucifer himself as he falls in love with a mortal woman and apparently quits his day job. An absolute metal classic, which also happens to contain one of the greatest bass lines in rock history.
3. “Beauty In Falling Leaves” - YOB
Settle in and get comfortable for this one. because it’s 16 and a half minutes of doom metal gorgeousness. Obviously, this one is a slow builder, but when the guitars hit, they absolutely crush, and the plaintive, world-weary vocal from singer/guitarist Mike Scheidt (who suffered a life threatening illness while writing and recording this album) will bring a tear to your eye.
Love as life-affirming reason to carry on. Magnificent.
4. Hearts On Fire” - Haunt
Despite its anger, self-seriousness and melodramatic tendencies, on some level, heavy metal is supposed to be fun. No band captures the joyful side of metal these days quite like Fresno, California’s own Haunt. Fronted by the ridiculously prolific singer/guitarist Trevor William Church, Haunt perfectly blends the classic metal sound of Priest and Maiden with the rawness and energy of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, all with hooks and melody that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Cheap Trick record. A ripping speed metal riff and a hint of keyboards anchor this track that captures the white-hot intensity, the giddiness and yes, the fun of brand new love. This one will have you smiling while you bang that lovestruck head of yours.
5. “Love You To Death” - Type O Negative
Hey, some of you might actually get lucky tonight! If so, you’ll need a proper soundtrack to get busy to, and you could do a lot worse than Type O Negative. Hell, this whole list could’ve been Type O songs, but if you have to pick just one, this track from the band’s October Rust album will do nicely. Late vocalist/bassist (and one-time Playgirl centerfold) Peter Steele croons like an unholy Barry White over seven minutes of Sabbath-rooted goth metal about living only to serve his mistress…in whatever wicked ways her cold black heart may desire.
Or, if you prefer…
LOVE SUCKS!
Unlucky in love? Bad breakup? Valentine’s Day just not your thing? These tunes are for you.
1. ”This Love” - Pantera
If you’ve recently gone through a nasty break-up, here’s your new personal anthem. Although credited to all four members of the band, late Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul told an interviewer that this song was “…pretty much the story of a relationship that [singer Phil Anselmo] had been in, and he was really mad about it,” which, if you’ve read the lyrics or heard the way Phil sings on this one, might be a bit of an understatement.
2. “I Don’t Believe In Love” - Queensryche
Wait…the “Silent Lucidity” guys?? Yup, the very same. If all you know from Queensryche are the songs you heard on the radio and saw on MTV from their gazillion selling 1991 Empire album, you may find it hard to believe that these guys were a really solid, legit metal band back in the day. But it’s true, and it’s worth digging into their back catalogue to find the gems, especially their 1988 prog-metal masterpiece Operation: Mindcrime. Like Pink Floyd’s The Wall, it’s a concept album that succeeds because the songs are good enough to stand on their own outside the context of the somewhat convoluted storyline. This track is a prime example, and a perfect addition to your anti-Valentine’s playlist.
3. “Love?” - Strapping Young Lad
SYL mastermind Devin Townsend (guitar/vocals/songwriting) was diagnosed as bipolar in the late 90’s, a condition made worse by his heavy drug and alcohol use at the time. In 2004, while writing and recording the band’s fourth album Alien, he started to have doubts about his initial diagnosis and stopped taking his meds (but continued with his substance abuse). Devin told an interviewer that the resulting album was “a psychologically unhealthy album, but one that was articulated very accurately.” Not surprisingly, it ain’t the most uplifting record! “Love?” was the only single released from the album, and, well…let’s just say ol’ Devy wasn’t exactly sold on the idea of “happily ever after.”
4. “No Love Lost” - Carcass
British death metal legends Carcass made a name for themselves early on with sickening but medically accurate lyrics inspired by medical textbooks on albums like Reek Of Putrefaction and Symphonies Of Sickness. 1993’s landmark Heartwork album saw the band venturing into newer sonic territory by experimenting with bits of melody and groove. “No Love Lost” shows lyrical growth as well, with the band exploring the concept of love for perhaps the first time in their career. But despite the changes, it’s still Carcass, which means their “love song” includes lyrics like this: “The low cost of loving/ Amorous travesty/ Human frailties and weakness are easy prey/ How your poor heart will bleed…”
5. “Everyone I Love Is Dead” - Type O Negative
Yes, Type O gets two songs on the list because love comes up a lot in their songs, and not always in a positive light. And also because, if nothing else, the cathartic thrill of cranking this one up as loud as you possibly can and screaming “Well, GODDAMN IT!!!” at the top of your lungs might just make you feel a tiny bit better if you’re really not feeling all that romantic on February 14th.
BONUS TRACKS:
5 Power Ballads that don’t suck, are actually metal, aren’t performed by shitty hair metal bands and aren’t “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica
1. “I Died For You” - Iced Earth
This track is from Iced Earth’s 1996 release The Dark Saga, a concept album based on the comic book series Spawn. The song is sung from the point of view of the titular character’s alter ego Al Simmons. In the comic, Al is a mercenary who dies and is sent to hell for his sins, but makes a deal with a demon to become a soldier in hell’s army (a “hellspawn”) in return for a chance to see his wife Wanda again. Naturally, things don’t work out quite the way Al planned. Regardless, he quite literally sold his soul for love, which makes for the perfect subject of a heavy metal power ballad.
2. “Love Me Forever” - Motörhead
You might think the word “ballad” doesn’t belong in the same sentence with the name “Motörhead,” but the band does have a few songs in their catalogue that qualify as such. On this particular song from the 1916 album, the band somehow manages to come up with something genuinely heartfelt while still maintaining that trademark Motörhead cacophony. Not an easy feat by any means, and holy shit! Lemmy actually kinda’ SINGS on this one!
3. “Guardian” - Fates Warning
I might be cheating a little by including this one, because it’s not about romantic love, but it is a love song in a certain sense. Original Fates Warning vocalist John Arch wrote the lyrics, partially inspired by his quadriplegic brother who, as Arch put it in an interview “[had] no will left” but exceeded his life expectancy by at least 20 years. Arch describes the song as a “tribute to all challenged kids young and old, who will never know what it’s like to walk, see, hear…”
As heartbreaking as it is powerful and poetic, “Guardian” is one of the best things Fates Warning ever recorded, and remains a top 10 all-time favorite metal track for me.
4. “Still Loving You” - Scorpions
Yes, the Scorpions are absolutely a legitimate heavy metal band, even if they did occasionally flirt with hair metal in their almost 60 year career (seriously, if the only Scorps songs you know are “Wind Of Change” or that god-awful “Tease Me, Please Me,” I beg you to explore their back catalogue, especially albums like In Trance and Virgin Killer). Their most successful U.S. album is 1984’s triple platinum Love At First Sting, a record chock-full of radio-friendly classics like “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” “Big City Nights,” and this gorgeous and sexy power ballad that contains perhaps the finest solo that guitarist Rudolph Schenker ever committed to tape.
5. “Here Come The Tears” - Judas Priest
Judas Priest are undisputed masters of all things heavy, but casual fans may not realize that the band actually had ballads on each of their first five albums in the 1970’s. Their third album, 1977’s Sin After Sin, has two: the lovely and tender “Last Rose Of Summer,” and this one, a remarkable display of just how versatile the voice of singer Rob Halford can be. He starts off crooning as smoothly as any 50’s Rat-Packer, moves into a beautiful tenor over strummed acoustic guitars, and soars to a full throated wail once the metal kicks in. This is why they call him the Metal God.