11 Songs Filled with Satanic Themes | Playlist

1. Behemoth, “Havohej Pantocrator”

I Loved You at Your Darkest • Metal Blade • 2018

“Our father, who art in hell / Unhallowed be thy name / Thy legions come / Thy enemies begone / On earth as it is in the netherworld.” Hmm, not The Lord’s Prayer that I was taught as a child, that’s for sure! Gdansk, Poland death metal band Behemoth is well-known for their anti-Christian, Satanic themes – understatement.  Throughout their brilliant 2018 album, I Love You at Your Darkest, the anti-Christian/religion sentiment runs rampant.  According to frontman and mastermind Nergal, “It doesn’t get more blasphemous than this”. That’s pretty damning. A prime example of this blasphemy is the song at hand, “Havohej Pantocrator.”

What the ‘hell’ does “Havohej Pantocrator” even mean? Well, if Nergal and Behemoth were ‘playing nice,’ that title should be Christ [Jehovah] Pantocrator. But of course, they’re not playing nice. Ultimately, it’s a clever reverse of a famous icon – ‘Havohej’ is merely ‘Jehovah’ spelled backwards.  As for Pantocrator,  it simply means “the omnipotent lord of the universe: almighty ruler.”  Put the two together, and Behemoth are clearly crowning the Antichrist as the supreme deity.

“By thou holy name, Satan
And his command
Heaven shall burn!
By thou holy name, Lucifer
At his command
Heaven shall blaze!”

“Havohej Pantocrator” appeared on previous playlists 13 Disturbing Songs About the Antichrist and 15 Songs That Reference Things Associated with Religion.

2. Slayer, “Altar of Sacrifice”

Reign in Blood • American Recordings • 1986

“High priest awaiting dagger in hand / Spilling the pure virgin blood / Satan’s daughter, ceremonial death / Answer his every command.”  Welp, you can’t have a Satanic-themed playlist without Slayer, right? Damn right! Tom Araya and company outdid themselves on their 1986 gem, “Altar of Sacrifice” from the album, Reign in Blood.  As if there were any doubt whatsoever, know that the altar of which they sing about isn’t holy in the least. UNDERSTATEMENT.

Just examine the aforementioned lyrical excerpt, and it’s clear that Slayer, like the other bands on this playlist, are all about that reversal.  The high priest is unholy as opposed to holy.  There is a virgin, but she clearly isn’t Mary, revered as the mother of Jesus, particularly in the Catholic faith.  No, the virgin being senselessly sacrificed here is Satan’s own daughter.  Throughout the song, you can pick your choice of hellishness.  A great example:

“Blood turning back, the change has begun
Feeling the hatred of all damned in Hell
Flesh starts to burn, twist and deform
Eyes dripping blood realization of death
Transforming of five toes to two
Learn the sacred words of praise, Hail Satan.”

Yeah, that’s hellish alright.  The final two lines of the songs are also damning: “Watching the angels sift through the heavens / Endlessly searching for salvation.”

3. Bloodbath, “March of the Crucifiers”

The Arrow of Satan is Drawn • Peaceville • 2018

“So, I spurn the predatory heavens above / So, I serve only the beast inside and all the suffering / Slow I burn the frail and unleash the fire in rage.” That, my friends, is an excerpt from the song “Morbid Antichrist” by Swedish death-metal band Bloodbath.  Honestly, “Morbid Antichrist,” which previously appeared on the playlist 13 Disturbing Songs About the Antichrist, would totally fit the Satanic themes of this playlist.  The thing is, when your album is so colorfully and hellishly titled The Arrow of Satan is Drawn, well – you have some options on your hands.

Providing some background first, Bloodbath is awesome at conveying truly dark, blasphemous, and hellish material. A prime past example that arrived years before the aforementioned “Mobid Antichrist” is “Eaten”, which comes from the perspective of Bernd Brandes, the real-life victim of German, vorarephilic cannibal, Armin Meiwes (long story!).  Loudwire named that classic the 34^th best metal song of the 21^st century. But enough about “Morbid Antichrist” and “Eaten,” lets dabble in “March of the Crucifiers.”

“Lo and behold / Cat ‘o’ nine tails / Flogging the back of the soon to be dead / Non-lethal at first / Just playful torture / We save his soul for the hangman’s roar.” “March of the Crucifiers” may not explicitly worship Satan like some of the songs that appear on this list, but the sentiment is all too clear.  Blasphemy, blasphemy, blasphemy!!!  And again, need I remind you the title of the album – The Arrow of Satan is Drawn?

“In the name of Hell
We strip the cross of the arch priest
Get the rope to hang him high
To the gallows we go
Will celebrate a morbid feast
‘Til the flames of a funeral pyre...”

Yeah, if that’s not Satanic, not sure what is.  Adding to the blasphemous nature is the sheer energy Bloodbath exhibits in their darkness.  Indeed, it’s clear there’s pride in the “Dissident bliss / Blemish their poise / Strangle God’s voice” that Nick Holmes sings throughout this twisted number.

4. Kreator, “Satan is Real”

Gods of Violence • Nuclear Blast • 2017

“There’ll come a day / When no man shall survive / In this graveyard of desire / In due time you’ll realize / Satan is real.” German metal collective Kreator make one thing clear for sure: “Satan is Real.” Now, obviously, if you’re hoping that Kreator are believers and they are merely speaking to, say, how bad but powerful Satan is, well, you’ll be disappointed.  Can the band make it any clearer – “Open your eyes and you’ll see / Satan is real.”

Lyrically, beyond the titular line, Kreator emphasizes the power of the Mephistopheles.  A perfect example comes when frontman Mille Petrozza asserts, “Reverends / Your lies are obsolete / Now come along / Let the one-eyed lead the blind.” Well, that’s quite the reverse there, isn’t it? To some extent, Kreator magnificently highlight the issue that some Christian leaders can have, delivering their interpretation of the Bible, God, so on and so forth.  Yet keeping it Satanic, from the band’s perspective, it is the ‘Man of God’ whose lying, and Satan os the atonement. And if energetic, disturbing-sounding music, plus all of the aforementioned wasn’t enough to confirm the Satanism, Petrozza goes on to say:

“There’ll come a day
A brand-new sun
Brighter than the one that we have seen
Embracing him
The bringer of sin.”

5. Marilyn Manson, “SAY10”

Heaven Upside Down • Loma Vista • 2017

“Devil’s got a cut, like a slit in a cattle’s calf / Dollar-sign snakes, I’m all in the damn / God-less, fearless of the flood / Or the blood of the coming Spring.” Marilyn Manson, the ripest of shock rockers, dropped an exhilarating tenth studio album in 2017, Heaven Upside Down.  There’s plenty to love about Heaven Upside Down, despite the fact that Brian Hugh Warner is past his most lucrative prime.  Warner does his best to keep the controversy alive and well.  Furthermore, the left-hand path is empowered – “lit” if you will – on “SAY10,” clearly a play on Satan.

Making “SAY10” even more enigmatic and frightening is the music.  Initially, on the first verse (excerpted above), “SAY10” sounds completely foreboding, with Manson singing in a whisper.  On the chorus, the deck of cards is completely revealed with a catchy, yet incredibly blasphemous hook. Chocked full of religious references, “SAY10” transcends its beastly title.

“So, you say ‘GOD’ and I say ‘SAY10’
You say ‘GOD’ and I say ‘SAY10’
SAY, SAY, SAY10.”

“SAY10” previously appeared on the playlists, Religiously Skeptical Gems 2.0,These 15 Songs Have the Devil in Mind, and 19 Atheistic, Agnostic & Highly Skeptical Songs.

6. Ghost, “Satan Prayer”

Opus Eponymous • Rise Above • 2010

“Believe in one God do we / Satan almighty / The un-creator of heaven and soil.” When it comes to metal bands, particularly black, doom, and death metal bands, elements of Satanism are inescapable. Grammy-winning Swedish metal collective Ghost wasted no time denouncing God and praising Satan, as the aforementioned lyrics, performed by ‘Papa Emeritus’ (frontman Tobias Forge) are the first lyrics that appear on “Satan Prayer.” “Satan Prayer” appears on the band’s 2010 album, Opus Eponymous – eight years before Forge would sing about “Rats” on Prequelle.

Ghost does nothing to mask the Satanic theme – I mean, the record is called “Satan’s Prayer” for Christ’s sake.  For some background, per Revolver, Forge said: “[I] unquestionably throw my hands into the hands of Satan.” There’s more to it than blatant atheism – a strict, very religious stepmother.  Regardless, it’s clear on “Satan’s Prayer” whom Forge serves.

The chorus lays it out there:

“Hear our Satan prayer, our anti-Nicene creed
Hear our Satan prayer, for the coming of seed…”

Yeah, in Christianity, the Nicene Creed is definitely a big deal. So, with “Satan Prayer” being the reverse – the anti – well, it’s not Christian in the least.  Of course, the music supports the hellishness.  That is definitely the most glorious part of such a Satanic song.

7. Urgehal, “Satanic Black Metal in Hell”

Goatcraft Torment • Metalhit.com • 2008

“Endless mayhem / Infernal riot / Morbid feast / Satanic black metal in hell.” Charming… Anyways, Norwegian black metal band Urgehal certainly know how to keep things dark, hellish, and most of all, Satanic.  There’s no doubt about the Satanism on “Satanic Black Metal in Hell,” the fifth track on the band’s 2008 album, Goatcraft Torment.  What an album title.

As one would expect, “Satanic Black Metal in Hell” is quite a trip.  It’s loud and totally ‘in-your-face.’ The connotation of the song is definitely negative – quite morbid to say the least.  “Dead way before death strikes you / In hell way before the flames eat you.” Yeah, that totally sucks.  Furthermore, it only continues to suck. “Stripped from joy, stripped from life / Embraced by nothing… Only death!” Damning, damning, DAMNING! The twisted-ness doesn’t end there, with mentions of the reaper and a “choir roars it’s tune” (WTF?).  Of course, the worst comes at the end:

“Infernal soldiers demonized
Fucked up angels sodomized
Face of the earth de-Christianized
The universe Satanized.” 

8. Behemoth, “The Satanist”

The Satanist • Metal Blade • 2014

“Born of a lie / Condemned to lurk / Live in denial / Yet coiled aflame.”  You don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to pick up on the fact that Nergal and Behemoth are referencing Lucifer, who notably appeared as a serpent in the Garden of Eden where the original sin went down. As aforementioned on “Havohej Pantocrator,” the Polish death metal band is well-known for their anti-Christian, Satanic themes.  With “The Satanist,” the title track of their 2014 album, it’s pretty ‘cut and dry’ that the band are referencing all things Satan > than God.

Whether you agree with Behemoth’s stance on religion or not, it’s hard to deny the energy they bring musically as well as how darkly-poetic the lyrics are.  “At faintest whim they would impale the sun / And thus the sheep in me became the wolf in man,” Nergal sings, later adding, “I decompose in rapture ov hells / Dissolve, divide, disintegrate / I am yours / In euphoria below / I cast my halo from perdition’s clay / Behold my bliss profane.” From there, that’s where the quote first featured in the blurb comes into play.  Dark stuff, but intriguing – just don’t tell your pastor, priest, or rabbi.

9. Marilyn Manson, “Antichrist Superstar”

Antichrist Superstar • Interscope • 1996

“Prick your finger, it is done / The moon has now eclipsed the sun / The angel has spread its wings / The time has come for bitter things.” Charming, and incredibly heavenly to say the least…said NO ONE EVER.  You know the drill when it comes to Marilyn Manson (the “god of fuck”) – Satanism has been associated with him since his breakthrough in the 1990s.  Interestingly, he’s been incorrectly identified as an ordained minister in the Church of Satan.  Despite the role of the “Antichrist Superstar” within Satanism, it’s clear that he isn’t a believer, though it should be noted, he attended Christian school.  Still, he’s been totally pissing off the most pious folks for years and years, including plenty of skeptical jabs on his 2017 album, Heaven Upside Down, including his first song on this playlist, “SAY10.”

“Repent, that’s what I’m talking about / I shed the skin to feed the fake…” Naturally, “Antichrist Superstar” is chocked-full of religious references, though clearly, none pay ode to The Most High himself.  Reverse might as well be Brian Warner’s middle name as opposed to ‘Hugh.’  Satan isn’t specifically mentioned but definitely implied, particularly when you read into Manson’s lyrics.  At one point, he likens himself to the mythological Hydra:

“Cut the head off
Grows back hard
I am the Hydra
Now you’ll see the star.”

Sure, “Antichrist Superstar” is at least semi-autobiographical, but the fact that Satan is essentially going nowhere certainly contradicts the Christian idea of “stomp the devil out.”

10. Gorgoroth, “Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus”

Instinctus Bestialis • Gorgoroth Prod. • 2015

“Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus” is a Latin song title, but it comes courtesy of another Norwegian black metal band, Gorgoroth.  With this list featuring ‘two’ of many things for whatever reason, featuring two black metal bands from Norway has to count for something, right? Right.  First things first, it should be noted that any number of Gorgoroth songs could’ve made this playlist – the band clearly lives and breathes Satan.  But we opted for “Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus,” which translates roughly into English as “for powerful and ever devil.” “Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus” appears on the 2015 LP, Instinctus Bestialis.

What can one say about “Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus?”  Well, it’s quite dark-sounding musically, which cements those Satanic vibes.  While many of the lyrics are difficult to decipher, it’s clear what goes down on the chorus:

“Hail Satan
Ad omnipotens aeterne diabolus
Praise Satan
Hail Satan
Ad omnipotens aeterne diabolus
Praise eternal Satan.”

Basically, think of this record as a hymn to Satan… yeah…

11. Slayer, “Jesus Saves”

Reign in Blood • American Recordings • 1986

“You go to the church, you kiss the cross / You will be saved at any cost / You have your own reality / Christianity…” Because one Slayer song is never enough, we add an atheistic companion piece to “Altar of Sacrifice,” “Jesus Saves.” Within the track list of Reign in Blood, “Jesus Saves” actually follows “Altar of Sacrifice.” But make no mistake – Tom Araya ain’t singing no hymn-tune whatsoever.  Need more proof besides the aforementioned excerpt? Clearly, the band aren’t “Jesus freaks.”: “…You spend your life just kissing ass / A trait that’s grown as time has passed / You think the world will end today / You praise the Lord, that’s all you say.”

“Altar of Sacrifice” is truer to the ‘Satanic’ vibes of this playlist, but don’t think that “Jesus Saves” fails to mention it.

“For all respect, you cannot lust
In an invisible man you place your trust
Indirect dependency
Eternal attempt at amnesty
He will decide who lives and dies
Depopulate, Satanic rise
You will be an accessory
Irreverence and blasphemy.”