Each week, HEAVY will run a fresh list of 15 things to do with metal. They could be anything from metal karaoke songs to bands that have been banned from playing to horror-themed metal bands. You name it, if there are 15 or more of them out there, then HEAVY will assemble them into a list for you! This week’s list is Metal Karaoke Songs. What’s more, at the bottom of each weekly list, we will tell you the subject of next week’s list and how you can use it to win yourself a signed CD from Better Noise Music artists.
We’ve all done it after a few too many sherbets or anything else that gives you Dutch courage. Sure, some of us are good at it, but more often than not, we’re not. But we think we are! Yes, heavy metal karaoke is a thing, and HEAVY has compiled a list of the favourite metal karaoke tunes from around the world (in no particular order). Check them out, and try not to sing…
TALK DIRTY TO ME – POISON
Talk Dirty to Me is a song from American glam metal band Poison. Released on February 18, 1987, it was the second single from their debut album, Look What The Cat Dragged In. It is a typical glam rock track from Poison, but it seems to get even sleazier on the karaoke floor:
CC, pick up that guitar and TALK TO ME!
LIVING ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI
Living On A Prayer is a song by U.S rock outfit Bon Jovi from their third studio album, Slippery When Wet. It is a catchy, anthemic rock track that screams out to anyone who has ever chased a dream.
Take my hand, and we’ll make it, I swear
FREAK ON A LEASH – KORN
Freak On A Leash is a song by nu metal pioneers, Korn, featured on the group’s 1998 studio album, Follow the Leader. This track got many an impressionable youth into nu-metal, with the film clip chasing a bullet around while the band is playing, still a classic. The funniest part about watching people try to sing this song at karaoke is when they try to replicate Jonathan Davis mumbling Boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma, Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma
WAR PIGS – BLACK SABBATH
As the opening track of the influential Black Sabbath album, Paranoid, War Pigs was originally titled Walpurgis, which would have been a hell of a lot more difficult to demand of the person running karaoke after you have had a few. The image of friends standing hugging each other – or holding each other up – screaming GENERALS GATHERED IN THEIR MASSES… is something that will haunt me forever.
BALLS TO THE WALL – ACCEPT
Balls to the Wall is a song by German heavy metal band Accept. It was released as the lead single from their 1983 studio album of the same name. The anthemic title track is the album’s best-known song, and quickly became Accept‘s signature song. An accompanying music video was made that received airplay on MTV, which is likely how it became popular for karaoke kids. It’s still amazing how many people singing this track at karaoke can’t help but laugh when they sing You’ll get your balls to the wall, man. Balls to the wall, balls to the wall
ONE STEP CLOSER – LINKIN PARK
One Step Closer is a song by U.S rockers Linkin Park, released as the debut single from their debut album, Hybrid Theory. The song, with dual vocalists, is tailor-made for karaoke, but few can pull off the words with the same intensity as Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington. But it is funny to see two people up there trying to sing individual parts and messing them up.
Cause I’m one step closer to the edge, and I’m about to break
THE SOUND OF SILENCE – DISTURBED
The Sound of Silence is a song by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. But not many of today’s youth would believe that, because to them, it’s a song by Disturbed. Despite it being their mellowest song by far, it remains very much a staple of Disturbed‘s live set. The track has also taken off in the world of karaoke, possibly because people get more emotional after a few…
Hello darkness, my old friend…
ENTER SANDMAN – METALLICA
Enter Sandman is one of the more commercial songs by Metallica and is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist and guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child’s nightmares. It is a highly easy ballad to sing along to, with the threat of things that go bump in the night also endearing it to karaoke kids.
Sleep with one eye open. Gripping your pillow tight
SWEET CHILD OF MINE – GUNS ‘N ROSES
Sweet Child Of Mine is one of the earlier songs from Guns N’ Roses, released on their debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). Essentially a love song, it is given added sting by Slash‘s guitar brilliance and a strong vocal performance from a young Axl Rose. Watching people with Dutch courage try to dance like Axl with the whole slow hip gyration thing happening is a must-see on the karaoke circuit, with hearing people try to sing like Axl a close second.
Where do we go? Where do we go now?
HOLY DIVER – DIO
Holy Diver was the lead single from Dio’s debut album of the same name. Ronnie James Dio is a God and considered by many to be a gateway into metal, so karaoke kids everywhere think that if they can nail Holy Diver, then they automatically earn their metal stripes. Not many do.
Holy Diver, you’ve been down too long in the midnight sea. Oh, what’s becoming of me?
EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU – UGLY KID JOE
Everything About You is a song by Ugly Kid Joe, originally from their 1991 EP, As Ugly as They Wanna Be. The pop-metal song gained popularity after being featured in the 1992 hit film Wayne’s World and was later included on the band’s full-length debut album, America’s Least Wanted, which was also released in 1992. The whole Wayne’s World global success made this track something sung by the cool kids, and it went on to almost immediate rotation in the karaoke clubs.
I don’t like a thing about your Mother. And I, I hate your Daddy’s guts too.
HIGHER – CREED
Higher is a song by U.S. crooners, Creed, released on August 31, 1999, as the lead single from their second studio album, Human Clay. The song became the band’s breakthrough hit and went straight onto karaoke playlists everywhere. To this day, debate rages over whether or not true metal fans are allowed to like Creed, but if a song gets people into metal, then we say go for it!
Let’s go there. Let’s make our escape.
BREAK STUFF – LIMP BIZKIT
The song that has, and always will, divide opinion. It has been blamed for inciting riots and violence, with some festival organisers refusing to have Limp Bizkit on the bill, just in case they play it, and it causes shit. Watching karaoke kids try and get their metal staunchness on when singing this has made me LOL on a number of occasions, but you still can’t help but sing along.
If my day keeps going this way, I might break your fucken face tonight!
AERIALS – SYSTEM OF A DOWN
Aerials Is the third single from System Of A Down‘s second album, Toxicity. The song hit number one on both Billboard’s Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock charts and was System of a Down‘s first number-one hit, which may explain why and how it made it to the world of karaoke.
Cause we are the ones that wanna play. Always wanna go, but you never wanna stay.
ROCK N ROLL ALL NIGHT – KISS
Let’s face it, we have all been guilty of singing a KISS song in the shower at some stage of our lives, so why shouldn’t their songs make it into the jukebox on wheels? There were a number of songs we could have chosen for KISS, but this one takes the prize because it reiterates something important to all of us.
I wanna rock and roll all night, and party every day!
Next week, HEAVY will be assembling a list of 15 Bands Your Parents Hate and if you want to be in the running to win one of three weekly draws for a signed CD from Better Noise Music artists, including Cory Marks whose album Sorry For Nothing Volume 2 is out now, simply sign up to the free weekly digimag HERE. Then email [email protected] and tell us three bands you think should be in our list of 15 Bands Your Parents Hate. Please put Bands Your Parents Hate in the subject area. Existing subscribers just have to email the three bands. Does it get any easier?
