The Top 5 Atypical Christmas Albums

Season’s Greetings fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Despite 2020 having been absolute garbage, that doesn’t mean the holiday spirit is dampened here on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog. It’s just gotten......weird. In fact, that weirdness gave me the idea for today’s list!

I think we all enjoy the traditional Christmas songs this time of year. The classics that are standards when we decorate the tree, wrap/unwrap presents, and spend time with our families. However, sometimes we want seasonal music that’s just a little off the beaten path. Sometimes, the music we crave in December just doesn’t fit the mold that the classics do. Right below are what I consider to be some of the more atypical Christmas albums that have been made, and let me just say right away that you should listen to all of these. Why? Let’s find out then!

5) Everfrost - Blue Eyed Emotion (Song) & Winterider (Song)

I confess that my number 5 spot was just another excuse to take about my surprise hit of 2019. In comparison to pretty much everything else on this list, the connection to the holidays on these two albums is rather weak. The world that these releases take place in is indeed rather wintery, but that’s about it. What these records do have in common with the season is the instrumentation. Throughout both records, there are sleigh bells, church bells, chimes, and uses of various sound effects like wind & snowstorms. Yes, both Blue Eyed Emotion and Winterider aren’t necessarily Christmas/Holiday albums, but they can be grandfathered in at the very least. Gets these releases for the weeb in your family!

4) King Diamond - The Puppet Master (Song)

Now we’re talking!

King Diamond has been cranking out horror classic after horror classic since 1986, and while his time in the 2000s started out rocky enough, when it came to 2003 he hit it out of the park, delivering his bleakest & most tragic album ever in the form of The Puppet Master. Not only was it a scary good time, but it oddly can put a listener into a holiday mood. A dark mood, but a mood regardless. There are far more references to Christmas & the month of December on this album than the two above. Hell, at one point in the story there’s a puppet show centered around The Little Drummer Boy! Can’t get more Christmas-ey than that....or can you?

3) South Park — Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics (Song)

I think when South Park comes up in any capacity, political incorrectness & oddball humor aren’t far behind. Even with the more recent seasons where perhaps Trey Parker & Matt Stone are a bit more conservative & selective with who they pick on, there’s still plenty of moments of disgust and delight. When it comes to the holidays, they can get really outrageous, and Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics is proof of this! Weirdly enough, there’s actually quite a bit of heart on here, but make no mistake when I say there’s plenty of points where your jaw will definitely hit the floor. Songs like Merry F***ing Christmas and The Most Offensive Song Ever are reasons why South Park got on the radar of Conservatives & people who can’t take a joke, and it’s that reason why the series still has fans to this day. If you want to have a Christmas that’s a bit incorrect, then see if Mr. Hankey can come over for a visit!

2) Twisted Sister - A Twisted Christmas (Song)

Twisted Sister will always be an 80s Hair Metal legend. As Dee Snider once said, they were the scourge of Washington D.C., and with good reason. They looked wild & unkempt, and their lyrics were more against the system than most other bands in their style. Despite only having a minimal amount of time in the 2000s, they came back into the light due to sheer force of nostalgia & a desire of the newer generation of metalheads to catch a glimpse of the past. It was this nostalgia that ultimately became the fun but flawed Still Hungry, and what would ultimately be their final album, A Twisted Christmas. Simultaneously a love letter to themselves, metal acts they liked, and a healthy respect for the songs that they covered, this is a Christmas/Holiday record that could have only come from the warped minds of Dee Snider & the gang. Not only was the album fun, but the live show in Las Vegas was a blast as well. Yep, A Twisted Christmas is indeed atypical, and for a while it was my number 1 album on this list......but there was one record I discovered that managed to surpass Twisted Sister. Barely.....but it did.

1) Savatage - Dead Winter Dead (Song)

The very ground on which Trans Siberian Orchestra would be born, this prototype is nothing short of incredible! You got the orchestra, you got the grandeur, you got the guitar and drums, and you got the singing that leaves as lasting impression. Not only that, but it’s here that the storytelling capabilities of Paul O'Neill really came into being. Centered around the Bosnian War, we’re told a story of death, tragedy, and as silly as this is going to sound.....true love dissolving boundaries & bringing opposite sides together (A Serbian Man & Muslim Woman to be specific.....but no more spoilers!). Even the Christmas Spirit is alive and well on Dead Winter Dead, as the feelings of snow & warmth come through at just the right moments. If you are a Trans Siberian Orchestra fan but don’t know where the idea first came from, then explore the wintry battlefield that is Dead Winter Dead. You won’t regret it!

And those were what I consider to be the top 5 atypical Christmas albums of all time. These were all a rather odd bunch to be sure, but like I said earlier, 2020 definitely brought out this oddness. I got my top 5 albums of 2020 in just a few short days, and I got one final review in the works.......along with a promise to a bunch of beautiful Finnish weebs that I said I’d fulfill. See you soon!


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If you’re curious about listening to these albums, then click on the links below:

Blue Eyed Emotion

Winterider

The Puppet Master

Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics

A Twisted Christmas

Dead Winter Dead