Every metalhead falls somewhere on the Devin Townsend spectrum — from crusty, horrifically depressed brutes to hopelessly optimistic teddy bears. The truth is, where we land on the Townsend scale just depends on the day.
For those looking to get to the sunshiny side of the scale, check out these incredibly happy, upbeat and joyful metal songs. Guaranteed to increase serotonin production!
Devin Townsend‘s Epicloud album is a lavish ode to the joys of being alive. Is that the most metal subject matter? No… but dear god… we need stuff like this in our community! With a full-on church choir and some of the biggest, most expansive production you’ve ever heard, the opening one-two punch of “Effervescent!” and “True North” is obscenely happy.
A good drinking song can chase the blues away. From Alestorm, the penultimate suds-swilling pirate metal collective, “Drink” is about as straight-forward a message as you can find. “Drink and be merry” is the objective, so crank this upbeat tune and allow your worries to wash away.
Few things soothe the heart of a Nordic metalhead like the wonders of nature. “Up North” is a phenomenal folky black metal cut, forged through enthralling drum work and heavenly vocals from the one-and-only ICS Vortex. There’s not a voice in metal quite like Vortex‘s, and he could literally sing the phone book and lift our spirits.
I never want that main riff to end! From the iconic Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. II, Helloween‘s “I Want Out” is one of the happiest sounding songs ever. Though the song comes from a place of entrapment, “I Want Out” is ultimately an empowering anthem about wanting more from life. It’s filled to the brim with hope.
The charm of Babymetal allowed metal to gain back an unapologetically pop sensibility, perhaps to a degree not seen since hair metal ruled MTV. From the girl group’s self-titled album, “Doki Doki Morning” is the single that relies heaviest on J-pop, thus making it the happiest, most serotonin-boosting cut from Babymetal‘s early days.
If you’re into Devin Townsend‘s production and DragonForce‘s full-speed-ahead brand of power metal, you may find everlasting joy in Galderia. The French musicians are major-key masters, dialing the cheese to 11 while refusing to succumb to the cornier trappings of power metal. The shredding on “Shining Unity” is just wonderful too.
More wonderment from Japan! The symphonic opening to Lovebites‘ “Glory to the World” feels like an IMAX movie intro, only for the resulting guitar and synth leads to blow that immersion wide open. Everything is so on-point here… from the incredible drumming and proggy tightness to the soaring vocals of frontwoman Asami.
Yeah… Freedom Call may be the corniest metal band on earth (have you heard “Metal Is for Everyone”?) but fucking hell, they can really pump up your self-worth. To be this relentlessly positive and motivational is much welcomed in this world… if only our teachers were this upbeat in high school! Thank you, Freedom Call… I can reach my wildest dreams.
Ever wonder what a Van Halen / Jimmy Buffett / Steel Pulse collaboration would sound like? It’d basically be the outro music to an early 2000s Adam Sandler movie… aka Edguy‘s “Trinidad.” This track certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for soaring power metal with a hint of calypso feel, this is your chance.
Let’s cleanse the palate with one of the last great hair metal power ballads. This one isn’t about heartbreak or loss… just about finally finding the person you want to grow old with. How many poodle-headed monsters slow danced to this one back in the day? For those still slow dancing with that love of a lifetime, we salute you.
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