Halloween is quickly approaching, and it is time to plan festivities. One of the most important aspects of any party is the music that sets the mood. Sure, it is important to have costumes, food and drinks but without the music you have a dinner party or a costume ball, at best. Below you will see our pick for top ten albums to use for your Halloween party soundtrack. From truly spooky to ridiculously campy and from metal to punk rock, we have picks for everyone.
The Misfits, who began as a horror punk band, over time have incorporated more and more metal into their sound. The album ‘Famous Monsters’ is a great album for your Halloween party if you are a fan of punk rock. ‘Famous Monsters’ was released in 1999, after Glenn Danzig had left The Misfits, but the album still embodies the spirit of horror punk. If you are not a fan of ‘Famous Monsters’, then almost any album by The Misfits would make a fitting Halloween soundtrack. Below is the song ‘Scream!’ from ‘Famous Monsters’.
Scream! by The Misfits, off of the album Famous Monsters:
9. Hellbilly Deluxe by Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie has released a lot of hellacious music, both as a solo artist and with White Zombie. His debut solo album, ‘Hellbilly Deluxe’, does a great job of sending shivers up your spine. This is straightforward heavy metal with decidedly horror themed songs. ‘Hellbilly Deluxe’ was released in 1998. Following is the song ‘How To Make A Monster’ from this release.
How To Make A Monster by Rob Zombie, off of the album Hellbilly Deluxe:
8. Blood Of The Saints by Powerwolf
Powerwolf is a recent discovery for me, and a great band to discover in time for Halloween. Powerwolf skates the line between dark and campy. If you like metal, werewolves and creepy Catholic organ music then Powerwolf is what you’re looking for. Every release by Powerwolf is a powerful blend of metal and werewolves. Any release by Powerwolf would be a great soundtrack for a Halloween gathering, but ‘Blood Of The Saints’ is the best, in my opinion. Blending power metal with Catholic organ and chanting and lyrics that are solely werewolf themed, ‘Blood Of The Saints’ (released 2011) delivers exactly the mood you are looking for at your Halloween party. See ‘Ira Sancti’ from the album as an example.
Ira Sancti by Powerwolf, off of the album Blood Of The Saints:
7. Black Aria I & II by Danzig
Danzig has made some truly great horror themed music both during his time with The Misfits and on into his solo career, but no albums really capture the spirit of Halloween like his releases ‘Black Aria’ and ‘Black Aria II’. These releases are instrumental scores that are all about setting that “edge of your seat” mood you want to cultivate for your Halloween party. Following is a track from each album to give you a taste of what is in store. From Black Aria I is the track ‘And the Angels Weep’ and from Black Aria II is the track ‘Lamenta Lilith’.
And The Angels Weep by Danzig, off of the album Black Aria I:
Lamenta Lilith by Danzig, off of the album Black Aria II:
6. Welcome To My Nightmare by Alice Cooper
What better album to act as a soundtrack for your Halloween festivities than Alice Cooper, the father of shock rock himself. ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ is Alice Cooper’s first solo album, released in 1975. It is a concept album following the nightmare world of a character named Steven. The album covers necrophilia, giant spiders taking over the world, and other themes nobody has seen for a while outside of a black metal album. If you like classic rock then this is your ideal Halloween soundtrack. Alice Cooper released the sequel to this concept album in 2011, which is titled ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’, and while it doesn’t quite measure up to the original it is an alternative with a slightly more modern sound and some tracks that you can almost dance to. Below is the music video for ‘Cold Ethyl’, a track off the album ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’, and while the song is great the video does leave a little to be desired.
‘Delirium Cordia’ by Fantomas is a very creepy and possibly one of the weirdest albums in circulation. The entire album is a single track with weird atmosphere type sounds with the music. There are not words to capture the creepiness of this album. What we have here is half an hour of just really creepy noise. You have to check it out to believe it – below is a piece from the beginning of the album.
Excerpt from Delirium Cordia by Fantomas:
4. Anti-Christ Superstar by Marilyn Manson
Released in 1996 by Marilyn Manson, the most prominent shock rocker of the 90’s, this album managed to scare parents and put Marilyn Manson in the national spotlight. ‘Anti-Christ Superstar’ almost went mainstream despite an album title that scared many parents to the point of forbidding their teenagers from purchasing it. For your review is the title track from the album.
Anti-Christ Superstar by Marilyn Manson, from the album Anti-Christ Superstar:
3. Mort by Blut Aus Nord
Blut Aus Nord started their musical career as a black metal band, even though they always had a somewhat odd side to their sound. With the release of Mort in 2006 they cemented themselves into their own genre of really creepy atmospheric mood music mixed with black metal. This is another recent find for me, and one that has been on heavy rotation on my mp3 player ever since. There is nothing better to set the mood for Halloween than the aural creation of some demented black metallers. For a truly disturbing soundtrack, see the track below.
Chapter 1 by Blut Aus Nord, from the album Mort:
2. Hellbilly Deluxe 2 by Rob Zombie
I named the prequel in at number 9, but the sequel released in 2010 also deserves a place on the list. By far the most powerfully creepy album in Rob Zombies solo discography, the lyrics are also belted out to the accompaniment of some truly wicked guitar riffs. See the track ‘Werewolf, Baby’ below for a sample of what ‘Hellbilly Deluxe 2’ has to offer.
Werewolf, Baby by Rob Zombie, from the album Hellbilly Deluxe 2:
1. Black One by Sunn O)))
unn O))) are some creepy guys in general with their droning guitars and ambient weirdness permeating their music. Not to mention they seem to always be wearing dark hooded cloaks. First place on this list goes to the album ‘Black One’ by Sunn O))) for being a truly spooky album from start to finish and also for giving me nightmares. Please see a sample track from the album, ‘Bathory Erzsebet’, below.
Bathory Erzsebet by Sunn O))), from the album Black One:
Well, that wraps up our list of the top 10 albums, from creepy to campy, to use for your Halloween party soundtrack. Did we leave anything out? Disagree with any of our choies? Tell us what albums would make your list. And from UG, I hope everyone has a great Halloween!
Ummmm....no Black Dahlia Murder? Im kind of butt hurt that neither Nocturnal or Ritual made it on this list, i mean A Shrine To Madness is actually about Halloween!
Anthrax's Worship Music was a really good Halloween album. I know only 1 song actually was about zombies, but a lot of them sounded like they could be on the soundtrack of a kickass zombie movie.
My god, Black One is just immensely dark. Absolutely brilliant to see that Sunn O))) are on the top of this list. Will check out Blut Aus Nord too, judging be the large amount of praise people seem to be giving them.
