10 Hard Rock Christmas Songs That Are Actually Good

Hard rock is not really known to be the cheeriest of genres. For as many feel good rock tunes are out in the wild, the mindset for most hard rock songs are more focused on their power rather than anything too uplifting. So, to have a Christmas song in the hard rock genre should be considered a disaster on paper, right?

Actually, no. The marriage between the loud drums and guitars might not seem like a good fit for caroling, but the real pros of the genre know how to use them in the right context. Whether it's making your own stab at writing a Christmas song or paying tribute to an old classic, these are the strange oddities that have not lost any of their luster since their release. While there's something profoundly weird in hearing something like a stomping rhythm to showcase Jingle Bells, these are the songs that go from being weird to endearing real quick.

Compared to the more cash-in versions of rock and roll that seem to come out every holiday season, you can hear the love and care put into these tunes that made them the staples that they are today. So as you're putting together your Christmas playlist this here, take a closer listen to these tunes if you need a bit more attitude.

All I Want For Christmas Is You is probably the last holiday single that has achieved legendary status. Not since Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime has a song become synonymous with the holiday season, being the soundtrack to malls across the world and the bane of existence for any retail worker. However, a crunchier version of this smooth pop tune isn't really something many people knew they needed.

Fresh off of their run with the Black Parade, My Chemical Romance's turn at singing this Mariah Carey classic isn't half bad for what it is. Given that their past few works were always focused on high conceptual pieces, these emo overlords pulled out all the stops for this tune, as Ray Toro matches the instrumental of the original tune pretty much to the letter.

Then again, if you're going to be doing justice to Mariah Carey, you'd better have a decent vocal performance over it, and Gerard Way actually comes through in spades on this outing. While sounding nothing like Carey's original, this weird turn into his trademark gothic vocal style is actually the perfect move for a song like this, showing restraint when he has to and power when he can. Though Ms. Carey doesn't strike me as a person who's had a prominent emo phase, this song certainly does the '90s diva proud.