Top 25 Vampire Songs

With the return of, HBO's amazing guilty pleasure, True Blood on Sunday, we decided to dip into the vaults to find the best songs with vampire-related words in the title. While some of the songs are about the bloodsuckers, it was not part of the criteria. It took quite a bit of time to dig through all the blood, vampire, and bite named tunes, but we think the results were worth the trouble. What we came up with was a list of tracks so strong that even Arcade Fire's "Vampire/Forest Fire", Pearl Jam's "Blood", and seemingly shoe-in Rick James' "Cold Blooded" did not make the cut.

Behold, our alphabetical list of the best 25 vampire songs to fuel your inner fangbanger.

Arctic Monkeys: Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong...
Alex Turner and crew lived up to the hype on their stellar debut album, with this moody bit of snark delivering delightfully bitter vocals awash in guitar-fueled tantrums and over a stomping assault of bass and drums.

 

 Deadboy And The Elephantmen: Blood Music
Dax Riggs' former blues-drenched duo cranks up the distortion on the grubby lo-fi rocker. The threatening pulse of buzzing riffs and the steady thumping beat are upstaged by Riggs' gruff, menacing vocals.

 

Kevin Devine: Brother's Blood
This seven-minute epic is a blues-infused, guitar rock beauty. The husky tenor of Devine balanced against the thorny thicket of guitar raging through the songs' midsection make for a dangerous combination before he breaks down into an end-of-his-rope yowl. 

 

The Distillers: Drain The Blood
LA punk band, The Distllers serve up a punch to the gut on their biggest hit, with Brody Dalle's gritty vocals and fanged riffs sawing through. This hard-charging rocker is a definite winner.

 

Dr. Dog: Vampire
Though still a new track, the husky gruff in the pleading vocals and psychedelic soul groove found in the bass line and thick, swirling guitars that make up this ragged rocker have made it a fast favorite. We dare you not to fall in love with it.

 

Editors: Blood
The brooding English rockers deliver a pulsing new wave stunner here, garnished with a healthy dose of needling guitar piercing through the bubbling bass line. Tom Smith's deep vocals are as commanding as Eric glamoring a human into doing his bidding.

 

 Eels: Fresh Blood
The name of the band's comeback album, Hombre Lobo, is Spanish for 'werewolf' so this bluesy-infested, organ blippy howler is par for the course. The hazy vocals and ticking beat was smartly used by the show in the closing credits of the season three episode with the same name.

 

Johnny Foreigner: Show Us Your Fangs (Don't)
Part of the fun putting together these lists is discovering a cool band you might not have found otherwise. Such is the case with this UK indie quartet that had somehow evaded our attention until we found this charming blend of twee guitar and adorable harmonized vocals.

 

Frightened Rabbit: Fast Blood
On an album full of jaw-dropping moments, this one stands out as one of the best. The speckled layers of guitar bristling over one another and Scott Hutchison's achy, passionate vocals make this scruffily sexy rocker one of the highlights of our list.

 

John Hartford: With A Vamp In The Middle
This 1971 quirky bluegrass tune is actually about playing fiddle, but there is a cultish darkness that seeps into the proceedings that makes it hard not to invoke your own thoughts of vampires in the song. Hartford's playful vocals offer a unsettlingly welcoming tone to the track.

 

Judas Priest: Love Bites
Heavy Metal luminaries, Judas Preist's buzzsawing call for midnight loving is captures the trademark theatrical vocal style of Rob Halford surrounded by the band's familiar twin guitar attack. The towering metal sound and snarling vocals pull together for a great reminder of what made eighties rock tick. 

Maps & Atlases: Vampires
One of the newest songs on the list, the indie rockers turn to peppier sound on this glossy guitar pop rambler for one of the most energetic tunes the Chicago band has recorded. The splashy guitar, recalling a time when bands like The Cars ruled the airwaves, and the skyward vocals of Dave Davison add up to a track that you would be smart to add to your summer playlist pronto.

Margot And The Nuclear So And Sos: Vampires In Blue Dresses
The second best offering from the Indianapolis band's breakthrough album is a breezy orchestral pop gem. Richard Edwards' sharp songwriting is only upstaged by the boppy cool of the band and the song's lovable melody.

 

Misfits: Vampira
New Jersey punk luminaries, Misfits slam this ferocious track out in under two-minutes, but it leaves a lasting impact thanks to the torrential gust of bass and guitar swirling behind the intense growl of Glenn Danzig.

 

 

Willy Porter: Psychic Vampire
Bluesy Wisconsin singer-songwriter, Willy Porter's bouncy acoustic tune mixes in twinkling jazz piano, bits of toothy electric guitar and cooing backing vocals alongside his own warm melodic vocals on this excellent offering.

 

 

Priestess: Blood
The metal-kissed guitars bopping alongside the melodic hair-band worthy vocal bliss make for chilling enjoyment, as Mickey Heppner creepily sings, "You wanted to take your time with him / You wanted to suck, his blood".

 

 

Queen: Another One Bites The Dust
Freddie Mercury's snarling, infectious performance make it easy to loose track of just how good the music itself is here, but many a rap song would not exist if not for the funky bass line and high-hat riding beat of this Queen classic. Brian May's frilly disco-esque riffs are not too shabby either.

 

The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed
The jangling piano ushering in shimmering guitar and Mick Jagger's swaggering vocals captures their trademark cool well on the title-track to their legendary 1969 album.

 

 

The Rural Alberta Advantage: Drain The Blood
The shaggy guitar and beat driven tune from one of our favorite Canadian inide rock outfits is a lo-fi treasure. The purposive drive of the band and Nils Edenloff's melodic verses tumble downhill, quickly gaining speed toward the runaway train hook.

 

Say Hi To Your Mom: These Fangs
Eric Elbogen released, his excellent vampire-centric concept album, Impeccible Blahs in 2006; a few short years before Twilight and True Blood made vampire loving cool for pop culture. Do yourself a huge favor and pick up a copy. We refuse to stop recommending it until everyone owns it. This adorably sweet tune finds a vampire accepting another's embarrassment over their bloodsucking ways.

Sea Wolf: Wicked Blood
Alex Brown Church ties the charm of his band into a taut, haunting package in this strummy tune. The graceful cello, jangling piano, and steady stomp of acoustic guitar all accent the eerie, romantic lyrics delivered by Church's dangerously alluring vocals.

 

Them Crooked Vulture: New Fang
There are supergroups, and then there is Them Crooked Vultures. The blend of Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme, Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones makes for one hell of a delicious sonic smoothie on this hard rocking tune. The thumping bass line, swarm of beats, and Homme's classic rocker roar make this a must.

 

U2: Sunday Bloody Sunday
From a time when U2 were actually good, the Irish rockers' rousing political thriller is one of the best songs Bono and crew have ever written, recalling the 1972 incident in Derry; where British troops killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders.

 

The Wombats: Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)
This explosive synth-pop killer is as good as pop music gets. Fueled by an antsy, dancefloor-ready blend of jittery bass, painterly neon synth, and a killer beat, the gorgeous melodic vocals of Matthew Murphy and the addictive hook in search of freedom make for the kind of track you could let repeat for a good hour without it getting stale.

 

Neil Young: Vampire Blues
The Canadian legend's 1974 bluesy tune is actually an attack on oil companies, as he wails, "I'm a vampire, baby / Sucking blood from the earth / Well, I'm a vampire, baby / Sell you twenty barrels worth", over a loose, soulful mesh of guitar and organ.