Key Takeaways
- Disney’s villains inspire a unique blend of metal music.
- Each villain has a corresponding metal song that enhances their character.
- The selection considers themes and aesthetics from the films.
- Iconic bands like Slayer and Metallica are featured in the playlist.
Because Disney appears to be in its metal era, we compiled a list of the perfect metal songs for 11 iconic Disney villains.
In early August, Disney dropped a line of villains merch that looked to be inspired by metal band logos. There was an Evil Queen shirt (from the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) that had “Mirror Mirror” written in a black metal font across the front, gothic metal fonts on pieces for Hercules’ Hades and The Little Mermaid’s Ursula and more.
The story went viral and we realized that there are probably a lot more Disney-loving metalheads out there than meets the eye. It makes sense — metal music often tells stories with good vs. evil dynamics, which is what Disney and its animated movies are generally about.
So for all of the metalheads who aren’t afraid to admit they love the Mouse and the closeted magic lovers, we picked the best metal song to represent some of the brand’s most legendary villains.
READ MORE: 25 Best Rock + Metal Disney Covers of All Time
Most of them already have their own signature songs in their respective movies, but these would just be better.
We thought long and hard about the aesthetic of the film and its villain, imagery associated with them, what they were known for and more. You’ll see picks from Slayer, King Diamond, Ozzy Osbourne, Behemoth and a few others.
Keep scrolling to check out the best metal songs for 11 of Disney’s most iconic and evil villains. We included photos of each villain (in case you don’t remember them) and the song underneath.
Maleficent ('Sleeping Beauty')
Since the villainess of 1959’s Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, transforms into a fire-breathing dragon toward the end of the film, Dio were obviously the first group that came to mind when thinking of a theme song for her.
And considering their ninth studio album is literally named Killing the Dragon (2002), the title track was an obvious fit.
Dio, ‘Killing the Dragon’
Ursula (‘The Little Mermaid’)
The antagonist of 1989’s The Little Mermaid is Ursula, a cunning Cecaelia (half woman, half octopus) who tricks Ariel into signing away her voice for a pair of human legs. We initially thought to find a nautical metal song to represent Ursula, but Chelsea Wolfe’s “Vex” stood out as a strong contender because her vocals have an eerie echo to them that could pass for someone singing while submerged underwater.
Plus, Ursula’s known as “the Sea Witch,” so vexing fellow merfolk is kind of her thing.
Chelsea Wolfe, ‘Vex’
Scar (‘The Lion King’)
Scar from 1994’s The Lion King only had one mission: to be king, even if it meant killing his brother and getting rid of his nephew. Once he took over, he allowed the hyenas to gain control, ruined the Circle of Life and turned the Pridelands into a barren wasteland with no food and water.
So… Metallica said it best — Where’s your crown, King Nothing?
Metallica, 'King Nothing'
The Evil Queen (‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’)
Before we explain our song selection, we have to clarify something: the Evil Queen’s infamous quote in 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is “Magic mirror on the wall,” not “Mirror mirror on the wall.” This is an example of the Mandela effect where a lot of people remember it as the latter, but we digress.
German power metal pioneers Blind Guardian released a song titled “Mirror Mirror” in 1998 and the lyrics contain the lines, “Mirror, mirror on the wall / True hope lies beyond the coast.” [via Genius]. While the album itself is conceptually based on Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, the band’s mirror reference isn’t directly tied to this. So it makes it an obvious choice here.
Blind Guardian, ‘Mirror Mirror’
Captain Hook (‘Peter Pan’)
Captain Hook from Peter Pan (1953) is one of the most legendary pirate characters of all time, so pirate metal only made sense. And what better band to represent pirate metal than the originators of the genre, Running Wild? “Under Jolly Roger” is essentially a pirate metal anthem, so that explains our choice.
Running Wild, ‘Under Jolly Roger’
Dr. Facilier (‘The Princess and the Frog’)
Dr. Facilier, also known as the “Shadow Man,” is the villain of 2009’s The Princess and the Frog. Since the movie takes place down in New Orleans and Facilier uses voodoo magic throughout the movie, it only made sense to pick a song that’s quite literally titled “Voodoo.”
Shout out to King Diamond!
King Diamond, ‘Voodoo’
Claude Frollo (‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’)
Honestly, a case can be made for Claude Frollo being the most evil of all of the Disney villains because he was just a regular guy with a dark, cold heart. He didn’t use magic throughout The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), but instead used Quasimodo’s physical attributes against him to keep him locked away in a tower for two decades.
Then he became so enamored with capturing Esmerelda that he nearly burnt down the city of Paris. The guy was a psycho.
But Ghost’s 2013 song “Year Zero” (from Infestissumam) is the perfect theatrical, operatic track for a guy who was hell bent on execution.
Ghost, ‘Year Zero’
Hades (‘Hercules’)
Hercules’ Hades is the only villain on this list who had a witty sense of humor, but like Scar, he wanted to overthrow his brother (Zeus) and kill Hercules so that he could take over Mount Olympus.
As the primary god of the Underworld, going with a song about Hell is the only path to choose. And who are better than f–king SLAAAAYYERRRR for a song about Hell?
Slayer, ‘Hell Awaits’
Jafar (‘Aladdin’)
Jafar was the source of evil in 1992’s Aladdin. He served as royal advisor to Sultan Agrabah and wanted magic lamp so that he could become ruler world. Don’t we all?
Testament’s “Riding The Snake,” from 1999’s The Gathering , felt like perfect fit for Jafar primarily because he used magic lamp transform into enormous king cobra toward end film.
Testament,’Riding The Snake’
Cruella de Vil (‘101 Dalmatians’)
Finding metal song for Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians would bit more challenging than rest. She was one most horrid villains — who wants hurt puppies?! But she also had sophistication about her that made this bit trickier.
So we decided stop overthinking it go with something related more dogs: Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at Moon.”
Ozzy Osbourne,'Bark at Moon'
Chernabog (‘Fantasia’)
Chernabog is often forgotten in discussion but he was scary as shit. Have you seen Fantasia (1940)? He was giant winged demon-like monster that epitome evil. Seriously lot older films had really dark feel them Chernabog’s scene during songs “Night Bald Mountain/Ave Maria” was menacing.
So we present you with one Behemoth which by definition means something monstrous size power or appearance [via Merriam-Webster].
Behemoth,’O Father O Satan O Sun!’
For more movie-related music check out best rock metal soundtracks ’90s below.
The Best Rock + Metal Soundtracks of 1990s by Year
Soundtracks became more prominent in ’90s here we give you best rock metal soundtracks by year.
Gallery Credit: Chad Childers Loudwire
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