Here at the Holler offices, we’re all too familiar with hearing the same old “Anything but country” response when it comes to people talking about what sort of music they’re into. But we’re making it our mission to go out into the world and change that.

For someone who doesn’t like country music, our friend Dave has seen an awful lot of it over the years. We’ve dragged him along with us to gigs and festivals all over the world. He’s seen some of the biggest acts in country and remained resolutely indifferent to them all.

Dave is very much not there for the music. He likes the beer and the barbecue, and he likes the motorbikes and hanging out with us, his country loving friends. Dave grew up in the eighties with the NWOBM, listening to Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, ironing band patches onto his denim vest and headbanging with his shoulder length hair. He likes his rock heavy and loud. Sometimes at country music festivals we’ll find him just sitting quietly by himself under a tree with a copy of Kerrang, as far away from the music as he can possibly get without actually leaving the festival.

But all that changed a few years ago when we dragged him along with us all the way over to Arizona.

"We're a heavy metal country band," Cadillac 3 frontman Jaren Johnston told the crowd as he took the stage at Country Thunder way back in 2016 and our friend Dave looked at us like a five-year-old on Christmas morning. Finally, after all these years, he had a reason to be there.

The very idea of a heavy metal country band might sound like a musical fusion forged in hell, but actually it’s a melting pot that makes a lot of sense. Both genres ostensibly stemming from the blues, they just took different turnings at the crossroads. After all, early rock n roll was just country music repackaged to make it more marketable.

As the two genres continued along their separate paths, developing, and changing shape, they’d occasionally cross over. You could hear country’s influence in 70’s southern rock as bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers Band and ZZ Top turned their rootsy blues influenced country sound up to 11 and the licks became just as important as the lyrics.

In the 80’s and 90’s country and metal might not have had anything in common except the size of their hair, but in recent years it’s felt like their paths were crossing once again. Award winning country artists like HARDY, Whiskey Myers, Jelly Roll, Pecos & The Rooftops and Koe Wetzel are making records that sound louder and nastier than ever.

It’s crossing back over the other way too. Staind frontman Aaron Lewis’ solo output was so country it was produced by Buddy Cannon, Jonathan Davis from Korn collaborated with Big & Rich and Righteous Vendetta just put out a five-song EP called Country Goes Metal featuring some of country music’s biggest hits reimagined as metalcore. Artists like Hank Williams III, Kid Rock and Pantera have always drawn their outlaw spirit from both wells.

So, if, like Dave, you’re one of those metalheads who thought there was nothing in country music for you except an excuse to enter a corn dog eating competition and drink beer all weekend then think again. It’s time to let your hair down and crank our playlist of Country Music for Metal Fans. We're gonna rock this country! Right out of this world.

Check out the full tracklist below:

1. 1.

   The Mockingbird & THE CROW

   HARDY

2. 2.

   Muddy Water Rockstar

   Austin Snell

3. 3.

   Holler from the Holler

   Stephen Wilson Jr.

4. 4.

   This Damn Song

   Pecos & The Rooftops

5. 5.

   Ain't My Fault

   Brothers Osborne

6. 6.

   Save Me

   Jelly Roll

7. 7.

   Wild Child

   Whey Jennings

8. 8.

   Hell On Wheels

   Brantley Gilbert

9. 9.

   Hard Out Here for a Country Boy

   The Cadillac Three, Chris Janson and Travis Tritt

10. 10.

    Waiting for the Thunder

    Blackberry Smoke

11. 11.

    Heartache Off My Back

    Kendell Marvel

12. 12.

    Die Rockin'

    Whiskey Myers

13. 13.

    Fuss & Fight

    Koe Wetzel

14. 14.

    Steady at the Wheel

    Shooter Jennings

15. 15.

    Copperhead Road

    Steve Earle

16. 16.

    I'm Drunk Again

    Hank Williams III

17. 17.

    Wasted

    Diplo, Kodak Black and Koe Wetzel

18. 18.

    The Outsiders

    Eric Church

19. 19.

    Wounded Mind

    Cody Jinks

20. 20.

    White Trash Millionaire

    Black Stone Cherry

21. 21.

    Whoop a Man's Ass

    Trace Adkins

22. 22.

    I AIN'T IN THE COUNTRY NO MORE

    HARDY

23. 23.

    Kick It In The Sticks

    Brantley Gilbert

24. 24.

    Son of a Sinner

    Jelly Roll

25. 25.

    That's Why We Fight

    Ella Langley and Koe Wetzel

26. 26.

    Kiss My Country Ass

    Blake Shelton

27. 27.

    La Grange

    ZZ Top

28. 28.

    Midnight Train to Memphis

    Chris Stapleton

29. 29.

    Snake Farm

    Ray Wylie Hubbard

30. 30.

    Dear God

    Avenged Sevenfold

31. 31.

    Bad Reputation

    Kid Rock

32. 32.

    Northern Redneck

    Aaron Lewis

33. 33.

    Leave The Light On

    Righteous Vendetta

34. 34.

    I Got Bones

    Danny Worsnop

35. 35.

    Save A Horse (Ride a Cowboy)

    Big & Rich

36. 36.

    Take It Outside

    Brantley Gilbert

37. 37.

    Backwoods

    Justin Moore

38. 38.

    C'MON!

    Keith Anderson

39. 39.

    Smoke a Little Smoke

    Eric Church

40. 40.

    Cold Beer (feat. Jamey Johnson)

    Colt Ford

41. 41.

    Small Town Throwdown

    Brantley Gilbert, Thomas Rhett and Justin Moore

42. 42.

    I'll Bring The Music

    Parmalee

43. 43.

    Lit

    Trace Adkins

44. 44.

    Never Left Memphis

    Austin Jenckes

45. 45.

    Gasoline

    Whiskey Myers

46. 46.

    Welcome to the Show

    Cody Johnson

47. 47.

    Something 'Bout A Truck

    Kip Moore

48. 48.

    Outlaw You

    Shooter Jennings

49. 49.

    Here Comes the Thunder

    Tim Hicks

50. 50.

    Get Outta My Life

    Hank Williams III and Rebel Meets Rebel

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