Listen to a Valentine’s playlist of heavy metal love songs, lovingly selected by Crypt of the Wizard

Welcome back to Selections, a series of artist-curated playlists from those in the know.

Label and record shop Crypt of the Wizard is a staple in the London metal scene. Founded by Charlie Woolley and Marcus Mustafa, the Hackney-based store stocks over 1000 new and used records and cassettes for, in their words, “thee discerning heavy metal maniac”, focusing on both hard-to-find vinyl and fresh releases from DIY underground labels. For both true metalheads and the curious, it’s a space for discovery and community.

For Valentine’s Day this year, co-founder Woolley has put together a playlist of heavy metal love songs that go hard. “Love takes many forms, many shapes… In our selection, you’ll hear much heartache and pain, as well as love, lust and longing,” he said. “And although less common in typical love songs, there’s also death, destruction, murder, and mayhem. We hope this provides a fitting accompaniment, or antidote, to your Valentine’s day – whichever is needed more.”