Top 10 Heavy Metal Love Songs

Welcome to the week of love, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

With Valentine’s Day at the end of the week, we’re getting ready to celebrate a day of love with our significant other. Whether it’s a fancy dinner, a nice play, or a quiet time at home (with maybe a little dirty fun), we’re all going to be doing something with somebody. For me, my friend Amanda & I are gonna catch a viewing of Deadpool, since we never take this holiday seriously.

To go along with this lack of seriousness, I’ve made a list of love songs. Heavy Metal love songs, to be exact. Sure, this genre of music isn’t normally associated with Valentine’s Day, but if you look through the Metal catalog, you’ll find a surprising amount of love-related songs. Some are serious, some are a little lighthearted, but they’re all surprising in some way. So with that out of the way, here are my top 10 Heavy Metal love songs. Enjoy!

10) Sodom - One Step Over The Line (Song)

Damn I’m starting this list off with a dark one!

What Slayer is to the United States, Sodom is to Germany. Embracing the darker side of Thrash Metal, Sodom has belted out some impressive thrash music, mixed with hints of Death Metal and even taking an element or two of Black Metal on rare occasions. One Step Over The Line comes across as a more traditional Thrash Metal song: steady & furious, with vocals to match. This song forgoes the more traditional subject matter, and instead deals with prostitution, the damage it causes, and the desperation women might feel. One Step Over The Line is definitely one of the darker songs Sodom has ever made (If not the darkest), but for whatever reason I’m attracted to this track. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel a dark charisma emanating from this tune. It’s something that draws me to listening to One Step Over The Line everytime I put the respective album in the CD player. If you want to be a little darker this Valentine’s Day, this song is a great way to go about it!

9) Soundgarden - Loud Love (Song)

From a dark love song, to a track that deals with a different kind of love. Grunge (Yes, I consider Grunge to be a metal subgenre) more often than not can be a mopey music style, but every once in a while there are exceptions. Loud Love is one of these exceptions: while one could connect this with the love between two people, the love in this song doesn’t deal with that. Instead, Loud Love talks about the kind of love that affects the kind of change people wanted & died for. The kind of love that individuals like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and even Jesus fought for. If you want to make a change this coming Sunday, this can be the song to initiate this change!

8) Turmion Kätilöt - Shuttle To Venus (Song)

Love can be one of two things. It can either be subtle, or it can be obvious & blunt. Shuttle To Venus is in the 2nd category. Truth be told, Turmion Kätilöt has never been subtle! The band has always been up front & in your face, and they never backed down from anything. Even if you weren’t familiar with the band, you can pretty much tell what’s in store just by looking at this track’s name. It’s naughty, raunchy, a little filthy, and most definitely fun. If you’re not moving & going along with the beat in anyway, then this song just isn’t for you.

7) Korn - I Will Protect You (Song)

I talked about this song in my Metal Overview for Korn last week, so this track was definitely a shoe-in. As I said in my description of the album, I Will Protect You is simultaneously a dark yet loving song. The track is dark because one of the loving individuals is dead. How he died (I’m assuming it’s a he) is never said, but the listener knows that he’s gone. Where the love comes in is when you find out that the guy’s admiration for the girl he was with never left. In fact, he vows to continue loving this girl from beyond the grave, protecting her from all sorts of danger. A vow like this in life is impressive, but in death? That takes some dedication! Coupled with the dream-like instrumentation & Jonathan Davis’s ethereal & emotional singing, and you have a classic song in Korn’s discography. Definitely recommended!

6) Judas Priest - A Touch Of Evil (Song)

Now here we have a fun metal love song!

Come 1990, Judas Priest released the iconic Painkiller. It’s a universally praised album, and the pinnacle of the band’s discography at the time. The whole album is fantastic, but if there was one song that was unforgettable, A Touch Of Evil is that song. Given how often Rob Halford put in homoerotic innuendo in his lyrics & song titles, this track is a bit different. Instead of being obvious, the vibe from this song much more in the middle. As you’re listening to you, you can’t tell if things are gay, straight, or even bi. Because of this, A Touch Of Evil is a true universal metal love song. Gay couples can enjoy it, straight couples can enjoy it, and individuals straddling the line can enjoy it too. A true classic!

5) Ministry - Lay Lady Lay (Song)

I think we’ve all heard of Bob Dylan. A 60s icon, his protest & love songs are classic tunes that still hold up today. What many non-metal fans know is that one of the most legendary Industrial Metal bands covered Lay Lady Lay back in 1996. Although this was on one of their most infamous albums, Ministry went all out with their rendition of this song. This starts off an odd tradition for the band: covers that don’t follow the letter of the original, but ironically stay true to the spirit of the track. There’s a lot of emotion in Ministry’s vision of the song, just like Bob Dylan’s original. It’s actually rather moving, and the instrumentation & Uncle Al’s vocal work provide much of the moving feelings. I’ve never cried when I listened to Ministry’s take on this classic song, but I’ve been moved all the same.

4) Kiss - Calling Dr. Love (Song)

I had to admit I’m stretching this one a little. KISS isn’t a metal band by any stretch, but their heart & soul is made of the stuff, so I had to put them on here. The band knew how to put out more tender tracks, but Calling Dr. Love isn’t one of them. Okay, maybe there’s a little bit of tenderness, but not much. The band is putting on a great performance, but I must give Gene Simmons credit. His vibe is just oozing out of every lyric, every guitar lick, etc. Hell, the  lead singer is the demon himself, so you could see why I’d feel the vibe. If you want your Valentine’s Day a little on the sleazy side, you might want to call Doctor Love!

3) U.D.O. - Sweet Little Child (Song)

If there was every a time where power ballads were king, it would definitely be the 80s! No other time in Heavy Metal history could contain such awesome & hokey songs, and standing near the top was U.D.O.. Fronted by the former lead singer of Accept, U.D.O. brought Power Metal to the masses, and Sweet Little Child spearheaded their time in the 80s. Slow instrumentation, catchy beats, vocals that can get people to sing along, and the emotion. This song is incredibly sappy, but not quite overwhelming, and is right at home in the 80s. You know this is a 80s ballad when there’s an emotional guitar break about halfway through, and that’s when the sap factor rises. If you want Valentine’s Day a little more on the nostalgic side, then give Sweet Little Child a listen to.

2) Ozzy Osbourne - I Just Want You (Song)

Perhaps even more so that U.D.O., Ozzy Osbourne is the king of the metal ballad. While his 95 release Ozzmosis is rather notorious among fans of the Ozz, it has more of it’s fair share of great songs. On the crown of this album is the highly powerful & emotional Just Want You, a song that almost seems tailor made for those looking for love. While the instrumentation is great, Ozzy is most definitely the star. He’s really letting things out with every verse, and doesn’t let up at anytime throughout the track. In fact, Ozzy turns it up as the song goes on, with the conclusion being the point where his singing comes across more like wailing. Single people, this is the song for you! 

1) Type-O Negative - Creepy Green Light (Song)

Are any of you surprised by this one?

I talked about this way back in my Metal Overview of Type-O Negative last year when discussing World Coming Down, with my basic premises being that this track is the only song that has a sliver of positivity. I still stand by this, but make no mistake: this song is still dark! Sung from the 3rd-person perspective, Pete Steele sings about a spell that was cast on Halloween night, reuniting two lovers who were separated by death. The mood definitely fits the song, with guitars that go between haunting & furious, drumwork that can sound like thunder, and Pete’s recognizable way of singing connecting everything together. If you absolutely need one song for your Valentine’s Day, just look into the creepy green light. You’ll never forget what you see.

So these were my top 10 Heavy Metal love songs. Hopefully you’ll find something here to play with your sweetheart this Sunday, and even if you’re single, maybe you’ll like something here just for the sake of it. See you all next week, when I’ll put up the first in my “Which is Better” series. See you then!