KATATONIA – "FUNERAL WEDDING"
How quickly we forget that Katatonia were initially a doom/death band in the mid '90s and a prime candidate for lists like this. One of two tracks to feature the word "funeral" in its title, "Funeral Wedding" kicks off the 1995 EP, For Funerals to Come… Suits our theme here, no? -MM
Rob Zombie – "Living Dead Girl"
No one permeates the horror lifestyle more than Rob Zombie. As a musician, filmmaker and just general down-to-earth dude, Zombie lives Halloween 365 days out of the year (find yourself binging House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devils Rejects if you need your gore-fest fix).
While there are a few White Zombie tracks that would work wonders here, including the equally enticing cover of "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Living Dead Girl" is the quintessential Zombie horror classic. I mean, look at the facts.
From Lady Frankenstein to The Last House on the Left, Daughters of Darkness and nods to the iconic Vincent Price, the entire composition of the song is one giant homage to the dark, macabre, and the crux of the Halloween spirit. –DC
MORBID ANGEL – "CHAPEL OF GHOULS"
Morbid Angel. Altars of Madness. "Chapel of Ghouls." Bruh. -MM
Slayer – "Dead Skin Mask"
What would Halloween be without some thrash steeped in blood-curdling true crime lore?
Slayer's "Dead Skin Mask" off of Seasons of the Abyss is inspired by real-life country bumpkin, body snatcher and murderer Ed Gein, whose shocking crimes served as the backbone for such horror classics as Silence of the Lambs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
This is grim and grimy metal and an appropriate ode to an American psycho we won't soon forget. Put the lotion on the skin and listen to Slayer again! –DC
DISSECTION – "THE SOMBERLAIN"
"It's the dawn of descending / I am the Somberlain / Down to evil divine domain." Equal parts ominous and surprisingly catchy, no creepy metal song list would be complete without the blackened melo death gloom and menace of "The Somberlain." As a side note, Kristian "Necrolord" Wåhlin's album art may be the finest of this selection, too. -MM
The world of metal is a ghastly, ghastly place, my friends; in a good way, of course. While we've barely scratched the surface of tracks to accompany your Halloween night, I encourage you all to share your favorites as well. Happy Halloween, metalheads!
