Halloween is coming and there are scary songs aplenty out there, to get me in the spooky spirit. I came up with a list of my favorites, each song a true Classic in it’s own frightful right. Heavy Metal, Hard Rock and Punk Rock are all represented here well with cool and frightening songs… go ahead… peruse and enjoy this list – if you dare!
Monster Mash – Misfits – I really get a kick out of the Misfits cover version of this 1962 Bobby “Boris” Pickett original. The Misfits cover version can be found on their albums Project 1950 and Cut’s From The Crypt. The Bobby “Boris” Pickett original version of Monster Mash reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart on October 20, 1962. I covet the original version just as much as the Misfits cover.
Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon – this song is originally found on Warren Zevon’s 1978 album Excitable Boy. I just bought the live version of Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London on itunes a week ago… the live version is unreal good. Since I first heard this song in 1978, it never ceases to put me in the Halloween mood, no matter what time of year I listen to this great song.
Godzilla – Blue Oyster Cult – this song is found on the Blue Oyster Cult album Spectres, released in 1977. The live version of Godzilla is found on their 1978 album Some Enchanted Evening… I lean towards liking the live version more, always have. The live version just seems to have more total heaviness – a Classic Rock gem.
Halloween – Helloween – alright, now we are talking about some serious Metal here. The 1987 album Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 1 is where you can find this song, truly an amazing Power Metal epic… at 13 minutes & 18 seconds long, yet every second is Metal brilliance. This song exploits the vocal excellence of Michael Kiske, he was an incredible singer for Helloween, period.
Boris The Spider – The Who – Released in 1966 (the year that I was, gulp, born) – A Quick One is The Who album where this legendary song is found. A short song, at 2 minutes & 29 seconds, the late John Entwistle gives this creepy little song it’s Rock character through his bass and vocals too.
The Number of the Beast – Iron Maiden – Whoa, this song gets better each time I hear it… I am sure I am not alone in stating that. Released on the Number of the Beast album from 1982, it seems like yesterday to me.
Old Carver’s Bones – CKY – From the 2009 CKY album Carver City, this song is scary with multiple exclamation points. The music and lyrics of this song makes the creep out meter catch on fire.
Dead Skin Mask – Slayer – In 1990, Slayer released Seasons in the Abyss – just the title of this song says enough… F’n Slayer rules.
This Is Halloween – Marilyn Manson – I practically inhale this song every late September up until Halloween night. This Is Halloween sung by the legendary Marilyn Manson, can be heard on the re-release of The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack, (re-released in 2006). Metal truth be told, this is probably my most favorite Marilyn Manson song ever… and I like a ton of Marilyn Manson songs a great deal. Marilyn Manson sounds so damn mean, nasty and scary on this song that it creates a thunderstorm in the sky above, wherever it is played.
Frankenstein – Over Kill – this Thrash Metal cover of the Edgar Winter original is frighteningly unreal good. An instrumental, there is no need for lyrics… the music is alarmingly spooky to the maximum. I embrace the Edgar Winter original as much as the Over Kill cover version… bear in mind the Over Kill cover version is damn heavier!! The Over Kill cover version is found on their 1991 album Horrorscope. The Edgar Winter Group original version of Frankenstein is on their 1972 album They Only Come Out at Night.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath – from the debut self titled album Black Sabbath, (released in 1970), the song Black Sabbath carries me through a nightmare that I never mind revisiting. Everything about this song spells chillingly scary… from Ozzy Osbourne’s vocals to Tony Iommi’s doom laden riffs, the godfather of creepy Metal songs without a doubt in my Metal mind.
I could go on until Doomsday with a master list of scary and horror laden songs that get me pumped for Halloween. These songs are the ones that I seem to listen to the most, (or so it seems). Maybe you agree with this list of shock and scream songs, maybe you have a song to add to this list too… don’t hesitate to give your suggestion or two for songs that are just as frightening or more so. Happy Halloween.
Blind Guardian is a Power Metal meets Progressive Metal band, straight out of the fine country of Germany. I enjoy the Power Metal and Progressive Metal genres immensely, Blind Guardian for me, is always a cool listen. As I was browsing around the Century Media Records online site (CM Distro.com) several months ago, I happened to find an EP from Blind Guardian that quickly caught my Metal attention. The name of this EP is “Fly”, (released in 2006), it contains three songs: “Fly”, “Skalds and Shadows” and the cover version of the Iron Butterfly classic – “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”. I knew instantly I needed to purchase this EP. I have always and forever revered this Psychedelic, Classic Rock, gem of a song that Iron Butterfly created with “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”, (originally released in 1968). I placed my order for this Blind Guardian EP without ever hearing it first… I had complete confidence in Blind Guardian delivering a decent cover version of this song, plus as I stated earlier, their Power – Prog Metal style never put me in the doldrums whatsoever.
Blind Guardian “Fly”, as with any of this bands albums, never fail to peak my curiosity based on the album cover artwork on their releases. Going in, I knew they are a capable, talented and quality Metal band, with intellectual lyrics and story telling to coincide with their songs. I am pleased at purchasing “Fly”, all three songs are diverse, with my favorite being the cover song from Iron Butterfly “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” Blind Guardian’s version is very heavy, all power, it rocks tough and hard, while paying great respect to this songs originally intended hardness and dark landscape. The only key aspect here, is to know that this is the shortened cover version of this song, at 3:38 long, (the original Iron Butterfly album version is 17:05 long). Blind Guardian if anything, makes this song sound just as macabre and melancholy, (quite a musical feat), with the vocals and music sounding equally haunting as the original. Some may feel Blind Guardian makes “In-A-Gadda-Da Vida” sound more spooky than the original version… there have been times I have thought just that. Now, as to the age old argument… is the cover version better than the original? Of course, it would be a monstrous feat to blow away the original Iron Butterfly rendition of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”… I will always like the original version more. With that said… once you hear Blind Guardian cover this song, you may very well be like me and think – whoa, this is a really cool and heavy way to commemorate a classic… a Metal job well done.
After just one listening experience with “Influence” (released March 6, 2007) and you hear and feel the unique musical chemistry, that both Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades have together. The overall up beat vibe throughout “Influence” will have you not putting this disc away for a very long time. What an accomplished set of Classic Rock gems that Shaw-Blades covers! Typically, I always approach cover songs with skeptical tendencies. Usually one or two listens to a cover tune, will be enough of a listen for me to either like it or cherish the original version. With “Influence”, I was taken completely by surprise by how Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades brought new Rock life to these classics. While I listen to this album, I cannot help but go through a Rock and Roll reality check, realizing where the roots of Rock music actually come from. The Mama’s and the Papa’s, Simon and Garfunkel and Seals & Crofts may have their legacies emblazoned in the Rock Folk and Easy Listening genres, yet their lyrics, song structures and melodies can so easily be considered the building blocks of true Classic Rock. Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades took hold of these musical building blocks and ran with it… creating a sensational album of Classic Rock, that breaks down any generational barriers that carry the tags of dated and non-relevant.
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