. . .
A skilled lyricist can make a good song great. Samuel Coleridge-inspired lyrics make “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” unforgettable; Generals gathered in their masses / Just like witches at black masses is seared into my consciousness despite awkward repetition. Metal has evolved to the point where the best lyricists could be considered writers, even outside their songs.
. . .
10. Chris Barnes (Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under)
Barnes isn’t the best wordsmith, but he might be the most influential lyricist on the list. Every death, gore, and pornogrind band has tried to top Tomb of the Mutilated. His best work was on The Bleeding, including the family-friendly “Force Fed Broken Glass”: Wounds too deep to heal / In me / Torn trachea / Splintered skin / Down the throat / Choke/ Lungs fill with blood / As vocal chords collapse / Oral sex, with broken glass.
. . .
9. Glenn Danzig (Misfits, Samhain, Danzig)
Every metalhead can bust out a few choruses of Misfits or the lyrics to “Mother”, but Glenn did his best writing for the punk/metal/goth hybrid Samhain. “Kiss of Steel” is about the aftermath of a highway accident and having “a love affair with a Chevy in midair: Car crash / The pressing of two lips / Hard steel and an accidental death / One action does you up / Kiss of steel.
. . .
8. King Diamond
King Diamond’s wordplay isn’t superlative, but he is a singularly gifted storyteller. Demonaz of Immortal is obviously a disciple. “Abigail” is the centerpiece of his best-known concept album: Abigail, I know you’re in control of her brain, Abigail / And I know you’re the one that’s speaking through her, Abigail / Miriam, can you hear me?
. . .
Samhain – “Kiss of Steel”
. . .
7. Jacob Bannon (Converge)
Jane Doe is an album-long chronicle about a dissolving relationship. A highlight is the title track: Out of the burdening night sweats / Out of the rising seas of blood / Lost in you like Saturday nights / Searching the streets with bedroom eyes / Just dying to be saved / Run on girl, run.
. . .
6. Cris Jerue (16)
Jerue has translated his struggles with addiction into song. On “Zoloft Smile”, he writes about experiences with the popular antidepressant: Changes in the brain, depressed mood all day / Sexual dysfunction with ejaculation delay / Trapped between the good and bad / A world that does not exist / Now I’ve got control of it / The mind that cannot rest.
. . .
5. Quorthon (Bathory)
The late Quorthon was the best at tackling metal’s most well-traveled topics: Satan, war, Vikings, and the afterlife. Consider the opening of the Bathory classic “Enter the Eternal Fire”, a poignant view from a visit to hell: Leave the world of mortals to walk / Into the mist to stalk unto the other side / Plains of otherness / The utter emptiness / Where time has ceased and dark and light collide / Crossing the river of death and water cold / Slowly walking up the bridge / The jeweled bridge I walk for what seems a lifetime.
. . .
Bathory – “Enter the Eternal Fire”
. . .
4. Jon Chang (Discordance Axis, Gridlink, Hayaino Daisuki)
Chang’s short grind poems are earnest without self-absorption. His lyrics are as honest and direct as hardcore, but more thoughtful and affecting. “Use of Weapons” does fine work with a few lines: Battered arrays and jagged contours / A scaling box that beseeches me / Chamber a round into my head / From the breach.
. . .
3. Lord Worm (Cryptopsy)
Although his vocal style sparks debate, few doubt the singular power of Worm’s writing. Worm is the Dario Argento of metal, gifted with an ability to make the horrific seem beautiful. Take “Defenestration”, in which he professes his love for a woman and then throws her out of a window: Ordinarily, I’d not wish to frighten her or hurt her / But such beauty inspires one to give the gift of murder / She’s the kind of girl you want to / Run up and tackle through a window some floors up.
. . .
2. J.R. Hayes (Pig Destroyer)
Hayes is the best metal lyricist of the new century. He writes sparse but powerful prose poems. Some of his best work is on Prowler in the Yard. But “Girl in the Slayer Jacket”, about a young suicide, might be his most affecting: …the truth is her eyes / Has been dead since she was five / She just hadn’t disposed of the body.
. . .
1. Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod)
Williams, an editor at Metal Maniacs during its halcyon days and a published author, weaves minimalist tales of despair, addiction, and woe. Charles Bukowski and William Burroughs inspired him, and it shows. On “Sister Fucker”, he conjures a universe of feelings and images with few words: Screw mommy, mommy screwed / Lick golden sky like rain / My sight sees storm weather / Weathered like wood and dust / Peer into glass yellowed / Curtains are stained with smoke / Melancholy crush / In love with hurt and dust / Burn her.
. . .
Wonder what you think of Thou’s lyrics. It’s writing that can stand alone; even a reader unfamiliar with the honesty/affectiveness/memorability of the lyric’s delivery can still recognize it as good writing. Off of Peasant:
We have paved the roads that have led to our own oppression. Fear of the unknown, of rejection, has put brutes and villains in power. The fetters that restrict our arms and throats were cast by our own hands, just as we have set our own guards at the door. We drag boulders a thousand leagues to erect their palaces. We have established a system of education that celebrates sacrifice and creates generations of slaves. Hold hands in a ritual of deception. Hold hands in a ritual of desolation. Hold hands in a ritual of self destruction. We are the accomplice class: footstools for our masters, spineless bastards all.
Thou write some of my favourite lyrics ever, none more so than these.
Every hour of unpaid overtime and unappreciated hard work is soundtracked in my mind by The Work Ethic Myth.
I personally think Pete Steele of Type O Negative should be on this list as well..
Absolutely…Type O doesnt seem to be taken seriously all too often (and they’re not always meant to, methings), but when it comes to lyrics, Pete Steele is top notch. Excellent, dry sense of humor.
Agreed. How could you not include the guy who penned “Red Water (Christmas Mourning)”, “Black No. 1″, “My Girlffriend’s Girlfriend”, and “Everyone I Love Is Dead” (among many others).
Kudos on including King and Glenn, two of my all-time favorites.
This brings me back, of course, to the “do lyrics matter or not” debate. I still think they don’t matter. But I will admit there is the rare occasion that they do matter.
I agree completely. His lyrics on World Coming Down are a feast of doom and low feelings.
+1
He had what so many metal lyricists lack, a dose of self-irony. Which didn’t stop him from dealing with deep and serious issues.
Jeff Hanneman. “Chemical Warfare” contains the single greatest set of heavy metal lyrics ever penned. So vivid, so horrifying, the narrator seems to be commenting on far, far more than just human warfare…the whole of the human experience, of the human condition, of the reduction of consciousness, seems to be captured in those vivid, horrifying words. Words that crystallize what thrash metal was to be about while setting a template for both death and black metal over the next twenty-five years.
Agree strongly. Also Mandatory Suicide
“Lying, dying, screaming in pain.
Begging, pleading, bullets drop like rain”
Is an image that’s stuck with me for 20+ years and of course the classic
“Bastard sons begat your cunting daughters,
Promiscuous mothers with your incestuous fathers”
Shocking without being prurient, it’s hard to use the c-word in lyrics well (that no so, Mr Diamond and your Nuns having No Fun?)
Much agreed! Come to think of it I find pretty much all of Slayer’s lyrics fantastic. Jeff’s evocative war stories, Kerry’s anti-christian sloganeering and Tom’s serial killer and/or apocalypse ramblings… always fantastic, full of memorable lines, and perfectly complementing the music.
I enjoy Tom’s lyrics like “Dead Skin Mask” but Jeff and Kerry’s lyrics never did much for me. Riffs are another thing entirely.
meh.
there’s a distinct lack of dax riggs. i love pig destroyer as much as the next guy (probably more), but acid bath was working a lot of the same themes first. “venus blue” still sends chills down my lizard brain.
I agree with Dax. Even his solo stuff contains great lyrics. Overall though, this list is spot on I think.
Yeah, J.R. has admitted to being heavily influenced by Dax and it’s obvious.
I completely agree. Dax is one of my personal favorite song writers and vocalists.
“The fragile waves of days … they break against the shore… of all these years.”
Ah… it gets to me.
Check out Al Brown’s lyrics (singer from Dangers). I know they’re a hardcore band, but his lyrics are bloody great.
Only lists with Geezer Butler on them are real.
My Picks would be:
-Jonas Renkse from Katatonia “Quiet World” and “At Last” are some of the most heart wrenching words ever put to music.
-J.R Hayes from Pig Destroyer “Starbelly” always makes me feel glad I haven’t been through a separation like that.
-Joe Horvath from Circle of Dead Children my fave lyrics would be “Oak and Iron” and “Torches”.
-Jacob Bannon just check “This is Mine” from the Split with Agoraphobic Nosebleed, I once did sort of a “lyrics swap” with a girl where we would exchange them first and then listen to the actual song, and she couldn’t believe such poetry could be delivered that way.
-
agreed… joe’s lyrics in CODC are intelligently brutal and perfect.
in the above list, i’d get rid of barnes, kind diamond, and danzig… replace them with horvath, mike from BBTS, and steve austin.
Shit how could I forget Dax Riggs “Scream of the Butterfly” and “Jezebel”
Jon Chang has one of the most memorable lyrics ever: “I count wire guided sheep/each one an exploding bob/inhabitat peopled by the inalienable dreamless”…that’s solid gold in my opinion…
Nothing will ever beat the Quorthon solo album, re: “I’m never eating pussy again.” Laffs galore.
Lord Worm!
I was wondering if anyone would note Deathspell Omega, whoever is behind Fas and every album after is definitely one of my favorite lyricists of all time.
Without a doubt, I totally agree with the inclusion of Jon Chang and J.R. Hayes. I’ve always liked more abstract, metaphorical lyrics that you have to dissect to garner meaning. A more recent favorite of mine are the lyrics of Deathspell Omega.
Solid list…the only glaring exclusions would be Neil Fallon of Clutch, one the most gifted lyricists in any genre in my opinion, and Harvey Milk’s Creston Spiers…granted, Clutch isn’t all that metal anymore, but Fallon has a way with words…others: Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Dave Wyndorf (Monster Magnet), Alex Newport (Fudge Tunnel).
Man, i love Harvey Milk, but i wish they would include a lyrics sheet with their vinyl albums! i believe the only one that came with the lyrics was “My Love is Higher than Your Assessment of What my Love Could Be.” Otherwise, i can’t make out a word he’s saying.
Jon Chang and JR Hayes are amazing. I think I like Chang’s Gridlink lyrics even better than the old DA ones, but either way they’re always so emotional and full of interesting imagery.
Some other good ones:
Today is the Day’s Steve Austin (the mans sounds legitimately insane)
Chuck Schuldiner (he got a little pretentious at times but it usually worked)
Joey DeMaio (Metal’s finest unintentional comedian)
James Hetfield (he wrote the lyrics on the classic trilogy, right? obviously the lyrics took an even more severe nosedive than the music did but on RtL, MoP and Justice they were fantastic)
I’ve always been partial to Chuck Schuldiner’s lyrics as well.
I agree with Luis about Joe Horvath. Circle of Dead Children have some of my favorite lyrics!
I’m surprised no one mentioned Alan Averill yet. Both Primordial and Blood Revolt have thoughtful and well-written lyrics.
Two other favorites of mine would be KK and Chuck Keller of Destroyer 666 and Ares Kingdom respectively.
From “A Stand Definant” on D666’s Defiance album:
“Some believe that without hope man is surely lost.
I, on the other hand, will gladly cut the rope.
On to all those disillusioned souls,
drunk with desire – narcissistic fools!
Courage of our convictions we do not lack
lack of desperation holds us back.
Each one tied to his own ideal,
so spare me your piety: I’ll see you all in Hell!”
i’m not sure who wrote the bulk of the lyrics for entombed, but wolverine blues and to ride…. have some of my favorite words in all of metaldom. i seem to remember reading in interviews that LG does not write lyrics, i think it was alex who wrote most or all of them but i could be wrong.
also seconded on Schuldiner, i think he wrote some great words.
I am glad to see good old Q-Bert is on the list. The lyrics were always the best part of Bathory. Chris Barnes though? Yeesh.
I damn thee for leaving Martn Walkyier and Mikael Stanne out of the list, you silly person.
Please don’t crucify me… but I really love the combination of Warrel Dane and Jeff Loomis lyrics. Warrel created absolutely incredible lyrics on the Dead Heart In A Dead World & Dreaming Neon Black albums. Also, the combination of Dane and Loomis lyrics on the Godless Endeavor album were brilliant. But just IMHO.
I’d swap out Chris Barnes for whoever wrote lyrics for Khanate…
“Under a bed, a leg and a saw, red teeth gnaw
No more whine, no more whine, quiet time
No more whine…”
“pieces of us in my hands, on the floor, in my pockets
RED GLORY”
“This is my house
Mine for now
This is happening…
I can’t have?
Who says I can’t have?
Closer come closer
Almost home
Almost home
One step closer to nowhere
Closer come closer
Almost home
Almost home
My home
My house
Basement”
“It went down bad
And it’s a sad life
When angels break
So easily
I was bad
And it’s a sad life
When clean hands go foul”
That’s some fucked-up minimalism right there – like Michael Gira without any light or hope whatsoever.
Some of the lyrics presented here are amazing – I had no idea Pig Destroyer, Cryptopsy, or Eyehategod had lyrics this good, mostly because in recordings, all you hear is BLLLEAARRUUUGGGHHHHH. I know it’s part of the aesthetic, but it’s a shame because they’re much better than what the average observer would think metal lyrics were like.
YES! Alan Dubin’s lyrics and vocals for Khanate are inhuman! Pieces of Quiet is such a fantastic song. I love all of the first album, the others are kinda patchy but “Commuted” is another vocal/lyrical masterpiece
Alan Dubin’s lyrics are chilling as hell, but when I hear his unique delivery it LITERALLY chills me to the bone.
SICKEN… SICKEN… Too Close Enough to Touch!!!
How about that shushing shit he does on (I can’t remember the name of the song)?
i think just like the music itself the words/lyrics are highly subjective, some guys self indulgent drivel is another ones touching poetry.
The point of any list article, is of course, to ignore the article and leap straight into the “I can’t believe you didn’t include X” fray in the comments. I see I’ve been beaten to Alan Averill and Dax Riggs, but another name that would be amongst the first added to any list of my own would be that of Lee Dorrian.
OK, now I might actually read the article…
I can’t believe you didn’t include X
This should be a shirt. The back should be like a jersey: Internet Warrior 01.
Wino and Dave Chandler of Saint Vitus wrote some of the most bluntly honest and heartfelt lyrics that can really pull at your heart’s strings.
Jason Byron (maudlin of the Well/Kayo Dot)
I had it on good authority that JR Hayes has ‘written a book’ – be it a novel or what have you I don’t know – but decided against publishing it…
I back Chang hard, his lyrics to “Loveless” are some of my favorite.
I’d also add Tom Warrior as a gifted storyteller, particularly on To Mega Therion and Into the Pandemonium. Strong narratives on those.
I’d also add Jonah Jenkins, whose whose wordplay on Only Living Witness’ Prone Mortal Form album take things to a new level. Even when he took a different angle on their follow-up, Innocents, his word choices still stick out.
Tomas Haake
Trevor Strnad has some good ones.
sorry but pat walker and john cobbett soundly trounce anyone on this list.
Why is Phil Labonte not on here
is that the right wing flag waver guy from that shitty all that remains band?
Lord Worm, hands down.
His best lyric IMO(from Slit Your Guts)
“Permit me to introduce you to
“Tuesday”…
I favor her, this pretty blade
So tall and fine;
Hatred and violence are not
Our ways, but firm we are;
Squirming is useless, so is this
Colon, cry for me.”
Ross Dolan is also underrated, largely because of Immo’s persistent anti-christian content, see “I Feel Nothing”
The lack of Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till is insane, especially considering the one-dimensionality of Jake Bannon(I love Converge but get some Zoloft and get over it already!) and Chris Barnes and the dude from 16 are just plain silly by comparison.
I would argue Mikael Akerfeldt. Bleak, Blackwater Park, anything off of Deliverance, Plus they have two concept albums with great storytelling.
Martn Walkyier, John Cobbett, Mike Scalzi, Mark Shelton
Hell yes, on all four counts.
Martin Walkyier is must on this sort of list.
There’s far more going on with his lyrics than Skyclad-ish puns.
//TB
Absolutely agreed. I would go even further and say that he deserves one of the top three positions (together with Peter Steele). He is an intelligent, witty and extremely well educated lyricist. Not to mention, extremely political (and not in the idiotic fascist way, which is the usual case in metal). Kind of like a thinking man’s Bruce Dickinson. I dare anyone to find metal verses smarter than these:
“Though I may seem callous” cried old Thomas Malthus,
“Paupers are better off dead.
That we have to feed them is something we need
Like a musket shot straight through the head.”
Not much of a smiler – our man Wat Tyler
(Died for the working man’s fight).
Was daring such a treason a justified reason
For ending his days with his head on a spike?
In order to see pearly factory gates -
We all learn our places (pre-destined fates).
God fearing people with minimal goals,
Led to the slaughter – “tools with souls”.
Save us from hellfire -
Save us from dancing the Brimstone Ballet.
When the church and its leaders sought new ways to bleed us -
It didn’t take them long to find,
Fear of perdition beats nuclear
Fission at making the mill-wheels grind.
Ban contraception – a shrewd move says I
Plenty of slaves born to suffer and die.
Say “Go forth and multiply” when you want more.
When you’ve too many just send them to war
History’s wounds will not heal overnight -
They pray for my soul as they set me alight.
Remember the maxim “Arbeit Macht Frei” -
Thought up by a christian with God on his side…
It’s a hell made by christians with God on their side.
The work goes on in babylon -
Enslaving us from birth,
With promises of paradise -
They’ve made a hell on earth.
Save us from hellfire -
Save us from dancing the Brimstone Ballet.
Well I think that Satan was God’s best creation -
He’s kept him in business for years.
It’s not common sense making mankind repent -
But eternal damnation it fears.
They’re not slow to realise – they know every trick.
Drive human donkeys with God on a stick.
Tom Torquemada – he sings like a dream,
Lucrecia Borgia plays lead tambourine.
In order to see pearly factory gates -
We all learn our places (pre-destined fates).
God fearing people with minimal goals,
Led to the slaughter – “tools with souls!”
Save us from hellfire -
Save us from dancing the Brimstone Ballet.
yo who write the words for biohazurd? that guy is dope, 2nd guy is madball! demonstarting my styles all over you bitches
Evan Seinfeld is too busy shooting porn with girls just out of high school.
I was worried you might forget Mike IX but I’m very glad you didn’t. He’s one of the best lyricists I’ve ever seen period, the guy has a way with words.
Mike is on a different level when it comes to lyrics/poetry. He’d be a legitimate writer without music.
I pretty much said just that over at Metal Sucks. It’s completely true though, Mike could’ve had a legitimate career as a poet or an author if it weren’t for EHG.
Keith Deen (Holy Terror), A.A. Nemtheanga (Primordial, Blood Revolt), Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel’s lyrics), Kenn Nardi (Anacrusis), R. (False, Atraveho), Audrey Sylvain (Amesoeurs), Laurie Shanaman (Ludicra), and Jeff Hayden (Timeghoul). I’d toss in Mr. Liebling and Mr. Osbourne if they weren’t so hit and miss beyond their early musical career.
Lee Dorian, Mike Scalzi, Wino, Patrick Walker, whoever writes for Deathspell Omega, Ronnie James Dio
I’ve always thought Bolt Thrower had the best war lyrics by far.
And as someone mentioned, lyrics are subjective to the point of absurdity. Ex: I’ve always been glad Jake Bannon is completely unintelligible.
Eventhough I don’t think deftones are “completely” metal, Chino Moreno’s lyrics kick the shit out of most of those listed above.
Jeff Walker of Carcass deserves far more praise than Chris Barnes.
Pete Steele, Alan Dubin, and Lord Worm all resonate quite well with me; I’d also say that, for what it’s worth, Matt Pike has it down in terms of outright metal-ness (“DROP OUT OF LIFE WITH BONG IN HAND, FOLLOW THE SMOKE TO THE RIFF FILLED LAND” is a killer fucking verse). I also really enjoy the work of A. Lundr from Seidr and Panopticon:
“There is no God in buildings
This divisive, cunning method of control
Ignorance. Oblivion. Ungratefulness and greed
Forever wanting more when the table buckles from building plates so over filled with the beauty of this world
Death is my final gift
The leaves that fall nourish the soil with their decomposition and the oak will feed from itself again…
And the world thrives
Relish the wilderness
There are no forests in your Heaven
Because Heaven is within”
And, of course, Buzz Osbourne is always good for a laugh (“los tic a toe ray, might like a sender doe ree”=lulz)
Wouldn’t it be more interesting to have a top 10 WORST metal lyricists list, where we pick out the most pretentious and terribly worded writers in existence with English as a first language?
I also think the WORST metal lyricists would be fun. Maybe just the worst lyrics period. I think some of the lyricists on this list may have penned some of the worst lyrics as well as the best. Sometimes the best lyrics are also the worst.
I’m looking at you Danzig.
That’s no different than the best authors. Hemingway wrote a few bombs. Lord Byron had his share of clunkers. Even those capable of doing amazing work often fall far short of their best achievements.
is this list a joke?
All worthy picks, though I’ve never even so much as heard of the band 16.
One that was not mentioned on the list (though earlier in the comments) that I like a lot would be Trevor Strnad. He’s up there with Lord Worm in terms of poetic, elegant lyricism IMO.
“I’ve lurked into the graveyard
With pick and spade in tow
This night shall birth forth our reckoning
Hell’s jaws now open wide
A stare to pierce six-feet of soil
A love beyond this mortal coil
As though you’ve never left my side
I hold your stiffened body so close to me
For years I’ve lived in dreams
Awake I felt as dead
As my cold and bloodless bride to be”
The song is about “fucking the dead” in his own words. Also, To a Breathless Oblivion:
“The chair’s been kicked, a rope tied to the rafters
Blue faced and broken necked I sigh,
relieving my vision from the sick mocking stare
of that hated sun, burning the sky.
Slumped like a headless scarecrow,
cold and limp against the wall
Blood paints a pattern of Rorschach’s design
thawing the winter that burdens this heart.
Shit stained and shameful,
an exit in disgrace
Not a splash but just a ripple left
I end this life in vain
in vain”
Also, in regards to Pat Walker, IMO his lyrics are a bit hit and miss, kind of hard to make sense of and at times the phrasing is a bit awkward, however the ideas/emotions conveyed by them are powerful indeed, and his delivery is BREATHTAKING.
you left off Mikael Åkerfeldt one of the most gifted lyricists in metal right now.
Meh @ everything.
Good lyricism is not about coming up with convoluted pseudo-poetic expressions.
It’s about coming up with lyrics that are both deep and thoughtful AND sing-alongable.
Like James Hetfield’s on …And Justice for All (even though the music in the album sucks and does not allow for singing along as much as MoP does):
from title track:
Halls of Justice Painted Green
Money Talking
Power Wolves Beset Your Door
Hear Them Stalking
Soon You’ll Please Their Appetite
They Devour
Hammer of Justice Crushes You
Overpower
from Eye of the Beholder:
Do You Fear What I Fear?
Living Properly
Truths to You Are Lies to Me
Do You Choose What I Choose?
More Alternatives
Energy Derives from Both the plus and Negative
Do You Need What I Need?
Boundaries Overthrown
Look Inside to Each His Own
Do You Trust What I Trust?
Me, Myself and I
Penetrate the Smoke Screen I See Through the Selfish Lie
Or Mille Petrozza on Enemy of God:
from title track:
Trapped Orwellian races
Gather united in grief
Nothing is left from the World they have known
Grotesque indifferent belief
Systems have failed
Rules can’t control
Corrupt dictators forever dethroned
Lies of the Priest
Trust of the Blind
Failure of structures manipulate deviant crimes
from Voices of the Dead:
Are you willing to pay the price
To see what the future will bring
Here in the place where the weak become strong
And the lowest of life become kings
All are lost in euphoria
No failure or earthly disease
Glorious and proud, stands the beggar now crowned
Who once lived a life on his knees
from The Ancient Plague:
Patriots and Warfare
Demonstrating arrogance
Superior armys waiting for their final call to arms
Winds of mayhem choirs for the final pestilence
A gospel rapture battlecry of barbarians
Yeah.
Cronos
Lemmy
Sean Harris
Buck Dharma and/or Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult
Fenriz and Jonas Renkse have their moments for sure too.
Also Samael’s ‘Ceremony of Opposites’ and December Wolves’ ‘Completely Dehumanized’ are the fucking black heart of 90s lyrics from actual metal bands (I don’t count Eyehategod and Converge.) Throw ‘Omnio’ from In the Woods on that list as well.
Nice to see Warrel Dane and Keith Deen mentioned in the comments. And yeah, Slayer’s lyrics are better than anything on the original list, except maybe Danzig’s lyrics for the Misfits, but that’s not metal.
The only other name I would throw out is Gezol, of Sabbat and Metaluficer. Unique and exotic, kind of dreamlike, just like the band.
Now we’re talkin’.
Lemmy, for fuckin’ sure. These days I read Motorhead albums before I hear them.
I dunno about Slayer, man. Especially the later stuff, when Kerry King started really taking over…eesh.
I also agree that Converge, however great they are, aren’t metal.
This is Cosmo’s “that band isn’t metal” week.
old slayer had killer lyrics,but yeah when kerry king took over that shit is garbage
Modern Life Is War had absolutely great lyrics on their Witness album, true masterpieces of post-modern society angst and desperation.
Also I’ve been an age-long fan of the Northern Irish band Therapy? Andy Cairns is a great lyric-writer.
Has there seriously not been ONE SINGLE MENTION of John Arch in this whole discussion? I formally banish each and every one of you from the hall.
Good picks, but how could you neglect Gene Hoglan??? His lyrics in Dark Angel are collegiate, tongue-twisting epics!
I read through the list thinking “He can’t have left out J.R. Hayes, no way.” and there he was alongside Mike X at the top.
“Here is a boy with paper skin who longs to touch the girl of broken glass.” from Junkyard God for example is genius if you ask me.
I wanted to ask about Mike X and the Eyehategod lyrics though. Seems I’ve never been able to find them anywhere when I’ve searched. Most discussions on forums ended with him making them up as he goes along live and things like that.
Are they from the Cancer As A Social Activity book, perhaps? I’ve got it but have only browsed through it a bit and did notice stuff that might well be lyrics for EHG songs.
@wolf — Thanks for reading. If you dive into “Cancer” you’ll find a lot of EHG lyrics woven in with other material. Definitely worth a complete read.
For a little background on me, I listen to metal and good clever hip hop, so use/abuse of the English language is something I actually look for in my music as well as groove and brutality.
Someone above mentioned Neil Fallon of Clutch, and I raise a beer to you!!! Unreal lyrics. But…
Hands down, the person who has best twisted the English language, and how the fuck he isn’t on this list… Is Danny Filth. ESPECIALLY on the album Midian…
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/cradleoffilth/midian.html#2
Just read it… Don’t even listen, that’s just good poetry right there… Just sayin’.
Ryan Lipynsky from Unearthly Trance/Howling Wind. His words are thought provoking and at times disturbing. +1 on Mike Scalzi and classic-era James Hetfield.
…Well, i’m sorry but Immolation has the greatest lyrics in death metal. And one of the best in heavy metal. Check out “Father, you’re not a father”
I agree on Jacob Bannon but would trade a lot of the names above for Peter Steele.
Mike Dafferner formerly of Neck, now Car Bomb
Now how can you have a list without phil anselmo has anyone listened to fucking hostile or ill cast a shadow . I mean seriously. He should have been on the list . Hell what about the lyrics on either superjoint album now that’s some shit .
quorthon should be numero uno
i cant believe no one has mentioned Fenriz,his lyrics are excellent
and Mike IX can write like a motherfucker
I also agree that Peter Steele is a great lyricist.
was*
Surprised that Chuck Schuldiner isn’t on the list.
JR Hayes’ lyrics are actually kinda worrisome. It’s like I’m reading someone’s diary but I really, really shouldn’t be.
No Dani Filth? Is that a joke? He tells epic stories in the CLASSICAL sense. Long, sweeping narratives that you can actually follow. Listen to Saffron’s Curse for fuck’s sake.
Why do these lists always inspire people to suggest, ‘i think ‘whoever’ should be on the list’? It’s Justin M. Norton’s list, and his alone, not a absolute, canonising attempt to define the top ten best metal lyricists. A more constructive use of time would be to guess what the ‘M’ in his name stands for. I’m going for Mechanical.
The reason for these list article is to inspire exactly this type of conversation. It’s second only to publishing egregiously boneheaded opinion pieces as a way for a blog to drive up pageviews. Get a good argument going in the comments and people will be back for more. Click click! Gotta pay the bills.
Also, who would call a child “Mechanical”? It’s clearly “Mighty”.
I’m very very confused that nobody has mentioned Chris Reifert. Baffling omission of a master wordsmith with a twisted sense of the grotesque.
Although Steele has been mentioned at least a half dozen times, I’ll mention him again. A true poet when he had tongue firmly in cheek (ala Xero Tolerance/Kill You Tonight, I Like Goils), sung about self-destruction (Dead Again, White Slavery), or bantered about losing loved ones & lost loves (Red Water, The Dream is Dead).
And Maynard too. I love angry Maynard (Intolerance, Hooker with a Penis), self-reflective Maynard (Stinkfist, Reflection), and him recalling past drug trips (Third Eye, Rosetta Stoned). But I like this one the best (from H.):
And as the walls come down and
As I look in your eyes
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of the times
I have died
and will die
It’s all right
I don’t mind
I don’t mind
I don’t mind
I am too connected to you to
Slip away, to fade away
Days away I still feel you
Touching me, changing me,
And considerately killing me
where the hell is tomas haake on this list???
Brent Oberlin from Thought Industry wrote consistently dazzling lyrics. They got exponentially better when TI stopped playing metal. I hesitate to say “Joycean,” but hey…
also John Mortimer from Holocaust, especially on The Courage to Be. Lyrics about abstract philosophical concepts usually turn me off at the same time that they spark my interest, but there’s a lot of feeling in Mortimer’s stuff.
The dude from Babylon Whores has some great stuff to his name. Managed to weave a vast number of historical/literary/occult references into colorful rhymes, punctuated with strangely badass rock’n'roll catch phrases. “Baby I will grow for you from a tree, burning with glory!”
I will always take Mr. Kilmister’s word for it that Motorhead ain’t metal. So my favored metal lyricists are Ian Gillan, Joey Demaio, Phil Anselmo, King Fowley, John Weston, James Hetfield, Danzig, Sakis, Snake, and Proscriptor.
“her parents tried to sue Slayer
they blamed her boyfriend and PCP…
but the truth is her eyes had been dead since she was five
she just haven`t disposed of her body.”
How many lyricists actually use another bands fame to drive their stories?
“…My name is anonymous I taste like everyone medication burns the last five percent.”
“..I feel like a zombie who refuses to live haunting the junkyards and cutting myself on you..”
“..She used to be so radiant so sexy when she laughs now her eyes they look like grave sites as she speaks in epitaphs.”
Solid list love Eyehategod and Pig Destroyer
This list is kinda bad.
None of the snippets you quoted were particularly inspiring, and the #1 example was actively cringe-inducing. It’s just unremarkable misanthropy and bile, like I’ve heard in hundreds of metal songs before, together with a jumbled bunch of none-too-vivid surrealist imagery. It doesn’t conjure “a universe of feeling and images”; it’s unmemorable, does not contain any clever rhyming or wordplay (or even rhyming at all), and worst of all, it’s simply incoherent. What’s he even trying to get across? It’s a mess.
Most of your other examples were similarly bad. “Lord Worm’s” (ugh) in particular; it wasn’t beautiful, it was ridiculous. His use of language wasn’t poetic, it was straightforward and pedestrian, but coupled with the over-the-top subject matter, it became so melodramatic I actually laughed out loud.
Jerue’s and J.R. Hayes’s excerpts were the best of these. Jerue’s at least rhymed — which isn’t something I demand or anything, free verse is a respectable lyrical style, but it’s cool and fairly impressive when a musician can string together a rhyme that doesn’t seem forced. Hayes’s wasn’t brilliant prose poetry, but his minimalist style was effective here; simple and direct and honest enough to be affecting. That’s the only entry on this list I was actually impressed enough with that I’ll check him out in more detail later.
I love metal, but I almost always just tune out what they’re saying, because it’s almost always bad (in fairness, I don’t like many lyricists in other genres either.) I read through most of the comments here, thought a lot of the excerpts people posted were bad, some were better than others, none made me sit up and go “wow.” If any of ya’ll are interested, I’d like to talk about this; I’d be absolutely thrilled to find a metal lyricist I actually liked.
No Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, Blackie Lawless, Alice Cooper, Stevo Dobbins or King Fowley?
Come on, Pig Destroyer sucks! Discordance Axis and Converge are for posers, hipsters and indie wimps! This list blows!
No Kirk Windstein? This list is a joke.
TOMAS HAAKE!
The man is a genius with words…A no bullshit, no pretension approach coupled with excellent vocabulary and an extraordinary imagination…This is one of so many brilliant examples, this song basically discusses the herd mentality:
“Listen to the hidden tune
- The essence of lies in notes defined
As we dance to the dissonant sway
- The choreography refined
Will subdued and shackled
Reason washed aside
Pledging our love to the chains
Our ignorance ever-amplified
Blooded hands lead the waltz
We’re trapped in the out of tune swirl
Still we set the show on continue mode
And dance to a discordant system
We accept the nails we’re fed
- Lies sharpened to bleed us silent
Muted from the pains
Defiance employed in vain
Any attempts to leave the dance,
Invisibly suppressed
Questions unasked, we learn learn the steps
- Eyes shut like all the rest
Unsuspecting, willing, blind, controllable herd
Pawns in a covert game conducted by hands we trust
Dominated, compliant and deceptable
Confident that we matter – we don’t see that we’re but dust
Committed to a lie we cannot see, cannot know nor comprehend
We’re all asinine drones kept in the dark, kept in line
Confined, Bereft of reason
Withering in toxicity
- The deadly fumes of deceit
And we all reek of complicity
Humbled, brought to our knees
By the weight of our own guilt
Our nescient ways the catalyst
To injustice and inhumanity
We dance – to appease
Compete in stupidity
Obscured faces file our points
- Numbers fed to the machine
Still we stand in line for the next show
The human spine liquefied
What are we, but stupefied
Dancers to a discordant system
We believe – so we’re misled
We assume – so we’re played
We confide – so we’re deceived
We trust – so we’re betrayed”
-Dancers To A Discordant System (Obzen 2008)