Here Are Five Rather Loud Christmas Music Alternatives To Help Brighten Your Holiday Season

The holidays are upon us and along with the holiday season comes the much loved or loathed Christmas songs being played everywhere you turn, from coffee shops to department stores to your local gas station. You can’t escape it. Christmas music will follow you no matter where you go, whether it’s being played over some speakers, or whether it’s stuck in your head and you just can’t get it out.

This year, if Bing Crosby, Elvis, The Carpenters, or your neighborhood carolers aren’t quite cutting it when it comes to providing a satisfying Christmas music experience, you might be interested in these five not-so-traditional Christmas music options to add a edgy new element to your holiday fun.

First up, it’s probably the hairiest hair band of all time, Twisted Sister. They released a full Christmas album called A Twisted Christmas back in 2006 for all those folks craving a more metallic feel to their holiday classics. AllMusic gave the release a pretty decent, un-Grinch-like review.

“Holiday-themed albums need to either be pretty good, horrifically terrible, or completely original to cause even the jolliest head to turn. Twisted Christmas, a ten-track collection of yuletide classics from the band that once writhed atop a convertible singing the song ‘Burn in Hell’ near the end of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, manages to achieve all three.”

Next up is SKAyway, a Ska band based in Manila, Philippines. When you think Ska (and Ska-based Christmas music), you think about Manila. On their Facebook page, the band describes its music as “PunkSKAdelic music! Twisted with reggae, blues, swing and rock!” Apparently they really dig mixing horns in with their Christmas music, helping to create a fun little number that will get your elf shoe covered feet tapping and your Santa Claus hat moving with some head bobbing.

Now, let’s bring some pop-punk into your Christmas cheer music collection with Canadian band Amasic, shall we? The four piece outfit out of Montréal has built up a sizeable following on YouTube, becoming renowned for their pop-punk tinged cover songs that are a hit with the kids. And, they also apparently like their Christmas music covers, as well. What else do the boys in Amasic like? Let’s check out their Facebook profile under Band Interests to see, shall we?

“Farts, awkward situations, food, listening to GOOD music, road trips, scaring people, laughing about weird and stupid situations, making fun of ourselves…oh and sometimes writing music.”

Up next, do you want a little more comedy with your pop-punk Christmas loudness and goodness? Then, merry listeners, look no further than this reworking of the favorite Christmas classic, “12 Days of Christmas,” by a band called Sunrise Skater Kids. The band is a project of comedian Jarrod Alonge, and with this song they will both make you want to slam dance, or pogo, or mosh, or whatever the cool kids are doing these days, while laughing and being merry.

Finally, if all of the previous Christmas songs were just a bit too quiet for your holiday listening needs, how about something a little heavier, harder, faster, and possibly a bit scarier? Not to worry because Vienna, Austria hardcore band Companion can’t do Christmas music any other way. They deliver a hardcore holiday blast that your Grandma will probably not like, but it’ll strike a chord with anyone who likes in-your-face intense tunes.

There you have it, folks. These are five alternative choices for your Christmas music listening pleasure. Consider this an early Christmas gift to give you a break from the old standard Christmas music fare. Enjoy!

[Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images]