Top 10 Metal Love Songs

In honor of St. Valentine's Day, we wanted to offer you a list of love songs. But, these aren't the ordinary love songs about boys falling in love with girls, or girls getting their heart broken. The following heavy metal songs represent the madness and chaos of love's firm grip on the human psyche. These songs all include tales and stories of torment, romance, lust, sexuality, jealousy, betrayal, the question of evil and the nature of sadomasochism, and even, the unspeakable acts, of the sexually/criminally insane. Most of all these songs are passionate and full of that spirit and energy (and rage) that only love can conjure up.We now present Metal's Top Ten Love Songs.

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10.Bathory, “Woman of Dark Desires” (From the album Under the Sign of the Black Mark, 1987)

Woman of Dark Desires is a thrashy, black metal love song; a tribute to Countess Elizabeth Bathory, the female member of Royalty from 14th Century Eastern Europe, who is responsible for vampiric legends, from real life crimes where she tortured, killed, raped and bathed in the blood of many female victims. It was said the blood gave her eternal beauty and youth. This historic figure was always shrouded in mysticism, occult and eroticism, much like the one-man band Bathory, led by the late Swedish metal musician Qurothon. The song is named after Countess Bathory, and vividly gives readers a picture of her ghastly, blood soaked rituals in the 1500s, in her castle, near modern day Hungary. Bathory was not the first, and won't be the last of black metal bands to profess their love for Elizabeth Bathory, and the lore that surrounds her vampiric killings.


9.Bleeding Through, “Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire” (From the 2003 album This Is Love This Is Murderous)
This song is the first track on this album, from one of OC's best metal core exports. It fits perfect for a record with the cover featuring a real looking bloody heart with a knife pierced through it, and the band's logo written in blood. The song sets the tone and flow for the rest of the album, and is full of very heavy emotions of hate, and torment over love gone wrong; possibly betrayal. But, the ending message is one of strength, as vocalist Brandan Schieppati screams “now I rise from my knees, I will not live in misery, you won't take me, you will not destroy me, you cannot destroy me, I'll fight you with every ounce of strength I have left, I'll seal it with a bullet and a kiss!

Structurally, the song melds in the traditional breakdowns of metal core, but makes them feel groovy and natural, rather than too long, deep heavy and forced. The under layers of the harsh, heavy thrash/black death core riffs are the faint symphonic keyboards that truly set Bleeding Through apart from its peers. This song directly deals with heartbreak, but gives listeners hope to recover from such misery and pain caused by love.

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8.Cannibal Corpse, “Stripped Raped and Strangled” (From the album The Bleeding, 1994)
Now, it should be obvious by the title, that this song is definitely not your typical upbeat, happy love song, or even a tragic tale of heartbreak. At its core, this track, from Cannibal Corpse's fourth album (and final with vocalist Chris Barnes) is about love, but a different kind of love. The character in the story line has a love of killing, mutilating, raping and desecrating his victims, before and after they die. This psychopathic killer gives a glimpse into his mindset and paints a picture of his disgusting, atrocious, hateful and evil acts, which he has a passion for, and this self-awareness makes the song truly sick. This sense of blood lust and need for torture, truly comes to life in the lyrics, which to most people would be unintelligible. The music is groovy but played at an insane, almost inhuman speed. Barnes' vocals are very demonic and evil sounding. Don't get me wrong, this song's subject matter is brutal, horrific, shocking, obscene and full of gore. But its death metal music, and it should be put into the same context, as a horror movie or comic book. Although many religious groups and others might argue, that songs with lyrics like this go too far and cross the line of decency.


7.Motorhead, “Love Me Forever” (From the album 1916, 1991)
This song, from Motorhead's ninth album was Motorhead's interpretation of a heavy metal ballad, and was eventually covered by German heavy metal singer Doro Pesch. The song offers Lemmy's take on love, considering he has been known as having one hell of a 'love' life, literally filled with rock n' roll, sex, drugs, booze and more sex. “Love me or leave me, tell me no lies, Ask me no questions, send me no spies, You know love's a thief, steal your heart in the night, slip through your fingers, you best hold on tight,” Lemmy sings to end this epic rendition of a love song by one of metal's most respected band.

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6.Deftones, “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” (From the album Around the Fur, 1997)
The Deftones are also known for producing sounds that defy the boundaries and constrictions of genres. Deep within each song, exists vast layers of bass and drums, guitar riffs, and ephemeral sounds, including layers of influences ranging from rock, hip-hop, trip-hop, punk and even dark wave and experimental. This track is the sixth song on the band's second album, and was also a huge successful single for the band. It's lush and very emotional from the start. Think of the band Weezer, but just a tad more heavy and much more passionate, and passive aggressive. Chino Moreno's unique voice has the ability to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. His performance in this heavy, scratchy and radiant song, aches of love, longing and the need to escape, anywhere he can with this special someone. “It feels good to know you're mine,” he sings. “Now drive me far away, away, away.”


5. Opeth, “When” (From the Album My Arms Your Hearse, 1996?)
It was difficult to choose one single song, on this third album by this band, since all the songs bleed into each other. From 1998, this was the third song on Opeth's first concept album about a departed soul and his tormented love for a woman. Filled with moments of beautiful poetic harmonies, and others with dark evil sounding riffs and demonic growls, this song is just less than ten minutes, which is short for Opeth. It contains the traditional brutality of Swedish death metals sound, and elements of folk, and classical and progressive rock influences of bands such as Rush, King Crimson and others. You can feel the sense of loss and tragedy within the story line, and it is clear the protagonist is very aware of his own 'demise.' This song retains the vibe of darkness death metal is known for, but instead of menacing or violent, the vibe is more of heartbreak and love stricken grief.

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4.Skid Row, “I Remember You” (From the self titled debut album, Skid Row 1989)
Okay, we know hair metal seems a little out of place on this list. But you can't deny the force behind this song, and Sebastian Bach's powerful performance. This song is a cultural iconic rock song, and goes beyond the confines of heavy metal. This could have been bigger than anything Bon Jovi ever put together, and to many fans it is. Bach has said in past interviews that the song, along with being a hit single for Skid Row was the number one song for high school proms all across the country. Somehow, “I Remember You” will always keep that nostalgic retro metal sound, and evoke many memories of fans who came of age when it was a hit, making it a classic metal love song.


3. Pantera, “This Love” (From the album Vulgar Display of Power, 1991)
This track might possibly be considered a ballad by some, but just more aggressive than the typical cheesy '80s metal love ballads. This song takes a beginning intro of guitars and builds up on the heaviness with Dimebag's powerful, crunchy bashing riffs. Phil Anselmo's lyrics exemplify a very abrasive, heartfelt but dangerous side of love; this is an angry, passionate yet and raw song, full of Pantera's vibrant rage, and it is all centered around a failed relationship. Listeners can really hear Anselmo's tortured, in your face vocals, and one can really feel the connection between the emotions of love, jealousy, hate and misery.

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2. Danzig, “Devil's Plaything” (From the album Danzig II: Lucifuge, 1998)
This is a song about love, and evil. It is full of sensuality and the notion of being seduced by Evil, perhaps a physical entity or demon in this instance. “Love is a flame, a devil's thing, a violent storm, about to be born,” sings the Evil Elvis in the epic opening of this song. Danzig's clear voice makes for a dark, romantic heavy metal soliloquy. This is the perfect song for lovers, with its deep sentiments of lust, sins of the flesh, passion and perhaps even Lucifer's own sick sense of erotic sadomasochism. “Devils plaything, in my hands, if you don't want pain, you don't understand,” howls Danzig in this classic track. The image of flames and fire appears throughout, and the strong bass and drums and guitar work of original member John Christ adds to the rustic, yet deep song, about a darker, more passionate view of love.


1.Type O Negative, “Love You To Death” (From the album October Rust, 1996)
With Type O Negative, much of the band's material, revolved around mushy themes like heartbreak, depression, drug abuse, sex, violence and insanity. This made it a difficult task to choose the band's best love song. On “Love You to Death,” listeners are instantly drawn into the romantic séance, with Peter Steele's deep Dracula-like voice. The gothic keyboards make for an eerie, elegant sounding intro that drips with sexuality. This song is about a man so in love with a woman he worships her every command, and smothers her literally to death with his love. You can feel the insecurity and anguish over this yearning for love in this song, as the late great Peter Steele's screams in the ending of the song. “Am I Good Enough..For you??” he keeps singing. This is a haunting, erotic heavy metal tune that is mildly aggressive but not too fast or violent. Perfect to make out to, preferably in a dark room. Too bad Peter Steele isn't around to perform it, as it was a staple in their live set when he was alive.

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