With Halloween only one day away, you have to dig into all the spooky music now. Especially if you’re looking to beef up your Halloween playlist for a party, as the holiday falls conveniently on a Saturday. As most Halloween music is not necessarily as scary as seasonal horror films, these rock albums are legitimately scary.
‘Korn’ by Korn
Korn’s self-titled debut offered an overly creepy edge, taking 90s alternative into new terrain in 1994. The album cover features a swing set on a playground, with a little girl on a swing. A large shadow appears next to hers, as a man is standing out of frame. Not only is this an effectively scary album cover, but the songs take it to the next level. They discuss dark themes such as child abuse while also adding bloodcurdling screams on the album closer, “Daddy”.
‘Along Came A Spider’ by Alice Cooper
It’s common knowledge that Alice Cooper was the king of shock rock in the 1970s. His on-stage theatrics included being decapitated by a guillotine and other bizarre stunts. In 2008, Alice Cooper released his eleventh studio album, Along Came A Spider. The concept album tells the story of a psychopathic serial killer named Spider. He wraps his victims’ bodies up in spider-like cocoons with a silk web, with each victim missing a leg.
After his killing streak is foiled by a love interest, die-hard Alice Cooper fans get a spooky surprise in the final track, “I Am The Spider”. An internal voice tells Spider that “We’ve been locked away for twenty-eight years, Steven. We couldn’t have done those horrible things”. This revealed that Spider is actually Steven, the iconic character from Alice’s 1975 album Welcome To My Nightmare, making a grand return.
‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ by Chiodos
Among other 2000s Myspace-era bands, Chiodos may take the cake for having a dark edge. It’s between them and Bring Me The Horizon. Chiodos explored horror themes in their lyrics, especially in parts where Craig Owens screams. He matches the screams of victims being murdered and murderers actively murdering people. In songs such as “There’s No Penguins In Alaska”, the band highlights these horrific scenes.
“Scream as loud as you want to. There’s no way that they can hear you.” They wrap up the hard-hitting track with “I’ll stop stabbing when you stop screaming”. The band continued these horror themes on their 2007 follow-up, Bone Palace Ballet.
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