Heavy metal is generally considered to be rock’s most “evil” subgenre. And with good reason — though that designation was applied to heavy pioneers like Black Sabbath and KISS against their will, metal bands have since come to revel in the role, if only for the Halloweenish fun of it. By now, enough metalheads have dedicated themselves to crafting music that gives off a sense of real menace — not just anthems to the Devil and Hell, but riffs and rhythms that channel the horrible darkness at the heart of humankind — that the description makes sense. But metal doesn’t have a monopoly on evil. Plenty of other musicians, from country stars to rappers, have used their talents to craft melodies that make the listener feel as though they...
