Falling somewhere between cheesy and awesome, We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year is an occasionally delightful compilation of metal greats — including Alice Cooper, Dave Grohl, Lemmy Kilmister, and Bret Kulick — covering Christmas classics.
Surprisingly, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is the highlight of the compilation, featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals and Tony Iommi on guitar. Other semi-decent songs include a threatening version of “Santa Claws Is Coming To Town,” which roars, “he knows where you live / he knows that your window’s open / he knows what lives under your bed.” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” takes a similar tone, warning, “they should never give a license to a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves.” A rendition of “Silent Night” is neither silent nor something you would want to listen to at night-unless you hate your neighbours. Yes, this is Christmas in all its metal glory.
But despite such potential for awesomeness, the album ultimately flops. Changing some lyrics, but not others, makes for an inconsistent tone, while some songs could have been better covered by two drunk guys with a keyboard and a badly-tuned guitar. The nail in the coffin is unquestionably “Happy X-Mas (War is Over)” — this is metal, not a boy-band impersonation contest. It’s an embarrassing note to end the album on. Guitar riffs and occasional shouting do not a metal song make.
Not something you would play in front of anyone who likes Lamb of God, and not something you would want to show grandma, We Wish You a Metal Xmas and A Headbanging New Year gets 10 out of 10 for style, but negative six for execution.
Originally published in the McGill Tribune 2/12/08.