Mariah Carey Christmas Classic Gets Metal Makeover
Mariah Carey is the unofficial “Queen of Christmas” thanks to her Christmas classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Now, the pop song has been covered with a major metal twist.
This cover features guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, bassist David Ellefson and vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens.
The cover is the lead track off of A Very Metal Christmas. The album features a number of big names in metal and hard rock. Among them are Stephen Pearcy, Carmine Appice, Paul Dianno and L.A. Guns. As if that weren’t enough, a second album, aptly named A Very Metal Christmas II, was released at the same time. That album features Glenn Hughes, Pretty Boy Floyd, Gilby Clarke, Faster Pussycat and more.
Both albums are now streaming and are available on vinyl and CD at CleoRecs.com. A full track listing for both albums is below.
A Very Metal Christmas – Track Listing
1. All I Want For Christmas Is You – Tim “Ripper” Owens, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, David Ellefson
2. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Cherie Currie, Tracii Guns
3. Feliz Navidad – Stephen Pearcy, Vinnie Moore
4. Carol Of The Bells – Chris Poland
5. Last Christmas – Graham Bonnet, Mick Box
6. Please Come Home For Christmas – Carmine Appice, Ty Tabor, Paul Shortino, Phil Soussan
7. White Christmas – Bulletboys
8. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 – George Lynch
9. Merry Xmas Everybody – Kim McAuliffe & Cliff Evans
10. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town – Paul Dianno
11. Happy Holiday – Enuff Z’nuff
12. Little Saint Nick – L.A. Guns
13. Donner & Blitzen (Achim Koehler Mix) – Thor
A Very Metal Christmas II – Track Listing
1. O Holy Night – Glenn Hughes
2. Blue Christmas – Jack Russell, Chris Holmes
3. Winter Wonderland – Fast Eddie Clarke, Steve Overland
4. All I Want For Christmas Is You – Janet Gardner
5. Another Rock And Roll Christmas – Paul Dianno, Paul Samson
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Marty Friedman
7. It’s A Wonderful Life – George Lynch & Jeff Pilson
8. Father Christmas – Pretty Boy Floyd
9. Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town – Gilby Clarke
10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Helix
11. Run, Rudolph Run – Faster Pussycat
12. Silent Night – Frank DiMino, Tracii Guns
13. What Child Is This? – Glen Drover
7 Festive Games and Activities for a Memorable Holiday Party
Name That Holiday Song
All you need is someone with a phone full of great Christmas songs, ready to play DJ. See who can guess the festive songs first after hearing just a few notes. It’s a laid-back way to enjoy some post-meal fun.
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Never Have I Ever Holiday Edition
Give this timeless game a festive twist by asking questions like, “I’ve never regifted a present,” and find out what secrets your friends and family may be hiding. You can stick to the traditional rules where those who’ve committed the act take a sip of their beverage, or you can opt for a point-based system, with the winner receiving a holiday surprise as their reward.
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Present Stacking
Here’s a game that allows you to unleash your creativity. Wrap a selection of uniquely shaped objects, and the challenge is to see who can build the tallest stack of presents. Using fragile items in this game should be avoided for obvious reasons.
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Christmas Carol Challenge
Here’s a straightforward, no-fuss game that’s perfect a cozy home get-together or an office party. Gather everyone in a circle, and the game begins with one person singing a line from a holiday song. The person to their right then must continue with the next line of the song, and so on. You can choose from timeless classics like Jingle Bells or opt for a more contemporary holiday hit like Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is You. While you might know the opening lines of these songs, it becomes quite a challenge as the game progresses.
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Best/Worst Gift
Distribute four slips of paper to each participant. Every guest is tasked with jotting down two positive Christmas gifts and two negative ones: one from their real experiences and one fabricated. Collect all the slips in a container and let the group take turns guessing which presents were genuinely given and which were made up.
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Saran Wrap Ball Game
Make a big plastic wrap ball stuffed with little gifts like mini liquor bottles, gift cards, candy, and cash. One person starts by unwrapping it, while someone else takes the dice and tries to roll doubles. The twist is that you can’t stop unwrapping until your neighbor rolls those elusive doubles, so the pressure’s on to keep the ball moving. Players get to keep all the goodies they uncover during their turn, so everyone’s in for some prizes. You can make it more challenging by requiring the person unwrapping to wear oven mitts.
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Celebrity
Here’s a fun party game you can enjoy with friends or family anytime, anywhere. You split into two teams, and each player writes down 5 celebrity names on pieces of paper. You take turns being the clue-giver. In round one, the clue-giver describes the celebrity without saying their name or nickname, and the team guesses. In round two, you can only use one word as a clue. Round three is like Charades, where you act out the celebrity without speaking. Keep score to see which team guesses the most celebrities correctly. It’s a great game for any gathering.
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