Metal and rock albums inspired by famous writer Stephen King
Stephen King is so famous for his genre. He is a so productive person who also inspired lots of metal and rock bands too. He just tweeted about it Stephen King already inspired metal and rock albums.
Music albums inspired by Stephen King
The Ramones famous song “Pet Sematary” originally composed for the Stephen King film adaption of the same name and was released as a single from their 1989 album ‘Brain Drain’. During that time, the song became popular and one of The Ramones’ biggest radio singles ever.
In his tweet, Stephen King also quoted metal and rock inspired by his novels:
“I believe I’ll have a heavy metal weekend, starting with Slayer, Sabbath, and Motorhead. Saving Metallica & Priest for Sunday.”
I believe I'll have a Heavy Metal Weekend, starting with Slayer, Sabbath, and Motorhead. Saving Metallica & Priest for Sunday.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 13, 2016
Related: Metallica songs inspired by best books
A few moments ago we also shared which books also inspired:
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- The Call of Cthulhu
- Johnny Got His Gun
- Exodus
- The Whisperer in Darkness
- The Shadow over Innsmouth
- Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
The band’s sophomore album Ride The Lighting inspired this connection. Megaforce Records published this record on Friday, July 27th, 1984, as a showcase of the band’s musical progress and lyrical depth. Ride The Lighting earned great reviews and was praised for outperforming its predecessor, Kill ‘Em All. The album is also the second of three Metallica albums on which Cliff Burton played bass.
Kirk Hammett claimed that the link between the record and Stephen King‘s novel The Stand, a post-apocalyptic thriller about the aftermath of a pandemic, stems from an unusual choice of phrase by a character.
“The chapter had a guy in prison who was waiting to Ride The Lightning, and I just thought: ‘Oh my God, what a cool collection of adjectives and nouns that is. One huge thing about my personal connection with Stephen King occurred when I was reading a chapter in The Stand.”
As previously said, Stephen King is a huge admirer of rock and heavy metal music, which Kirk Hammett recognizes and respects. “Over the years, I’ve been aware that Stephen King is a fan of Metallica; he was a fan club member I know. As a sign of my thanks, I ended up gifting him a piece of art, a Famous Monsters cover painting. I wish we had gotten to know each other better. Because I believe we are two peas in a pod, only he writes words and I compose music.”
Related: 5 Metallica songs inspired movies and TV shows
The Stand was also transformed as a miniseries in 1994, directed by Mick Garris and starring Gary Sinise and Rob Lowe. Fans and critics praised the original adaptation, which was written by King himself. In actuality, the production received six Primetime Emmy awards, winning two for its makeup and sound mixing.
Through Stephen King novels, the author has also inspired the heavy metal American band Anthrax to write ‘A Skeleton In The Closet,’ as well as working with AC/DC on the film Maximum Overdrive.
All rock and metal albums inspired by Stephen King:
- Ramones, Pet Semetary (1989)
- Anthrax, Among The Living (1987)
- Ice Nine Kills, Hell In The Hallways (2015)
- Metallica, Ride The Lightning (1984)
- JEFF The Brotherhood, Cujo (2015)
- Ash, Jack Names The Planets (1994)
- Pennywise, Pennywise (1991)
- AC/DC, Who Made Who (1986)
- Black Sabbath, The Shining (1987)
- Nightwish, 7 Days To The Wolves (2007)
- Four Year Strong, We All Float Down Here (2015)
- Testament, Disciples Of The Watch (1988)
- Blind Guardian, Tommyknockers (1990)
Watch the Metallica – “Ride the Lightning” performance below!