I try not to be preoccupied with death, but, man, it’s tough. Thankfully, I have heavy metal to distract me. Most of the time.
A lot of metal music leans into fears or anxieties around dying, which can be…soothing, in a way. Engaging with the worry makes it feel less paralyzing. Through this, I’ve learned to face that fear by pinpointing a few songs that I hope I get to listen to on my deathbed, before leaving this beautiful/miserable world forever.
‘Now You’ve Got Something to Die For’ by Lamb of God
This is a natural start for me. Do I know that the true meaning of the song really has no relevance to my life? Yes. It seems to essentially be a disavowal of the U.S. government’s warmongering.
I’ve just always loved Lamb of God, and this feels like a great way to herald the Death Rattle.
‘No Leaf Clover’ by Metallica
Look, Metallica’s “No Leaf Clover” isn’t an upbeat choice either, but I love it so much. It’s honestly one of my favorite Metallica songs, and I refuse to apologize for that.
The chorus is just so direct: “Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel was just a freight train coming your way.”
When you’re in that bed, waiting for the end, death is just a freight train, and you’re lying on the tracks.
‘In This River’ by Black Label Society
Released less than a year after the tragic death of Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, “In This River” is a heartfelt dedication to the late heavy metal icon from his close friend, Zakk Wylde. It is not, however, about Dimebag, because Wylde actually wrote it months before his death.
Wylde has been quoted by Blabbermouth as saying of the song: “The river is a metaphor for life in general, all the bullshit that you deal with from being a kid growing up. The whole thing’s just about life and death.”
There’s just such palpable reflection in this song. When I listen to it, I think of friends I’ve lost and family I’ve lost. I see this as an opportunity for quiet contemplation before quietly shuffling loose this mortal coil.
‘Elegy’ by Becoming The Archetype
This is the one hope to go out on at a ripe old age.
I have been a fan of Becoming The Archetype since they were The Remnant, and I remember the first time I ever heard “Elegy”. I got the Terminate Damnation CD early because my future in-laws worked at a music distribution company that carried Solid State Records albums. Anytime they got music their daughter’s metalhead boyfriend would like, they kindly sent it my way.
I had just seen BTA play with Mortal Treason and…maybe The Showdown? It was at the old Rocketown in Nashville. I spent a long time talking with Jon Star, who played guitar in the band spanning about two decades, with a two-year break from 2006-07. We had a really great conversation about metal, he gave me a free t-shirt, and I walked away an even bigger fan.
From the very first time I put Terminate Damnation, I knew it would be an all-timer for me. It spoke to me, at my core, the way other heavy metal just didn’t. The biggest standout, as you can tell, was “Elegy”. Broken into three sections and featuring guest vocals from Demon Hunter’s Ryan Clark, it was more than a song to me. It was an epic, cascading, revitalizing balm. It nurtured my very spirit. And it continued to do so 20 years later.
When I lie, weak and dying, hopefully as an old man who’s seen the world and done right by my family, I pray this is the last piece of music that my ears let me hear before a fade into that good night.
The post 4 Heavy Metal Songs I Will Take To My Deathbed appeared first on VICE.
