What if I told you there’s an original Christmas metal song you can listen to instead? 

Christmas music is cool, but you can only listen to the same song so many times before you get sick of it!

“So, what about that metal Christmas song you were talking about?”

It’s called Christmas Presence!

Listen to Christmas Presence Here
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The Making of Christmas Presence

This all started back in 2012. I had this strong urge to write an original Christmas metal instrumental—something different from the same handful of songs we hear every year.

Naturally, Carol of the Bells was the first thing that came to mind. So I picked up my guitar and started riffing off that main melody. But it didn’t take long before things evolved. Within just a few sessions, I had created something with its own identity—still holding that Christmas spirit, but with a fresh metal vibe.

Some parts of the song clearly pay tribute to Carol of the Bells, but most of it grew into something unique. And that was the challenge—I didn’t want to just make another cover of a song that’s already been rehashed a thousand times.

I wanted Christmas Presence to stand out as its own track—recognizable as Christmas music, but not a traditional carol or even a metalized rendition. The structure, riffs, and melodies all came from a place of inspiration, not imitation.

Watch the Video

Evolution of an Original Metal Christmas Song

I sat on this track for a few years (okay, not literally sat on it—but I didn’t do anything else with it!). Occasionally, I’d go back and listen, and I’d even play it for a few friends during the holidays.

But every Christmas season, that itch came back—the urge to do something with it…

Then, in early 2016, it hit me:
Why not release it as a single?
It would be my first official single, and I had already released two full albums by that point. Plus, I had just dropped Heavy Metal Workout that February and had already started working on the next record. The momentum was there, and I’ve learned that when you’ve got momentum, keep moving.

I went back to my original recording of Christmas Presence and… it didn’t sit right with me anymore. Something was off. It felt too much like a cover of Carol of the Bells—which was the opposite of what I wanted.

So, I made a bold move…

I deleted everything.

I scrapped the old session, made some structural changes to the composition, and re-recorded the entire track from scratch.

The biggest change? That melodic nod to Carol of the Bells—I reworked it until it had just the right balance. The song still gives you that Christmas vibe, but it’s far from a cover. It’s got original melodies and progressions with just enough seasonal flavor to make it feel like the holidays…metal-style.

How I Recorded the Music for Christmas Presence

If you’re a guitar player or musician, you’ll dig this part. Even if you’re not, I think you’ll still find it cool to hear how the track came together behind the scenes.

I actually used three different amp sounds for the guitar tracks on this one:

• Fender Mustang IV miked with a Shure SM57 for the rhythm guitars and melodic leads
• Positive Grid BIAS FX (amp sim) for the solos
• Line 6 POD HD500 for the clean/ambient parts—there’s a specific reverb on this unit that I’ve still never been able to replicate anywhere else!

Bonus: Here’s a post where I talk more about the Mustang IV’s metal tones

For the acoustic guitar, I used a couple of simple effects in Studio One Pro—just a compressor and EQ—to give it a full, rich tone.

And for the bass, I’m pretty sure I used Studio Devil’s Bass Amp Pro (man, that plugin served me well back in the day!).

The recording process overall was smooth. This track came together naturally, almost effortlessly.
Now, I did spend some time tweaking and dialing in the solos—but hey, that’s par for the course!

Christmas Presence – The First Video (Pre-Release Version)

Fast forward about a year after I first wrote the song—I ended up playing an early version of Christmas Presence live at a church. Around that same time, I uploaded a video of the track to YouTube.

We actually shot the video in our old apartment. My wife and I used to make Christmas videos instead of sending cards (still love that idea!). In this one, we introduced the song and shared it with our friends and family.

Here’s the YouTube video below. Again, this is the first version of Christmas Presence before it was officially released on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc. So the below will sound a bit different from the official release.

Watch the first version of Christmas Presence:

This was way before the official release—and way before I knew what I was doing on YouTube. So please forgive the video quality!

Note: This version sounds a little different from the final mix that was released on Spotify, iTunes, and other platforms.

Where to Listen to Christmas Presence

Now for the good stuff—here’s where you can listen to and support the song!

Christmas Presence is available on all major streaming platforms like:

• Spotify
• iTunes
• Amazon Music
• YouTube Music
• …and more!

Click here to view and listen on all available platforms

Metal Christmas Music Brings Good Tidings (and Riffs!) of Comfort and Joy

Metal music is our passion. And for many of us, there’s something special about Christmastime. So, when you can combine the two…that’s magic.

The goal with Christmas Presence was to bring all those warm, nostalgic holiday emotions together with the powerful, spellbinding energy we get from metal. It’s a song from the heart—heavy and hopeful.

I hope you enjoy listening to Christmas Presence as much as I enjoyed creating it. Be sure to add it to your metal Christmas playlist this year!

Keep it Metal,
Jason

The post Behind the Scenes: Christmas Presence – My Original Christmas Metal Instrumental Song appeared first on Jason Stallworth.