Metal Singers Get All Christmas-y
Plus: A must-read story from one of our fellow writers
Anthony Overs, who started the “Beginners Guide to Heavy Metal” series with a beautiful overview of early and classic metal, was recently ambushed by his long-running battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Along the way, he completed writing an article about his experience with an advanced surgical treatment for the illness. It is courageous writing and compelling reading, to say the least!
I’m trying to keep the ball rolling with posts about some metal artists I like, but can’t wait to have Anthony back in the groove and leading the charge.
Consider this Part 4 of the Beginner’s Guide. It’s short but relevant to the season.
Every year at this time, I post some of my favorite “unconventional” Christmas songs. There are plenty to choose from, including a lot that are satirical or vulgar. Some play it for laughs (Elton John, Twisted Sister, and many others have done it). Others play it straight (Elvis did a whole album that way). Quite a few have added a little spice (Eartha Kitt, anyone?)
This time around, since we are in the middle of a series on heavy metal, it was a nice opportunity to feature a couple of favorite Christmas songs performed by my favorite metal singer. These fall into the category of playing it straight.
Floor Jansen is a walking, singing paradox. She is considered by many to be the reigning queen of metal vocals, yet she also performs pop, classical, and even country songs. Her voice has tremendous power, yet she can sing with exquisite tenderness. Her metal persona is at times overwhelming, yet people frequently describe her as comforting, even maternal.
Jansen’s fans liken her to a modern-day Valkyrie. The Valkyries were the shield maidens of Odin, who swept down from the skies and scooped up dying soldiers to take them to heaven. Jansen has given a generation of hardened, often cynical metalheads permission to cry at concerts. I know — I’ve seen and experienced her effect in person.
She has participated for many years in an annual Finnish metal Christmas festival, “Raskasta Joulua.” These two clips are from the 2019 edition of the festival.
“Ave Maria”
The three most famous Ave Marias are by Bach, Vavilov/Caccini, and Schubert. Schubert’s is probably the most popular and (to most people) recognizable of the three. Ironically, it was not originally a religious song per se, but it has since been modified and re-interpreted hundreds of times and is now a Christmas staple.
Here is one of my favorite renditions by Jansen and Finnish baritone Marko Hietala. He also happens to be a world-class multi-instrumentalist and Jansen’s former bandmate in Nightwish. Here, he sings in Finnish; she sings her part in Latin and English.
“O Holy Night”
To me, the most awe-inspiring Christmas music is the liturgical music initially composed for performance in churches. As a kid, I sang in a choir, where we performed pieces by Händel, Brahms, and other classical composers. I like to think we did them at least a little bit of justice!
On the other hand, most Christmas carols are of recent vintage and are musically very simple. A disturbing number of them have become widely used as advertising jingles, but that’s another matter. The fascinating thing about the following clip is that it takes a sentimental old favorite and gives it the grandeur and awe one gets from classical church music.
The trappings we associate with Christmas in the West were largely adapted from Germanic pagan rituals, so it is apt that a Northern European metal Christmas would have a vaguely pagan feel. I’m not religious, but Floor Jansen singing “O Holy Night” in Finnish is almost enough to make a believer of me!
In his article linked above, Anthony included a photo of himself giving the metal “horns” from his hospital bed right after the big surgery earlier this year. I am hoping he recovers quickly from his recent speed bump so he can jump back into the fray!
