Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?: A Heavy Metal Mother's Day Playlist

Bethany Clarke, Getty Images

Forget about the biggest moshpits, walls of death, deafening amp towers, and nailed armbands. No experience is more brutally intense than childbirth, having your body turned inside out or cut open while you watch, as the case may be. Forget about flowers and cards, every single mother among us deserves a suitably potent metal playlist this Mother's Day. Headbangers, squeeze your moms closely as her tribute begins.

Check out our Heavy Metal Mother's Day Playlist below!

"Mother Puncher," Mastodon from Live at the Aragon

The meaning of this song is in the ear of the beholder, but since everyone knows Mastodon is hiding tons of estrogen under their beards, lets just agree that this could be a love song to the womb, and "a life love unconditional." Happy hairy mother's day.

"Mother North," Satyricon from Nemesis Divina

Though metal love songs about mothers are somewhat rare, Satyricon delivered a great one with this potent hymn to the all-encompassing winter forest goddesses that propelled Norway's black metal scene in the 1990s. For headbangers too dense to grasp the concept, lovely Monica Bråten appears au naturel as the bewitching spirit of feminine power. Mama mia!

"Mother Night," Samael from Lux Mundi

Switzerland's early black metal pioneers Samael crossed over into industrial terrain during the 2000s, putting their Swiss precision to work and with this song venturing to dispense some motherly support and advice. Give your mom a five-minute break and listen to Samael's message.

"Mother War," Decapitated from Nihility

The harsh reality of so-called civilization is that entire generations are born into strife, conflict, and violence. Fortunately, we have crushing death metal songs like this that sort everything out for us.

"Rebirth of the Nemesis," Melechesh from Emissaries

Woe to the poor woman who has to give birth to the nemesis not once, but twice.

"Integral Birth," Cynic from Traced In Air

Listening to Cynic is like participating in a mental yoga wellness program. In this example, a million doves orbit the Earth, and some kind of higher-level understanding is achieved through a birth metaphor. Notably, there is now at least one birthing center and parenting clinic in the U.S. called Integral Birth. Way to go, metal band.

"The Birthing," Baroness from Red Album

Another group with boatloads of estrogen sacked away behind burly riffs, Baroness has neverending flow and we're taking comments below from all mothers who listened to The Red Album in the delivery room.

"Earth Mother," Samson from Shock Tactics

During the early years of heavy metal, most long-haired ruffians were too busy rebelling against their parents to bother making any mention of mothers whatsoever. Enter the relative maturity of Bruce Dickinson, Thunderstick, and company, hurling themselves into this bawdy pit of S&M-tinged love.

"Mother Earth Father Thunder," Bathory from Nordland I

The late Quorthon and Bathory defined black metal in the early 1980s, then went on to develop the Viking mythos, warrior themes, and Earth worship that remain hallmarks of the genre. A more full-throated and soulful version of the sentiments expressed by Satyricon, "Mother Earth Father Thunder" is a massive Mother's Day card to the center of all creation, our planet.

"I Saw Your Mommy," Suicidal Tendencies from Suicidal Tendencies

Championing motherhood is a noble thing, and then there's mocking the mother of your hated enemies. It's mean, spiteful, incendiary, and just plain funny.

"Mother 93," Danzig from Thrall: Demonsweatlive

When underground stalwart Glenn Danzig left behind the subterranean realms he ruled in the Misfits and Samhain, his Rick Rubin-produced band Danzig immediately scored a hit with "Mother." Reborn as a metal god in the 1990s, Danzig led stadiums of rebellious teenagers in this singalong. Meanwhile, plenty of oblivious moms were waiting outside in the parking lot. Mothers are great.

"Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?," Misfits from Die, Die My Darling

In the end, there's no louder love than what comes from the bond between an aggressive, frenetic child and the loving mother who understands such unusual needs. It's just a metaphor... right?

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Ian Christe is the author of Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal, and the publisher of Bazillion Points Books, home to modern classics like Swedish Death Metal, Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries, and Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook.

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