Ultimate-Guitar’s Scariest Bands Of All Time

Ah, sweet music. You are truly a cathartic, emotional release from the week’s trials and tribulations. When life gets me down, I just whip out that old Appetite For Destruction CD and I’m golden…Well, until I start dwelling on how Axl parted ways with Slash, but I digress. Most of the year I’m surrounded by a safe haven of classic music, but something wacky happens right around the time I flip my wall calendar to read October. Friends (not to mention the trusty, yet flawed resources Wikipedia and YouTube) introduce me to bands that have the sole intention of taking listeners on a dark, seedy musical journey. Rather than giving you a musical high, these artists are more likely to transform you into a babbling 5-year-old that keeps a nightlight and crucifix on standby.

We at Ultimate-Guitar thought it only appropriate to pay homage to those bands that have frightened the bejesus out of millions with a list aptly titled The Scariest Bands Of All Time. The artists come in different packages (although inverted crosses and/or milky-colored eye contact lenses are always winners when accessorizing), and their sounds range from being subtly creepy to necessitating holy water in the room during each listen. You might not agree with every selection on the list and there might be a few missing that you feel should have been a shoe-in for the “Scariest, ” so we highly encourage you to add your own picks to the comments section. Go ahead. Scare the s*%t out us.

Classic Terror

Black Sabbath

Thank you, Tony Iommi and gang. Without you, there might not be the thousands upon thousands of black, death, goth, and overall heavy metal bands that are prevalent today. While contemporary rock bands often measure their scariness by the amount of ghoulish makeup they can plaster on their faces, this old school metal band could give you chills with a single riff. “Black Sabbath” or “War Pigs” may have a subtler approach to anything from Cradle of Filth or Deicide, but Iommi had an amazing way of taking you to the darkest (and coolest) places – and it’s still effective in 2008.

Slayer

Some people talk about the first time they ever heard The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, but it was hearing Slayer’s “South Of Heaven” that made a massive impression upon me. At the age of about 12, I was shocked and awed hearing Kerry King’s insanely cool intro riff blast through the car speakers.

It wasn’t necessarily fear that I was experiencing, but the proceeding songs I heard on the South of Heaven album were darker and more menacing than any of the benign hair metal I had been exposed to in the past. While Slayer’s purpose isn’t always to be intentionally scary, they hit the bull’s-eye with the Ed Gein-inspired track “Dead Skin Mask.” Even if it didn’t revolve around a serial killer, hearing the voice of a desperate victim crying out tends to be deeply unsettling.

King Diamond

The master of horror concept albums is none other than Kim Bendix Petersen, aka King Diamond. At the height of his dark creativity was the classic 1987 offering Abigail, which has everything you could want in a nightmarish bedtime story: witches, possession, and the trademark falsetto of a black metal icon.

In reality the present-day King Diamond leads far from a sinister life, and actually voiced his deep concern for the welfare of children in an interview with Ultimate-Guitar earlier this year. That being said, he still has the ability to chill musically, as is evident in his latest release, Give Me Your Soul…Please.

Welcome To Their Nightmare

Marilyn Manson

Disturbing music videos in which torture devices are a highlight? Check. An album featuring the word “antichrist, ” complete with a pose on a crucifix? Check. Shoot a video in which you don a pair of fake breasts while simultaneously looking like an alien? Whoa, whoa, whoa – I’m not sure if that can count as scary…After further pondering, in Manson’s case, yes. Yes, it can. Marilyn Manson is an obvious choice, but the shock rocker vacates a well-deserved slot on our list. When it comes to producing a downright sacrilegious stage show or projecting haunting video images that will disturb you for weeks to come, Manson is your man. The shock factor has eased up over the years due to being overexposed and his latest album Eat Me, Drink Me was more seductive than scary, but we would probably be fools to think Manson doesn’t have at least a little more spookiness up his straitjacket.

Rammstein

Okay, a lot of us probably cracked a slight smile when conjuring up an image of the all-that-is-man ubergroup, Rammstein. The German natives walk a fine line between being an amusing topic of conversation and a truly frightening mass of testosterone. Either way, much of Rammstein’s music manages to create quite a dark mood.

Case in point is the song “Mein Teil” (often translated as “my part” or “my penis”), which tells the story of 2 men who cut off and subsequently cooked and ate another poor soul’s Johnson. Combine the story with the grinding guitars and the disturbingly hushed vocals of Till Lindemann, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a scary song.

Aphex Twin

While at first this artist (otherwise known as Richard David James) seems to just be laying down a random assortment of drum beats and samples to fit nameless-nightclub-number-whatever, it soon becomes obvious that Aphex Twin has more ominous intentions. With songs that feature lyrics such as “I want your soul; I will eat your soul, ” and an industrial-synth sound that often sounds like screaming banshees, James has mastered the art of creepiness. If you dare, check out the videos “Come To Daddy” and “Rubber Johnny.”

Cradle Of Filth

This British metal band has inched away from the black metal genre over the years, and some might say that its affect on the senses has lessened since that time. But going through the Cradle of Filth catalog, there is still some seriously eerie material. If you doubt they could deliver a sinister track, look no further than “Dinner At Deviant’s Palace.” The disquieting voice we hear is apparently guitarist Paul Allender’s son reading The Lord’s Prayer – in reverse, of course. The verdict is out as to whether Cradle of Filth can maintain the dark creativity, but we should find out this week when the latest album Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder is released. Vocalist Dani Filth has said that “everyone who has heard this album has bruised their jaws on the pentagram-bejeweled floor." A bejeweled pentagram? Well, count me in.

Stalaggh/Gulaggh

Is it music? That’s up for debate, but whatever we hear on the Stalaggh (now defunct) and Gulaggh recordings is raw, brutal, and emotionally draining. The Dutch, possibly Belgian anonymous musicians behind the projects are surrounded in an air of mystery and have used mental patients and screaming children to provide the vocals in their “songs.” Don’t expect these guys to show up and impress you with a creepy stage show, either. After all, they’ve stated in a past interview, “Concerts make people socialize and that is not to be supported.”

Mayhem

There are black metal bands that chill with a melody and others that captivate audiences with a ghoulish wardrobe. Then there is Mayhem. This Norwegian band could probably be considered one of the most sinister groups in black metal or among humans in general. While Mayhem’s music had all the ingredients for the best in metal, their taste for evil got the best of them.

With frontman Dead committing suicide, guitarist Euronymous allegedly eating part of Dead’s body, and bassist Count Grishnackh eventually murdering Euronymous, Mayhem is possibly the most terrifying band ever to walk the Earth.

Khanate

If you like your metal equivalent to that of a deranged horror film, look no further than Khanate. Although the quartet disbanded back in 2006, they still managed to produce some seriously disturbing material during the 5 years they were together. The tempos are achingly slow, vocalist Alan Dubin sounds like some sort of pissed-off goblin, and the guitars groan with a thick layer of feedback. In summation, Khanate is the perfect Halloween soundtrack if you desire to scare the crap out of children.

Lucifer’s Spawn or Just Loveable?

Alice Cooper

Back in the early 1970s, Alice Cooper paved the road for all shock rockers with his blacked-out eyes, marionette-like mouth creases, and shows featuring the likes of guillotines and dancing teeth. His songs never quite matched the horror that his image conveyed, but Marilyn Manson still owes Cooper a big thank-you for the inspiration.

The shock had all but disappeared when Cooper appeared in Wayne’s World as the resident expert on the Indian root meaning of “Mil-wau-kee,” but that’s not such a bad thing. Not only have we gained an entertaining screen actor, rumor has it that Cooper is one hell of a golfer as well.

Ozzy Osbourne

Yes, we already mentioned Black Sabbath in the Classic Terror category, but Ozzy has evolved into a completely unique entity as a solo artist. If you were walking and talking in the 1980s, you won’t be forgetting the bat incident anytime soon. When Ozzy took a big ol’ bite into a bat that was thrown onstage during the Bark At The Moon Tour, that incident seemed to seal the deal on the frontman’s spawn of Satan claim – or more accurately, his monstrous drug problem. Fast forward to 2008 and Ozzy is still a force with which to be reckoned. Of course, now the self-proclaimed Prince Of Darkness is pushing 60 and it’s hard to not be entertained by every word (or vague utterance) that Ozzy makes. Hey, the man’s a reality TV star, a family man, and part Energizer Bunny – after all, he’s still holding his own with the likes of Zakk Wylde every year.

Gwar

If we went by looks alone, Gwar would have earned a special slot at the top of the list. Of course, every time Oderus Urungus utters a cornball line (particularly when on Jerry Springer or the now defunct Joan Rivers Show), it’s hard to see the horror behind the humor. Given the fact that we’ve had a couple of decades to get used to the whole notion of Gwar, it does seem the scariest part about the sci-fi inspired band might be its stage shows.

That favorite T-shirt of yours won’t survive all the decapitated heads and slain dinosaurs, which will undoubtedly ooze gallons of delightful Gwar juice. Um, I mean blood.

Comments

[undeaded]

COME ON! Where is Cannibal Corpse or even a grindcore band?

[TomD03]

Wtf,
Venom???? Where is venom??? Back in the day, they were the scariest. Or how about Gorgoroth????

[tom.b]

Is that what Iommi looks like without his 'stache? I don't think I've ever seen a pic of him w/o facial hair.

[CrowLord]

distinct lack of horror punk as well

[undeaded]

TRVE BLACK METAL NEEDED.

Lawls.

[eazy-c]

Thank god Stalaggh are on this.

[Lil Macker]

Is that Cozy Powell on the Black Sabbath picture?

[The Dark Wind]

at first I thought this was gonna be some horribly lame list, thinking to myself, "man, they probably don't know what real terrifying music is, like sunn o))) or khanate or something." And then there we go, you guys mentioned Khanate. Nice.

[Sixp0under]

Is it me or does the mayhem pic look like Dragonforce's singer?

[FionnRuadh]

EH..... The Misfits?!
The have F*ckin song called halloween!

[Reviewer Pete]

Shining.

[jmetalf]

Fallout boy? jk... had to.

[mlukeroberts222]

Manson had to be on the list. I won't ever forget listening to 'Antichrist Superstar' for the first time and just how disturbed it made me feel. Don't get me wrong - I love and will always love that album, but it scared the shit out of me as an early teenager. Also, where's Zombie?

That's not Mayhem, that's that bloke from Dragonforce!

Also checked.

[billybusa]

Bethlehem?

they are scary

[thedarkblues06]

undeaded wrote:

COME ON! Where is Cannibal Corpse or even a grindcore band?

Cannibal Corpse isn't scary.

But yeah, where's Rob Zombie?

[Runny123]

Marylin manson?

Come on people.. :/

thanks Duncan, the reviews editor messed it up a little bit (re Mayhem pic).. will fix

I liked it =(

[bootyguard]

Emperor? Dissection? Venom? Gorgoroth? BURZUM? Morbid Angel? Pestilence? Cannibal Corpse? OBITUARY?

come on guys. Marylin Manson and Raamstein are not ****en scary... at all.

[new_age_reject]

It makes me pleased you mentioned Aphex Twin.

[boomtank]

WTH are the MISFITS?
They invented the horrorpunk genre!

[therussian]

Where's Screamin' Jay Hawkins!?!?

This is blasphemy!

[Dudeman5000]

Yay! Kahante!

[undeaded]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Shining.

Agreed. That is actually scary.

[pinky_demon]

Ok seriously, where is Rob Zombie?

[execution_666]

Slipknot?

Mudvaye?

bang off!!

[TheStruction]

Great! Finally someone recognize Aphex Twin as scary, he gives me the creeps...

[janneli561]

HEY WERES BURZUM???

[red_hot_chili18]

wheres rick astley?

[Helvari]

Where's Christian Death?

[kfilly20]

Fear Before the March of Flames - scariest music out there right now

[MonsterOfRock]

Mercyful Fate? lol, they got cool riffs!

checked

[2mins2midnite]

what about iron maiden's Eddie?

[Felty666]

Manson is not scary, everything he does is for theatrical shock value. Alice, Ozz, and GWAR aren't scary at all.

[Metallicaloveu]

Where are Slipknot? They are quite scary looking - they scared my little brother anyway.

[Jackolas]

Why so serious?

It's just an article mainly designed to amuse! Lighten up people. (No pun intended)

[TheIceCreamMan]

I call for The Misfits!

[Devilguy]

Where's Rob!!

[Metallica AC/DC]

Lustmord, truly horrifying music

[ZakkWylde9123]

tom.b wrote:

Is that what Iommi looks like without his 'stache? I don't think I've ever seen a pic of him w/o facial hair.

I could be wrong but isn't that Dio?

[Last_In_Line44]

WHERE THE HELL IS CANNIBAL CORPSE OR EVEN A HORROR PUNK BAND??

[y-e-a-r-z-e-r-o]

cannibal corpse is a joke when it comes to scary.
and though i like the misfits, they don't fit scary.

But Burzum, Cradle of Filth, Skinny Puppy and Throbbing Gristle could have been included!

[Maggot3000]

MonsterOfRock wrote:

Mercyful Fate? lol, they got cool riffs!

Well King Diamond was on the list which is good enough, he is the writer behind their lyrics anyway. But i agree, MF had the best riffs

[y-e-a-r-z-e-r-o]

and Metallica AC/DC +1
Lustmord aaaaand Merzbow

[Dallen_007]

Acid Bath creeps me out a bit, but then I remember how awesome the are, they should be one here.

[DeathzMetal666]

wheres cannibal? or deicide vital remains omg mercyful fate, or cryptopsy! nvm

[Kirouac]

They can't all be in there stop saying "why is my favorite horror band not in there ?"

[messenjah]

i would put a vote on Behemoth and Gorgoroth... especially Gorgoroth... those guys are just pure evil

[slitan]

um slipknot, deathstars mushroom head

[fish182]

umm wheres slipknot?

[AltarsOfMadness]

Good call on Khanate.

[WALKE5]

Totally agree with the where's Venom post. There may have been doubts about their commitment to the black acts, but if it wasnt for their dark,satanic themed lyrics and especially their dont give a shit manic riffing there would have been no black metal, or a whole range of metal genre that followed.

A proper British metal institution, deserve go much more respect. But then, they dont care themselves, that what make Venom so much more better than egostitical metal that exists today!!!

[jdmusicuk]

Where were KISS?

[Psychopathology]

Stalaggh? God this sucks. And Alice Cooper is a christian.

[bradshults]

Where's Mr.Bungle... Ihae never rd anything else like them...you can't tell me my ass is on fire or stubb a dubb aren't scary music.

[Ibanezbenz]

dimmu borgir... i don't see you...
commeon, they are the scariest band out there...
dir en grey could be on that list too, cause they are sick and twisted.

[ColinElmhurstEX]

thedarkblues06 wrote:

undeaded wrote:

COME ON! Where is Cannibal Corpse or even a grindcore band?


Cannibal Corpse isn't scary.

But yeah, where's Rob Zombie?

PFFFFFT! my god

where is this world coming to? ever heard of ANY death metal? real black metal?

[korbhag]

DETHKLOK! Well if everything that's happening during the show happened for real they would definititely be the scariest band ever :P

[Jondy]

seriously where is any... any death or black metal band at all? finntroll, dimmu borgir, anything?
marilyn manson are you kidding me?

[Metallica AC/DC]

If we're going on visuals, which a lot of people seem to be with all of the slipknot posts, then Tool is definitely one of the scariest bands, or at least one of the freakiest.

[Chaz-6(sic)6]

Deicide should have been on here. That Branded upside-down cross on Glen Benton's head has scared some people.
And yeah, Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Mushroomhead, and Kiss should have been on there. Old school Mudvayne too. But hey, It's a pretty good list anyway.

[qotsa1998]

What about Mudvayne maybe, Slipknot (not my favorite, but they do scare some people), Rob Zombie, or any sort of death metal? Even Bring Me the Horizon (death-core) wouldve worked. GWAR seems a bit cheesy to me, the costumes are just too comic-book to be scary. And the only people Manson seems to scare are parents, and even that seems to be wearing off these days.

[LegsOnEarth]

KHANATE on UG?! amazing!

Checked


Excellent list, UG Team! Obviously you couldn't include every scary band to exist, but personally, I think the list you have in this article is great. Kudos!

[ph3n0m]

Stalaggh? ROFL

[moogaar]

Horrible list lol

Only deserving bands on there are Mayhem and Khanate

[Roopelatvalafan]

where is britney spears? come on!

[Love April]

I want misfits on that list. Someone mentioned horror punk, they made it. I mean they have a song named braineaters. And their song "Bullet" Is about the death of John F Kennedy and also raping his wife.

[Tallman1984]

Meeleewakuee. The good land.

[the5thhorseman]

The Black Sabbath picture is Cozy Powell. You guys should know better...

Not exactly the picture I'd choose to represent Sabbath, but Powell did play on 3 albums with them. Overall, not that bad a list.

[Sylvanus]

Metallica AC/DC wrote:

Lustmord, truly horrifying music

+1 Lustmord gives me the chills. This thing seems to focus more on looks and acts.

Bethlehem, Burzum, Sun o)))(practically any drone/doom band really.) should be mentioned aswell as some others.

[dickhaus]

how the fuuuuck can burzum not be on the list??? hes in jail for several counts of arson (on churches) and murder!!!

[Shredder Guitar]

MonsterOfRock wrote:

Mercyful Fate? lol, they got cool riffs!

thats king diamonds old band. for the record.

[uberphreak]

jdmusicuk wrote:

Where were KISS?

KISS is scary for an entirely different reason... I'll leave that up to interpretation. *coughtheysuckcough*

But anyway this is a pretty scary group of artists lol. I do agree that Gorgoroth should be up there, they're goddamn evil as hell. Goat heads on their stage? Crucifying people on stage? C'mon.

[KB22]

Metallica AC/DC wrote:

If we're going on visuals, which a lot of people seem to be with all of the slipknot posts, then Tool is definitely one of the scariest bands, or at least one of the freakiest.

hell yeah. Creepiest videos/light show ever.

The video for schism scares the absolute shit outta me.

[theotherguy7145]

dickhaus wrote:

btw the misfits shld not be on there theyre a bunch of biitch a ss posers.

Misfits SHOULD be on there! They've been around for ages, so you can't call em posers at all really. And if you've seen any vids of them live, or any music videos, then they are pretty freaky! =D

[Masonpwiley]

Needs more black metal!

[drew61195]

wheres slipknot

[MTVget0FFtheAIR]

the writer(s) went for variety, they achieved that. this is a damn good list and none of you could do any better. listening the same repetitive *insert adjective* metal band does not get the job done.

[sugna_slays]

Replace Alice Cooper with Gorgoroth.
Alice Cooper is a hardcore christian, Gororoth has goat heads on pikes and crucified people.

[sugna_slays]

Tool isn't scary.
The whole point of Tool is to see past face value things.
Schism is actually about relationships and them falling apart.

[HotDogs1]

wheres GG ALLIN nothing is scarier than body fluids being chucked at you with a chance of rape and a certainty of getting beat up.

[TheDave1552]

Metallica AC/DC wrote:

Lustmord, truly horrifying music

I just checked them out...wow, I think I'm going to give them a good listen one night in a dark room if I can muster up the courage lol.
Also, I'm not really sure why we're going on looks, but if you're looking for scary shit look up Godspeed You Black Emperor!. Truly messed up stuff, kinda like Lustmord I guess.

[RocknRollRay]

wtf where's slipknot?

[col50]

Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, and dying fetus should be on this list

[TheReverend724]

good to see king diamond on the list
im actually surprised that slipknot is not on the list seeing with all their recent publicity
i can agree with everyone about all the burzum and lustmord suggestions

[impropagation66]

bootyguard wrote:

Emperor? Dissection? Venom? Gorgoroth? BURZUM? Morbid Angel? Pestilence? Cannibal Corpse? OBITUARY?

come on guys. Marylin Manson and Raamstein are not ****en scary... at all.

You hit the nail on the ****ing head.

[Guitarmike123]

Nice list, good to see Stalaggh mentioned. Scared me the first time I heard it, don't listen to it at night if you haven't heard it before.

[1frmtx]

Where in the hell is Danzig!!

[Skuzzmo]

ZakkWylde9123 wrote:

tom.b wrote:

Is that what Iommi looks like without his 'stache? I don't think I've ever seen a pic of him w/o facial hair.


I could be wrong but isn't that Dio?

You having a laugh? Fucking Dio?!?!?!

It's Cozy Powell... who was in sabbath for one year...94 to 95...I think...so yes, that is the best picture they could have got for sabbath.... pfft

lol

[Life Is Brutal]

Dethklok? Not all that scary but brutal, but what they do to their audience is scary...

[huevos]

TheDave1552 wrote:

Metallica AC/DC wrote:

Lustmord, truly horrifying music


I just checked them out...wow, I think I'm going to give them a good listen one night in a dark room if I can muster up the courage lol.
Also, I'm not really sure why we're going on looks, but if you're looking for scary shit look up Godspeed You Black Emperor! . Truly messed up stuff, kinda like Lustmord I guess.

This.
Especially their F#-A# record.
Try out Maudlin of the Well/Kayo Dot as well. It makes for a difficult listen, but it is chilling and beautiful at the same time.
Sunno))) would be an excellent addition to the list.

impropagation66 wrote:

bootyguard wrote:

Emperor? Dissection? Venom? Gorgoroth? BURZUM? Morbid Angel? Pestilence? Cannibal Corpse? OBITUARY?

come on guys. Marylin Manson and Raamstein are not ****en scary... at all.


You hit the nail on the ****ing head.

All those bands mentioned are much more "frightening" than MM and Ramstein.

[theocao]

wow that list is fail
cradle of filth?
....

[SamuraiLP]

Deicide derserves some kind of place
and honestly, I dont think Slipknot is all that scary
Iowa is a chilling song, but most of their songs arent directed towards scaring you shitless...altho, I think Sid wilson deserves something for going up in flames
like, horrifying act, but even then assraping pigs is still worse, and burning churches.
Anyone know a scary classical insrumental?
Id like to find a violin that has an evil tone
And Apocalyptica isnt scary so dont mention it.

[tattvamasi]

bradshults wrote:

Where's Mr.Bungle... Ihae never rd anything else like them...

+1 Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk) and Tom Waits. Aphex Twin as well. They attack the senses, which is far more frightening than most flashy metal bands.

[Slayknot]

marilyn manson?
GWAR?
NOT SCARY
just ugly
but wheres Slipknot? and Cannibal Corpse?
your f***ed up

[A Bad Guitarist]

Marilyn Manson isn't so much 'scary' as 'batsh*t crazy'.

[nolife'tilmetal]

ya forgot slipknot, cannibal corpse, burzum, and countless more...

[klondikebarian]

undeaded wrote:

COME ON! Where is Cannibal Corpse or even a grindcore band?

This list is pretty decent.
The only scary thing about grindcore is that there are only a few talented bands out there.

[hozarth]

tabarnak! Dimmu borgir should be here
The list is pretty good though

[The_Metalfreak]

SamuraiLP wrote:
And Apocalyptica isnt scary so dont mention it.

I disagree. Whenever they come on I run away screaming for fear of hearing another TERRIBLE redo of a good song.

Mind you the same applies to many other bands/artists, most notably those who feel the need to wear testicle-constrictingly tight pants in order to get their voices disgustingly high. Or even not for that reason for that matter. That is image is damn scary.

[xyz66]

i am outraged!!!!!
Where is John 5?!?!?

['Leviathan']

Sear, Bethlehem, Pentagram, Immortal.

[marcelaguiar]

IM so scared of going to a GWAR concert....ill got blood and vomit SPILLED all over me. They are utterly ridiculous.

[ozzynator]

ROB ZOMBIE should be there !!!!
but other than that the list is not bad, of course lots of other scary bands out there but this list gave a general view on legendary bands from different sub-genres.

[CroMag523]

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE MISFITS!!!!!

[ARS&JMB]

come on wheres rob zombie hes a freakin horror movie director for god sake and plus they have gwar but not slipknot

[nolife'tilmetal]

oh + and gorgoroth, rob zombie, behemoth, pentagram. i forgot to put those down. tip of the hat to khanate though.

[VanCamp]

The story on "Mein Teil" is wrong. Two guys met on the internet, they cut off one of the guys' penis, and they ate it (actually, they burned and TRIED to eat it, but it was too charred). Only those two guys were involved, not three.

[Saintsatan]

No Merzbow? In my opinion, Merzbow is the noise you'd be killing yourself to.

[m_daly_123]

1frmtx wrote:

Where in the hell is Danzig!!

Agreed. And of course Rob Zombie and the Misfits (although Danzig is what made the Misfits scary). And maybe its just me, but I just find blood and vomit disgusting, not scary. I'd rather see more bands that have eerie music and haunting vocal lines than ones who spit blood and vomit on the stage. I always have preferred psychological thrillers over slasher films. Then again, just my opinion. To each his own (but I feel that most everybody can agree that this list does need a little refining). Cool idea though. +1

[trendkill-]

boomtank wrote:

WTH are the MISFITS?
They invented the horrorpunk genre!

but they are not scary
this is scary bands

and some on mentioned behemoth they are not scary they are just satanic lol...well to a christian that my be scary i guess lol

[ReignInBlood66]

What about Dimmu Borgir and every other black metal band

[GibsonVdude]

where is Gorgoroth?? they scared the shit out of me the first time i saw them

[Faminoxide]

idk tool is pretty disturbing when it comes to music videos...like prison sex...or artwork.

The Famine is pretty crazy, and definitely a little scary.

[Regression]

Ibanezbenz wrote:

dimmu borgir... i don't see you...
commeon, they are the scariest band out there...
dir en grey could be on that list too, cause they are sick and twisted.

Dir En Grey are quite normal, they just have a few screwed up vids.

And people, I know at the top it encouraged you to add comments of who you thought should be on the list, but please don't bother mentioning every single black metal band out there. We all know how 'scary' they are, but this list would be rather boring if it was just a bunch of black metal bands.

[frenchabortion]

all shit, where the **** is the GG Allin

[mchugh92]

tattvamasi wrote:

bradshults wrote:

Where's Mr.Bungle... Ihae never rd anything else like them...


+1 Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk) and Tom Waits. Aphex Twin as well. They attack the senses, which is far more frightening than most flashy metal bands.

kudos to you both, the video to quote unquote is freaky as hell, and the song adds to it, stubb a dubb, my ass is one fire, goodbye sober day, slowly growing deaf, merry go bye bye, platypus, all those tracks are scarier than anythin Manson could pull off, and Gorgoroth deserve a spot, and to those sayin Burzum should be here, hes already covered in the Mayhem paragraph, Varg Vikernes and Count Grishnackh are the same person, and Alice Cooper isn't scary at all, Dimmu Borgir, Fantomas, Converge, Behemoth, Tomoahawk, Black Widow hell!!!!! early Korn can freak me out sometimes too, the song Daddy gives me shivers, theres so many that you couldve put on there that are scarier than Manson and Rammstein

[OrangePossum]

LOL STALAGGH.
that mental patient song is pretty awful. haven't heard the kids screaming yet.

[MedicreDemon]

FUCK YES APHEX TWIN!

[hvymtl939]

Weak ****in' list.

[Master Magggot]

SLAYER!

[Ironpriest]

In Utero By Nirvana freaks me out...

[tigerking615]

LOL Mayhem

But yeah, a decent list on the whole. Could use Venom though.

[superubercool]

I was liking King Diamond until I found out his albums had plot summaries. That's just creepy shit.

[blindfatkid23]

Seriously Gorgoroth, they're ****ing terrifying

[atomicblast]

Agree, terrible list, unless you count Mayhem. Otherwise, not so good. I could write a rebuttal to the entire list, but I'm drunk, so bed is the better alternative.

[atomicblast]

I forgot to mention, Cannibal Holocaust is in my future.

[sxymnky777]

Rammstein? more like Burzum.

[Metallicam]

drew61195 wrote:

wheres slipknot

Where they belong, not on the list. Along with Cannibal Corpse. These bands don't scare my little sister. Good list though, I think they were trying to come up with scary, yet good bands. Another reason why the two above bands aren't on there.

[HardRockRob]

What about The Axis of Perdition. No less than the musical equivalent of Silent Hill.

[boomtank]

old-skool mudvayne should be on there too :O
They all look fkn scary in both vids of Dig and Death Blooms.

[Shredslayer]

just listened to some stalaggh.... what the hell?!?! i have to say it was jaw grinding stuff. it was astonishlingly hard to tolerate. maybe not scary... just disturbing as...

[el_psycho]

Come on, Slipknot actually wear Halloween masks, and they don't deserve a mention? Mudvayne? Even Mushroomhead? Even if your judging this by music you can't include Cradle of Filth and ignore Slipknot.

[Shadow_player]

Wheres Paramore? They foookin scare me

[voidSkipper]

Come on, Slipknot actually wear Halloween masks, and they don't deserve a mention? Mudvayne? Even Mushroomhead? Even if your judging this by music you can't include Cradle of Filth and ignore Slipknot.

Scarily commercial, maybe.

[Kristofer Dahl]

Awesome!! My favorites are Rammstein!

[cj878]

red_hot_chili18 wrote:

wheres rick astley?

LOL

Checked.

[Broken_Drum]

"Come on you ****s, let's have some Aphex acid"

[kfong03]

what about slipknot man?

[Thedarkchild]

slipknot is not scary at all...but they are a good band

cannibal corpse isn't scary either...they are funny to me...can't take them serious...

[blackie13]

WASP?????

[MrGoodyear812]

and here i was half hoping the Jonus Brothers would be on the list.....than it hit me! they were talking about music groups only!!!!! haha

[billybusa]

Roopelatvalafan wrote:

where is britney spears? come on!

you are not original nor funny

slipknot - (515) is a pretty scary song

same with the live performance of scissors

[roarinflames]

im surprised noone said anything about NIN
their old stuff was pretty ****ing creepy
like "big man with a gun"

[Shred Head]

Bethlehem?

[roarinflames]

listening to songs backwards is usually pretty creepy

[Surrection75]

King Diamond and Gwar are the best (especially King Diamond)

[DarOmAnCeIsDeAd]

WHY ISN'T SLIPKNOT THERE!
THEY ARE PRETTY FREAKIN SCARY

[guitargodgary13]

what abut slipknot?

[nuncautnumquam]

LOL slipknot. jokes.

good call on khanate XD

[Surrection75]

where is scary spice?

[sgplayer90]

how about the sick puppies? there pretty ****ing hardcore

[G-loony]

They should've added another catogory consisting of FAIL bands wich would only be Lordi :P

[evil666killer]

MARILYN MANSON!!!!!11

[Izzy_Bryce]

Psychopathology wrote:

Stalaggh? God this sucks. And Alice Cooper is a christian.

Hey that's not a fair judgement call at all. I'm a christian and I can straight up scare the crap out of people if i wanted to. also hey come on, listening to Lamb of God for the first time was pretty freaky. I think they should be on here. Slipknot, no, they're not scary...

[Izzy_Bryce]

sorry for the repost but be4 someone was gonna reply my post with "LOG? wtf" i was gonna say hey i think everyone will agree the first time they ever heard the scale for Laid to Rest, it was very halloweenish and creepy sounding.

[nuncautnumquam]

i dnt agree.

[kford09]

Dimmu, Burzum,Behemoth and immortal should be on that list i do agree with mayhem tho, those guys are some badasses

[Tempus]

Xasthur, Leviathan, The Axis of Perdition, Nortt, Gorgoroth (Pre-Fashion Era), Silencer, Burzum, Sunn O))), etc., etc. I'm probably missing some bands, but all of those are at least twice as terrifying than most of the bands on that list, either for atmosphere, lyrics, or criminal behavior (sometimes all three).

[rocker778]

where the hell is Rob Zombie and Slip Knot

[Big Dave 91]

I find Gene Simmons with his make up off scary lol

[dmiwshicldply]

the misfits have to be on any list like this

[Step Hen]

Behemoth or Dimmu Borgir would be suited for this list

[totalxanarchy]

yeah, where the **** is behemoth????

[nuncautnumquam]

are people not taking this list a bit too seriously? i'm sure a fairly sizable amount of the board could reel off a few 'scarier bands' (by inevitably plundering their knowledge of death metal or black metal, however limited that is). Its a bit of fun, can it not be treated that way? Ta babes.

[slitan]

i grew up on horro and metal...and parbola(TOOL) was the first song i heard growin up but if u guys want some f-d up shzt
go listen to some SKR lables
komatose and sicktanik are goth/horor/death Rap but the should be on there

[YourMessiah666]

Step Hen wrote:

Behemoth or Dimmu Borgir would be suited for this list

Dimmu for sure

[metallica99]

how about the slits? They were scarily bad! Haha :P

[AEnima18]

they should also mention mudvayne and slipknot (from their early careers when they were actually scary) and what about mushroomhead?!

[wangmaster]

no Misfits?

fail.

[DoteStudios]

Horrible Alice revue, it wasn't just theatrics that got him famous. More people know he plays School's Out than know what he does or looks like, although it's sad it proves his music is legendary as well. Also where are the Misfits? They are halloween and are the best Alice rip offs.

[Fuzzbox91]

no misfits, darkthrone, or Sunno)))? fail

[BlisteringDDj]

Gorgoroth? Dimmu? Venom? All true Black Metal Bands? :P

[trashbeast]

where are venom, death, cannibal corpse?
These bands aren't even scary.. king diamond? most people laugh the first time they hear his voice and think it's a joke..

[any14doomsday]

Good call on Khanate, most people here were probly like WTF who are those guys ? but they are truly terrifying

Checked?

[Zawlacki]

What about SlipKnot, where are they?

[clincher09]

Nine Inch Nails' older material should have made the list.

[DyingToFish]

um... Cannibal Corpse!?! cmon!
Slipknot also
Venom
Ill give credit for Cradle of Filth... but cmon

[nesveikuolis]

Corpse for sure - how many other bands have been banned that much and received so much criticism?

[Joey Radical]

How can there be no Helloween on this list? I call shenanigans!!!

[liamhardiner]

seriously
where is whitechapel
im 15 and they make me shit the bed

[blackfire1206]

Behemoth needs to be up there for sure.

[SG Man Forever]

Why is Behemoth not on this list? They are ****in scary. Also Burzum belongs here if you're talking about Norwegian black metal

[kattaway96]

Dude wheres the misfits, aiden, and rob zombie

[Fireballz 1077]

these are good but i think that Dethklok and Rob Zombie should have been on here.

[Fireballz 1077]

these are good but i think that Dethklok and Rob Zombie should have been on here.

[Fireballz 1077]

oops. i posted that twice....shit!

[.6.bullets.]

Throbbing Gristle, man.
THAT is some freaky shit, listen to the songs SlugBait and Urge To Kill.

But, all in a all it's a decent list. Needs Rob Zombie though.

[DonCorleone72]

i still dont get how the **** king diamond is black metal. i could never get into it besides, the vocals always seemed like a joke to me

[no. 1 maggot]

if you go by lyrics, the berzerker are a definite candidate. the song forever is pretty sick. not the good sick, either. cradle of filth and mayhem are right on the top of my personal list. sabbath, alice cooper, ozzy - not so much. Arch Enemy is pretty scary, after all it's a chick making that horrible noise

[no. 1 maggot]

oh, and what about the culture club? that's scarier than anything listed here

[megaganj]

Where the hell is cannibal corpse? nobody tops them for sheer brutality. I think I get the same kind of kick out of listening to frantic disembowelment as I do watching a good zombie movie. The name of the band even means zombie!

[Set-Abominae]

Needs more Rob Zombie. "And out of the darkness, the Zombie did call, true pain and suffering he brought to them all, away ran the children to hide in their beds, for fear that the devil would chop off their heads... *giggle/thunder*"

Creeps me out to this day.

[rongold360]

Slipknot, and Mudvayne, if no-ones said it. Lamn of god too.

[gattcat0]

omg u r all idiots how about iron maiden's eddie????? he mantains a close rekationship with the devil.... is death..... is an undertaker and killed margarett thatcher!!!!! and he's just friggin cool

[Neverender78]

lamb you mean?

behemoth should probably be on that list too

[gattcat0]

and also eddie killed bruce at one stage dug up his own corpse travelled back in time

creepiest lyrics eva

"Woe to You Oh Earth and Sea
for the Devil sends the beast with wrath
because he knows the time is short
Let him who hath understanding
reckon the number of the beast
for it is a human number
its number is six hundred and sixty six."

[slayer666z]

Vital Remains is a scary band, look at their lyrics

[Cutlass_253]

I'll agree that Burzum (who IS Count Grishnackt, who IS up on the list as the bassist for Mayhem) was pretty f cked up. But have you listened to any of his latest stuff. It's like ambient trance music. Not very scary. A little unsettling, but also somewhat tranquilizing.

I think Mayhem was a good choice. All in all a decent list. I don't think Rammstein is scary as much as they are just very macho sounding. But to each his own. I could imagine how some creepy German guy could freak you out.

Cannable Corpse was scary...before they started coming blood in Jim Carrey movies...I meant out...did I say blood?

[30 30 150]

i dont think slipknot is scary or even meant to be scary for that matter.....buuut i think behemoth should be on there

[ButtholeZombie]

My god. This is a very decent list and I enjoyed reading it and here are all of you guys bitching because your favourite band didn't make it. Seriously, you can't put EVERY black/death/grind/horror band on it.

I liked it.

[DeAd-RiP]

janneli561 wrote:

HEY WERES BURZUM???

they mentioned Count Grishnackh close enough XD

[tom1thomas1]

Tony Iommi looks exactly like Cozy Powell

[Vinura]

man they left out the scary emos, theyll be pissed....

[darthmnky]

misfits?? rob zombie??? cmon this list is pretty incomplete

[shotgunjoe]

Good to see Khanate getting some love.

They did miss out all the ****ing grind bands though. Also, where the hell is Burzum? He killed a guy, you know. That makes him slightly more extreme than anyone up there.

[PastaOfMuppets]

Too much metal.
Metal isnt scary.

[WSR66]

Slipknot? Murderdolls? Wednesday 13? KISS? Behemoth?????

[_xXBehemothXx_]

WSR66 :
Slipknot? Murderdolls? Wednesday 13? KISS? Behemoth?????

My thoughts exactly.

[slipkn0tftw]

Wow how bout misfits?In the time they were like the scariest band in the world back in the 70s

[JubilantxJack]

Where the hell is Slipknot?????

[oands]

JubilantxJack wrote:

Where the hell is Slipknot?????

in the kindergarten of the music world..

[Wastman666]

TomD03 wrote:

Wtf,
Venom???? Where is venom??? Back in the day, they were the scariest. Or how about Gorgoroth????

AGREED!!!! VENOM SHOULD BE THERE!

[metall909]

I agree on some music like mayhem and Stalaggh.. cause they are truly evil. but come on.. Marilyn Manson??

[jran77]

im sooo disappointed there is no zombie on there

[AngelWolf]

No Venom ? No Misfits? well thats stupid.. as they should be on there more than most of them others

[AngelWolf]

the guys who made this should watch The Misfits - Scream video they rip chunks out of people who can argue with that

Checked again.

[12kmohr]

Every misfits song know is ****ing scary as nuts. How can you forget Glenn Danzig and the Ghoul Club. Halloween, LAst Caress, Moommy can I Kill tonight, Night of the Living Dead, .....ETC

[surbus]

oh come on where is slipknot.
Props for gwar though

[Chris_Parker]

This list is missing some Torso****.

Come on, they're like an even MORE hardcore Cannibal Corpse.

Raped By Elephants, anyone?

[BTBAM_7]

this is more like the scariest bands that the majority of people have heard of.

bands like behemoth make gwar crap

[wrockandroll100]

How about Slipknot and Mattalica

[slipknotmag55]

wheres Micheal Jackson he freaks the hell out of me!!

[NeoNoks]

+ 1

FionnRuadh wrote:

EH..... The Misfits?!
The have F*ckin song called halloween!

[irontremelo]

slipknotmag55 wrote:

wheres Micheal Jackson he freaks the hell out of me!!

XD

[acefecoo]

wheres Micheal Jackson he freaks the hell out of me!!

dont hurt Micheal he's a good guy :S:S
xDxD...

[tamotots]

stalaggh/ gulaggh isn't freaking music. it's noise.
where are all the death metal bands

[diddykoi6]

omg lame list ill tell ya whos scary... chuck norris, he can kill with 1 kick
LOLOL

[Tempus]

Oh shit, I forgot Nortt.

[Njordan12]

okokok, thats a great list, but needs at least slipknot and zombie. Also, rammstien is not that creepy, if it was based off of lyrics, then Lamb of God and LOTS of other contemporary metal bands should have spots.

[Kornholic]

Where is My Chemical Romance ?! I get chills everytime I hear it and think that so many people actually listen to this kind of carbage. It scares the living something out of me!

[dethklok678]

NO DETHKLOK?!?!?!WHERE IS DETHKLOK?!?!
they may be a cartoon band, but they are terrifying.
like when Toki hates children, and he takes a flamethrower to mordhaus, or how William is all for body mutilation, why aren't they on here, same with Venom.

[Mondo Generator]

White Zombie/Rob Zombie are definitely the best horror bands (which isn't really saying that much).
I think that if there was a category for a band that makes the most sinister, chilling songs, Queens of the Stone Age would definitely be the band.

[Mondo Generator]

dethklok678 wrote:

NO DETHKLOK?!?!?!WHERE IS DETHKLOK?!?!
they may be a cartoon band, but they are terrifying.
like when Toki hates children, and he takes a flamethrower to mordhaus, or how William is all for body mutilation, why aren't they on here, same with Venom.

Dethklok is too hilarious to be scary.

[dethklok678]

Mondo Generator wrote:

dethklok678 wrote:

NO DETHKLOK?!?!?!WHERE IS DETHKLOK?!?!
they may be a cartoon band, but they are terrifying.
like when Toki hates children, and he takes a flamethrower to mordhaus, or how William is all for body mutilation, why aren't they on here, same with Venom.

Dethklok is too hilarious to be scary.

what???? like every episode some dude dies!

[roseman13xxx]

Personally i think slipknot should be in place of marlyin manson. The only thing scary about him is the fact hes gay.

[dethklok678]

roseman13xxx wrote:

Personally i think slipknot should be in place of marlyin manson. The only thing scary about him is the fact hes gay.

ha!!!

[natedogguitar]

what about slipknot? there total creeps

[Haris_rock]

what about sodom...

[NHBassist12]

DOG FASHION DISCO

[alkaline3trio]

When I saw Annotations of an Autopsy, i thought the singer was going to eat me. He's scary. But they suck.

[Valenten]

Hye, nice article

Heya people did you know that Aphex Twin has made a song ( I forgot the name) : if you edit this song with a software such as audacity, and look at audio spectrum, you can see a deformed face... strange

[Misfit-FTB]

Looks fine to me, except Rammstein.

[Rtard_GWARRIOR]

The lack of Misfits is dissapointing. Anyways. Yeah Gwar would get their own catagory, And as for cleaning the Blood\cum\bile\puke\blue stuff\snot\everything gwar shoots at you goes, dump some shampoo in the washer.

[TehShiz]

Lmao, just reading all those dumb comments about people bitching their band isn't on this stupid list, and i see this:

red_hot_chili18 wrote:

wheres rick astley?

Just lol. I loved that. Honestly, when the rick roll was around, he became a pretty scary fella. I still have nightmares about him, and that dancing bartender in the video. And rick, you lied to me. I did cry.

[bassplayer496]

These guys clearly don't know industrial very well. For a scare listen to Skinny Puppy of Wumpscut

[olilem]

To all the people saying wheres slipkot

Where is the jonas brothers????

Its the exact same thing
how are they scary?

[i_eat_souls]

bassplayer496 :
These guys clearly don't know industrial very well. For a scare listen to Skinny Puppy of Wumpscut

Skinny Puppy is some scary shit, listen to them while you're trying to go to sleep

[KVX10 KING V]

This is quite pathetic.

[church773]

Necrophagia? Mayhem?

I don't like either of those bands but god damn they are scary

[Emcrox]

umm Slipknot? and uhh Fallout Boy? they scare the shit outta me

[mozza86]

SlipKnot should be there, along with Cannibal Corpse or even Deicide. Don't care about rob.

[mozza86]

dethklok678 wrote:

roseman13xxx wrote:

Personally i think slipknot should be in place of marlyin manson. The only thing scary about him is the fact hes gay.
ha!!!

hahaha so true

[Unded_Metalhead]

mann sum emo/pop/punkwannabe bands shud hav been here...lyk da jonas faggots...dey arent gud...dey just suk so bad..it scares me...lol

[cookie monster1]

y-e-a-r-z-e-r-o wrote:

cannibal corpse is a joke when it comes to scary.
and though i like the misfits, they don't fit scary.

But Burzum, Cradle of Filth, Skinny Puppy and Throbbing Gristle could have been included!

[Heraklyon]

You guys should really have posted Senthil, very sick funeral doom or perhaps Silencer, Nattram's screams really send chillers down my spine or maybe even Trees, excelent extreme drone/doom.

But good choice with Mayhem and Khanate.

[Kurt1964]

The CRAMPS have my vote!

[gareno]

atleast manson is there, hes so ugly he's scary haha