Image: August Burns Red - Sleddin' Hill Album Cover [YouTube]
Today, we have some wintry metal inspiration for you! With these 10 metal and rock songs, you can perfectly usher in the cozy time of year.
Maybe you're already super excited for the Christmas season, but perhaps you're not yet in the mood for Christmas songs and multiple layers of clothing. To make your entry into winter even nicer or at least more pleasant, today we have 10 Metal and Rock songs about winter for you. With these, it will surely be easier for everyone to welcome the cold season!
1. Gojira - Born In Winter
On their 2012 album L'Enfant Sauvage, Gojira blessed us with the song "Born In Winter." It starts off very calm, with dark lyrics and vocals. Towards the middle, it gets heavier, as expected from Gojira.
"The heart you've been given in winter time
And through the bitter cold, with opened eyes
You'll find the strength to fight and stand upright"
2. Trivium - Silence In The Snow
"Silence in the Snow" was the title track of Trivium's album released in 2015. They drew inspiration for the theme from one of their tours that took them to Japan in 2007 with Heaven & Hell. Since the members of Trivium are from Florida, winter had not been a big influence on them until then. However, Japan experiences extreme snowfall annually, which left a lasting impression on Trivium. The music of their tour companions, members of Black Sabbath and none other than Ronnie James Dio, also influenced the sound of "Silence in the Snow."
3. Linkin Park - My December
A song written by Mike Shinoda, released in 2000 on their most famous album, Hybrid Theory. However, the Linkin Park song was originally written for the album The Real Slim Santa by Kevin & Bean, which is a collection of several Christmas songs. A great tip for the Christmas season, as it is a truly extensive album with contributions from artists like U2 and Blink-182!
"This is my December These are my snow-covered dreams This is me pretending This is all I need"
4. Mastodon - Cold Dark Place
The last track of a four-song EP: "Cold Dark Place" from 2017 brings you a wonderfully melancholic, calm vibe as winter sets in. You can't go wrong with progressive metal during this time of year anyway!
5. Metallica - Trapped Under Ice
Thrash metal also makes it onto the list, of course. "Trapped Under Ice" even comes from Metallica's 80s era, from their album Ride The Lightning. The track was mostly written in Copenhagen. Thematically, it's about a person who wakes up from some kind of cryosleep and finds themselves confronted with a seemingly hopeless situation.
"Frozen soul, frozen down to the core
Break the ice, I can't take anymore"
6. The Smashing Pumpkins - My Love Is Winter
Oceania is the eighth studio album by the iconic rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, and it offers an atmospheric song and nostalgic winter feelings with "My Love Is Winter". Actually, it's just an album in a much larger project: Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. So, even more relaxing rock for the cold days!
7. Weezer - December
The last song from Weezer's album Maladroit is sentimental and a winter classic for every year. Their fans especially love the live version of the song "December", which was performed even before the album's release. In any case, a great song for the quiet time at home.
8. The Doors - Wintertime Love
Ultimately, winter is also simply a time for romance. Just like you can feel it in "Wintertime Love" by The Doors. What else can you expect from songwriter Jim Morrison? If you'd rather listen to the whole album Waiting for the Sun from 1968 again, their popular song "Spanish Caravan" is also included.
"Come with me, dance, my dear
Winter's so cold this year"
9. August Burns Red - Winter Wonderland
But now let's head towards Metalcore. After all, August Burns Red released a whole album full of Christmas vibes called Sleddin' Hill in 2012! Today we've chosen "Winter Wonderland", but there are many more covers to discover on the record. For example? "Frosty the Snowman", "Jingle Bells", and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"! Fast guitar riffs combined with familiar melodies make the Christmas atmosphere perfect.
10. Tarja - Jingle Bell Rock
Even Tarja Turunen, former Nightwish singer and now a solo artist, couldn't resist interpreting a few epic songs for the dark Christmas season. If you can't imagine how symphonic metal and cheerful Christmas songs musically go together, then you should definitely listen to the albums From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas) from 2017 and the recent release Dark Christmas from November 2023! The "Jingle Bell Rock" is also from the latter album. But it gets even more cosy with "O Holy Night" and even the radio charts have an appearance with the song "All I Want for Christmas Is You"!
