“With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound,
He pulls the spitting high tension wires down…”
…you know the rest! The iconic Blue Oyster Cult song has long been a fan-favorite in both the rock n’ roll scene and the kaiju sphere. It’s iconic for a reason. That opening riff BLASTS you with feelings that evoke the King of the Monsters’ heavy, foreboding footsteps. It’s got the classic “bwaahhhhhhh” that a lot of monster movie scores feature, and it just *almost* feels akin to Akira Ifukube’s original Godzilla theme. I mean, take it from Godzilla: King of the Monsters composer Bear McCreary – he even said so himself! Since its debut in 1977, the song has almost become an unofficial second theme song for our favorite kaiju, just as memorable as any orchestral work, and ten times as catchy. It is one of the few songs to recognize Big G as a scary and horrifying threat, while also kind of cheering the beast on with “Go! Go! Godzilla!”
Sadly, we aren’t here to just gush about Blue Oyster Cult all day, as much as I’d like to. (Veteran of the Psychic Wars is great!) While they are the undisputed kings of kaiju songs, there are so many other fun options out there for heavy music enthusiasts. For instance, did you know there is a Portland-based death metal band dedicated entirely to songs and albums about kaiju? For some of you, this is pretty familiar territory, as Oxygen Destroyer is a prominent band & staple in our community, but let me assure you – there are far more kaiju-centric songs, bands, and albums out there than you’d expect! If you are a kaiju conventiongoer, you may remember the All Monsters Attack 2023 panel Roaring Guitars: Giant Monsters & Heavy Music, where David Scrivani and I got to list as many of these songs as we could find, talk about them, and end the panel with a link to a public playlist for everybody to enjoy. Since then, KU has grown tenfold, I have wanted to start a weekly column, and there’s MORE music to discover! So, in an awesome twist of fate, I’m here to not only debut my very first recurring column as Editor-in-Chief of Kaiju United, but we’re also going to kick things off with something that I love dearly: heavy music!
Before we get started on this journey, do know that I am not a musician, so music theory is out the window. I was an orchestra kid in middle school/early high school, but a majority of that has been lost to time. That being said, this is a purely subjective list, so if you aren’t into death metal, that’s totally okay! Music is vast, encompasses many genres & subgenres (I don’t know the difference between Doom Metal and Sludge Metal and Stoner Metal), but regardless, I’m confident there’s something you will enjoy. We’re kicking off with a list of heavy/rock-adjacent kaiju music, but if our readers are interested, there can be other dives into Hip Hop/Rap that samples kaiju, or even some notable kaiju cameos on album covers (Hedorah on the Frank Zappa album Sleep Dirt and Dinosaur Jr.’s Sweep it into Space come to mind!).
I feel most at home with heavy music, so we’ll be starting there. Get ready to listen to some awesome music, and hopefully, we’ll get some new additions to your playlists after we’re through!
Daikaiju
Surprise! Right out the gate, I’m already breaking my rules! You might be like, “Jacob, come on, man. I want the death metal.” Don’t you worry, dear KU reader, we will get there. I would like to talk about this band first, and thus we shall. Hailing from Huntsville, Alabama, Daikaiju is a surf punk band that frequently features (and even namedrops) our favorite movie monsters in their songs. Their songs are all instrumental, but don’t let that deter you, as this is some of the best instrumental work in the genre. Their solos can range from a nice, mellow surf rock sound to a full-fledged shredfest. Adding to the mystique is the lack of knowledge surrounding the band. All of the members are anonymous, they call each live show an attack, and they very seldom grant interviews (Hi, we would like to be one of the lucky few, Daikaiju!) to anybody. The band also does not speak during live performances, instead utilizing hand signals. It’s quite the experience, and it’s absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity should you bear witness to an “attack” from this legendary band that has been rampaging into cities across the USA for over 25 years.
If I were to recommend two songs from this band, I would start out with The Trouble With These Mothra Girls and Farewell to Monster Island, as I feel those both have the references to kaiju that fans are looking for, and they are pretty much a small glimpse into the band’s sound from what I think is their best album, their self-titled 2005 release Daikaiju. I really like the smoothness of Farewell to Monster Island; as the finale song to their self-titled, it does feel like a farewell to our monster friends that we’ve been hanging out and enjoying the vibes with. Farwell for now, Godzilla & friends! I really appreciate how, for a lack of a better term, The Trouble With These Mothra Girls feels like a complete experience. An honorable mention would also have to be Escape From Nebula M Space Hunter, which is a heavier, more “shreddy” song by the band for those who are into the more metal-esque sounds that a surf punk band can produce. It’s an awesome experience, and it does make you feel like you’re making a great escape from evil, dastardly aliens! These three songs are by no means deep cuts in the discography of Daikaiju, but they are the most essential and pretty much the most popular for a reason. It’s a good way to start!
Frozen Soul – Atomic Winter
Switching gears a little bit to song that is HEAVILY inspired by Godzilla but never outright stated. That is, aside from the nuclear alarm sirens and the “charging” sounds that are ripped straight from the MonsterVerse iteration of the King of the Monsters. This banger from the Texas-based death metal band is a mainstay in my metal playlists. Atomic Winter has some awesome, yet simple apocalyptic lyrics that really spell out what would really happen if a radioactive beast the size of a skyscraper came walking into our town. Many kaiju-centric songs lean into the big, epic powerfulness of the kaiju and not the horror aspect, sot hat is truly appreciated here. Frozen Soul’s tribute to Godzilla says one thing and one thing only: There is nowhere to hide; oblivion awaits those who are unlucky to end up in the path of the destroyer, or perhaps lucky enough to witness the awe and might of our great God Titan. (See, that’s metal as hell, guys.)
Sidenote: I love it when heavy metal bands know that they can convey the footsteps of a giant monster with their instruments, and it’s done perfectly here.
“God
Titan
Destroyer
Bring forth
Atomic winter
Atomic winter
Atomic winter
Atomic winterReign in destruction”
Anvil – Mothra
If anyone knows my taste in music, they’ll know my favorite genre of metal is… well, old school heavy metal! There’s just something pure and fun about Judas Priest or Dio (Holy Diver is the greatest heavy metal song of all time, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk), and even the deeper cuts like Loudness and U.D.O. have some bombastic vocals and some pure shredding going on. It’s real electrifying stuff! Metal in this age was so much fun (in an over-the-top way), and boy, is this song about the Goddess Kaiju loads of fun. It’s OOZING with that old school feel, and is a fun addition just about any metal-themed playlist out there, whether it’s the oldies, kaiju-themed, or even a fun heavy Halloween playlist for your friends! The lyrics are pretty imaginative and take great liberties with Mothra, but aside from that, it’s nice to have a song about a kaiju that ISN’T Godzilla! This should be as beloved as the Blue Oyster Cult song, in my opinion, as it’s the perfect blend of old school awesomeness, features one of the best opening riffs ever, and has just as much punch as Buck Dharma’s classic.
Conquest complete, Mothra is nesting
Population for future infesting
Purification yes it’s been achieved
For eternity Mothra reigns supreme
That sounds pretty evil for the Queen of the Monsters! But you know, it’s heavy metal… everything’s dialed up to eleven.
Sepultura’s Love for Ultraseven
Time to get into the real nerdy stuff! Sepultura has a VERY iconic song that I’m positive everyone into metal music has heard of called Biotech Is Godzilla, in which biotechnology companies and their corruption of the Earth is compared to Godzilla and the folly that comes from nuclear testing. Whether it’s biotech, agriculture corporations or the King of the Monsters, in the wrong hands, science will destroy us all if we’re not careful. Aside from that epic song, however, Sepultura also covered the main theme to 1967’s Ultraseven, even singing the beloved theme in Japanese! It’s a solid, safe cover of the song that sounds pretty much as you’d expect: a heavy metal version of a children’s television theme song. Bonus points for the full commitment of performing the Japanese lyrics. Sepultura did not have to go THAT hard, but we are sure glad they did. The band is from Brazil, where tokusatsu was and still is a massive thing, so we aren’t too terribly surprised.
Regardless, putting this as the closer to Machine Messaiah was such a cool move. We love your passion for kaiju, Supulture!
“SEVEN!
SEVEN!
SEVEN!”
Voivod’s Ode to Ultraman
Piggybacking off of Sepultura’s great cover of the Ultraseven anthem is AN ENTIRE EP dedicated to Ultraman! The iconic Canadian metal band Voivod shocked us all when they dropped a whole album in tribute to the Ambassador of Light in 2022. Featuring covers of the Opening, Victory, and Ending themes of the classic 1966 series, Voivod elevates the classic sci-fi superhero anthems into some fantastic instrumental work. The heroic, upbeat feeling of Ultraman still permeates throughout the covers, but with a nice heavy twist. Usually you’d think of heavy metal as this angry, jump in the pit shredfest of death and destruction, but here, you’ll want to root for the hero from the stars over and over again! It’s even got the constant blinking of Ultraman’s Color Timer throughout! In contrast to how Sepultura covered Ultraseven No Uta, those die-hard (and nostalgic!) kaiju fans out there will appreciate Voivod covering the ENGLISH opening theme to Ultraman that graced our televisions sixty years ago. They also went even further than that, with an additional cover of the opening in Japanese and French also being featuring on the EP. It’s very clear that Voivod likes Ultraman, and I am so here for it.
Oxygen Destroyer
We CAN’T have a kaiju-themed list without talking about our friends at Oxygen Destroyer. Lord Kaiju’s band is THE kaiju band; having released songs about Godzilla, The Beast From 20,00 Fathoms, and A WHOLE ALBUM DEDICATED TO GAMERA! Lord Kaiju’s unwavering passion for all things giant monsters is front and center in both his performance on stage, his activities at G-FEST (Go say hi to him this year!), and just how much he really cares about these films. Each time Oxygen Destroyer comes to Salt Lake City, it’s always a delight to see Lord Kaiju & co. again, as he just loves visiting KU HQ and gushing about my collection. Oh, yeah, the music is some of the best death metal ever. I mean, just GO to one of their shows… there are crushable buildings that you can mosh with, Lord Kaiju yells “GYAOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” (the onomatopoeia of a kaiju roar), and there is an unrelenting fury and vibe that only Oxygen Destroyer can provide. If you’re not quite sold yet, go check out David Scrivani’s review of their latest album, Guardian of the Universe.
If I were to throw some recommendations out, I would have a hard time… but here’s a lightning round:
Cleansing the Earth of Humanity’s Existence
Guardian of the Universe (The Final Hope)
Slaughtering the Guardian Monsters
Their third album, Guardian of the Universe, is by far their best album yet. The band keeps getting better and better with each release, so if their long-rumored new album centering around UItraman comes to fruition… we’re in for something epic.
I Remember… Godzilla?
It’s time to wrap up this column with a full circle moment. Everybody knows the Serj Tankian cover that was featured in the MonsterVerse, but did you know that Sebastian Bach (Yeah, the guy from Skid Row, one of my mom’s favorite bands), covered the famed BOC anthem? That’s just one of many unique and interesting covers that have graced our ears over the years! While the Bach one isn’t my favorite, it’s still a pretty funny piece of history that ties directly into my upbringing in music and my adoration for the kaiju genre. I Remember You indeed, Mr. Bach, but moreso for that cover… and it’s only because of that strange Godzilla roar that you make your guitarist do in the middle of the song. This ain’t no Youth Gone Wild or 18 and Life, but if you’re both a fan of bands like Skid Row & are a Godzilla aficionado, this is one of those weird crossovers you can’t miss.
I hope you enjoyed this new column as much as I loved sitting down and doing nothing but listen to a bunch of music for a few hours. This is by no means an end-all, be-all list of heavy kaiju music, but it’s a good starter pack of the awesome, epic, and downright strange tunes that feature our favorite larger-than-life titans. If you liked this list, let me know, and we can do a round two down the road! Perhaps we can feature our friends from Texas Toast Chainsaw Massacre and their hilarious song recapping the climactic events of Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley. For now, let me know which song you enjoyed the most, or if there’s any that I should be checking out! Stay tuned for the next week’s iteration of this new column, as it will be something completely different! We have to keep you on your toes somehow, and I kind of like having this outlet to be chaotic and unpredictable.
Thanks for reading! Signing off for now.
