Metal has long been a musical medium where subjects like hate, violence, terror, sorrow and Satan can be weaved into poetic — or just plain awesome — songwriting. But love has always had a place in the genre's thematic fabric, too.
That said, fitting for a style of of music as convention-breaking as metal, the concept of love is rarely explored from the vantage point of a fulfilled romantic. In metal, love songs often approach the tragic, tortured or — in the case of Type O Negative — erotic elements of humanity's deepest feeling.
We asked Revolver readers to pick the single greatest love song in all of heavy-metal history. From coarse breakup lashings to explicit sex hymns, see the top five vote-getters ranked accordingly below.
5. Sleep Token - "Blood Sport"
Sleep Token's music has a undeniably romantic quality to it, and indeed, love is a theme that singer-songwriter Vessel weaves all throughout the U.K. band's deep lore. However, rarely is the love in Sleep Token's music reciprocal or healthy.
"Blood Sport," for all its butterflies-in-the-tummy feeling, examines the toxic relationship between Vessel and the deity he worships, Sleep. "I made loving you a blood sport," Vessel croons, acknowledging the dangerous curse of his yearning, but proving himself unable to stop. "I can't win/So let's play."
4. Static-X - "Love Dump"
Some people think "Love Dump" is about anal sex or, even worse, a type of fetish that involves... god, we can't even say it, but read the title and let your mind wander to filthy places.
We have a different, more PG interpretation. To our mind, the Wisconsin Death Trip track is clearly a foul metaphor about someone who's being handed a line of crap from a manipulative lover, but the poor sap just keeps on eating it.
"Your shit's like chocolate cake/And your ass smells like a rose," Wayne Static growls, revolted by his own fixation on someone who's treating him like, well, pure shit.
3. Pantera - "This Love"
Pantera's "This Love" is a song about love, but it ain't a happy one. An all-time great breakup tell-off, it sees Philip Anselmo admitting that he feigned his love for someone who he didn't actually have serious feelings for.
Anselmo told Revolver the track could've been about "12 different girls" from his young and wild years, but he's also explained how the dark sentiments expressed within were a result of his "neglectful childhood."
"Love came from a different place, not from a relationship between two people because I never saw it as a kid, man," he said of his tumultuous home life. "And when I did, I just didn't believe it or I resented it."
2. Avenged Sevenfold - "A Little Piece of Heaven"
"A Little Piece of Heaven" is a pretty fucked-up tune — in the best way possible. The story follows a psycho boyfriend who kills his girlfriend after she denies him marriage, and then keeps her corpse around to keep her "lookin' young and preserved forever." Yuck!
However, things take a turn when the woman comes back as a zombie, kills the guy and then drags him down to the underworld where they live happily ever after as ravenous zombies.
it's definitely a killer metal love song, but you should think twice about putting this on a Valentine's Day mixtape to woo a potential lover. Shit's twisted!
1. Type O Negative - "Love You to Death"
There really can't be another No. 1, can there? When it comes to love and metal, Peter Steele is the guy, and while there're plenty of lustful goth-metal gems in Type O's catalog, it would be wrong if "Love You to Death" didn't take the top spot here.
At once gloomy and glistening, the music sets a carnal mood that Steele leans all the way into, issuing such devotional poeticisms as, "I beg to serve, your wish is my law/Now close those eyes and let me love you to death."
Fellas, start taking notes.
