Heavy Halloween: The best metal songs for your spooky playlist

It’s that time of year, and that most metal of holidays is upon us once again. With all due respect to “Thriller,” “Monster Mash,” and “Werewolves Of London,” I can’t think of any other music genre that so perfectly captures the ghoulish and frightening spirit of Halloween in quite the same way that heavy metal does. That being said, with so many metal songs about demons, witches, ghosts and Satan himself, assembling a metal Halloween playlist can seem a little daunting.

Not to worry.

Allow me to offer some suggestions for a spooky playlist that’s guaranteed to terrify the trick-or-treaters at your door and make your Halloween party just a little louder. Here are my favorite heavy metal Halloween tunes:

1. KING DIAMOND - “Halloween” (1986)

Legendary Mercyful Fate vocalist King Diamond has also built himself a successful side career pumping out horror concept albums with his eponymous solo band since 1986. And he’s always had a flair for the theatrical, wearing a cape with black and white face makeup onstage and singing into a cross-shaped microphone stand made out of bones, all of which makes him a perfect choice to kick off our Heavy Halloween playlist. This track from the debut King Diamond album Fatal Portrait is kind of a no-brainer, given its appropriate title. But it also happens to have a ripping main riff courtesy of former Mercyful Fate guitarist Michael Denner, and, love it or hate it, that patented, piercing King Diamond falsetto is always creepy, no matter what he’s singing about. To be honest, with King being the master of horror metal, this entire playlist could be nothing but King Diamond and Mercyful Fate songs. But in the interest of variety, we’ll stick with King’s ode to the holiday at hand for now. If you want to explore further, definitely check out some other King classics like “The Family Ghost” and “The Possession,” or some other Mercyful Fate essentials like “Into The Coven,” “At The Sound Of The Demon Bell,” and “Return Of The Vampire.”

Halloweeny-est lyric: “AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH, oh it’s HALLOWEEEEEEN!!”

2. BLACK SABBATH - “Black Sabbath” (1970)

With its ominous opening sounds of wind, rain, thunder and tolling church bells, “Black Sabbath” truly is the aural equivalent of a horror movie. And when the final crash of thunder morphs into that menacing opening guitar riff from Tony Iommi, what you’re hearing is the birth of heavy metal. This is the opening track on the self-titled debut album by Black Sabbath, which was recorded in one 12 hour session on October 16th, 1969 and released in 1970. Did recording in October contribute to the spooky atmosphere? Who knows. But one thing is certain: in 1970, there was nothing that sounded as sinister as this. Even fellow metal pioneers Led Zeppelin (who already had two albums out by the time Sabbath’s debut was released) never sounded this dark. This song is still chilling 50 years later, and one can only imagine how many minds were blown when they were first exposed to this back in 1970.

The power of the song comes from the thunderous Iommi riff, the thud of Bill Ward’s glacial drumming and the thick rumble of Geezer Butler’s bass. But you can thank Ozzy Osbourne for the song’s macabre vibe, his voice building tension and a sense of impending doom (in fact, this one song alone almost single-handedly inspired an entire metal sub-genre known as “doom metal”). In one of his best and most spine-tingling vocal performances, Ozzy eerily moans and wails in desperation about being menaced by figures in black with eyes of fire.

Geezer was Sabbath’s primary lyricist, but Ozzy actually wrote this one based on a story Geezer told him. Apparently, Geezer was heavily into the occult at the time, and painted his entire bedroom black, with several inverted crosses and pictures of Satan on the walls. Ozzy, knowing Geezer was very interested in these sorts of things, gave him a book on the occult from the 16th century written in Latin. Geezer put the book in a cupboard. Later that night, Geezer awoke from a nightmare and saw a black shadow at the end of his bed. The figure vansished, and Geezer ran to the cupboard to throw the book away, but the book had disappeared.

True story? Doesn’t matter. “Black Sabbath” is an atmospheric masterpiece. It’s also one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time, and one that absolutely belongs on the Heavy Halloween playlist.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “Big black shapes with eyes of fire/ telling people their desires/ Satan sitting there, he’s smiling/ watches those flames get higher and higher/ Oh, no, no please God help me!!”

3. JUDAS PRIEST - “The Ripper” (1976)

Before there was Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger or even Norman Bates, there was Jack The Ripper. Jack was a real-life serial killer who committed his dastardly deeds in the Whitechapel section of London in 1888. He was never caught or identified, and his story has been kept alive for over a century through hundreds of novels, plays, films and non-fiction works. In 1976, Jack’s fellow countrymen Judas Priest immortalized him in song on the second track to their phenomenal second album Sad Wings Of Destiny. “The Ripper” is sung from the point of view of Jack himself, and serves as a warning to any who dare to venture down London’s back alley streets after dark. Lyrics that perfectly conjure up the foreboding atmosphere of 19th century London on a dark and foggy night, some great twin guitar leads from Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing and a cheeky yet sinister vocal from Rob Halford (complete with a couple of those trademark Halford screams) make this one a worthy addition to the playlist.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “You’ll soon shake with fear/ never knowing if I’m near/ I’m sly and I’m shameless/ nocturnal and nameless…except for The Ripper/ or, if you like…Jack The Knife!”

4. IRON MAIDEN - “The Number Of The Beast” (1982)

The title track to Iron Maiden’s first album to feature Bruce Dickinson on vocals is an essential slice of heavy metal no matter what time of year it is. But on Halloween, with its lyrics about chanting hordes and dark figures twisting in the myst, this one goes extra hard (it also contains one of Bruce’s all-time best screams). Founder, bassist and primary lyricist Steve Harris says the inspiration for the song came partly from the Robert Burns poem “Tam O’ Shanter” and partly from a nightmare that he had after a late night viewing of the movie Damien: Omen II. The ominous spoken word intro was done by British actor Barry Clayton. According to Bruce, the band originally wanted Vincent Price to do it, but his fee was around $30,000 and they just couldn’t afford it. Horror movie inspiration and a quasi-Vincent Price connection? Definitely Heavy Halloween playlist material. Bonus points for its ability to still piss off conservative Christians to this day.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “In the myst/ dark figures move and twist/ Was all this for real/ or just some kind of hell?/ 6-6-6, the number of the beast/ Hell and fire were sworn to be released”

5. VENOM - “Buried Alive” (1982)

Venom’s second album almost singlehandedly gave birth to (and a name for) the entire metal sub-genre known as “black metal,” and it’s chock-full of scary goodies. But for haunting Halloween atmosphere, you can’t go wrong with “Buried Alive.” It starts with the muffled intonations of a priest delivering the last few lines of a funeral rite (“…earth to earth, ashes to ashes,” etc.). Only when we hear the sounds of shovels and the thud of dirt on a coffin lid (an effect created by the band in the studio using real shovels, mud and a cardboard box) do we realize that the song is sung from the point of view of someone trapped inside the coffin…someone who is still very much alive. Lead vocalist Conrad “Cronos” Lant starts singing in a barely audible whisper that grows steadily louder and more frantic before it finally develops into a full-throated roar as the narrator realizes the hopelessness of his situation. The band matches his energy too, as the music starts out slow and mysterious, then builds in intensity as the horror of the scenario becomes clear. The “buried alive” trope is a tried-and-true staple of the horror genre, but Venom manage to thread the needle perfectly, turning a song that could have been campy or cliche into something that’s truly unnerving. There are a few different versions of the Black Metal album, some with slight variations in the track listing and their running order, but on most versions, “Buried Alive” segues right into another song called “Raise The Dead,” which is another great addition to any Halloween playlist. And be sure to check out some other seasonally appropriate Venom tunes like “Witching Hour,” “Bloodlust,” “Nightmare” and “Possessed.”

Halloweeny-est lyric: “They lower me down into that hole in the ground/ I scream up for help, but they hear not a sound/ I tear at the lid/ My fingers, they bleed/ Is this happening to me?/ Or is it just a dream?…”

6. HELLHAMMER - “Triumph Of Death” (1984)

Believe me when I tell you, in 1984, nothing sounded even remotely like this. Hell, nothing even came close except for maybe Venom. And while Hellhammer certainly took inspiration from Venom, they upped the ante considerably when it came to extremity. This was definitely the darkest, heaviest and most brutal thing any of us metalheads had heard up to that point. The band recorded three separate demo tapes in 1983, all of which were swiftly and soundly rejected by just about every label they were sent to, until a new German label called Noise Records decided to take a chance on them. Their one proper studio release was the four track Apocalyptic Raids EP in 1984, and “Triumph Of Death” is its cacophonous centerpiece. Clocking in at over nine minutes, the song is an almost excruciating blend of founder/vocalist/guitarist Tom G. Warrior’s guttural and blood curdling screams howled and growled over a slow, doomy and dirge-like musical foundation that features some of the heaviest guitar tones ever committed to tape. And though the casual listener might not pick up on them at first amidst Tom’s anguished cries of terror, there are actual lyrics to the song, all about the dead being resurrected and rising from their graves after being awakened by a sinister tolling bell. It’s a grueling listen, and one that’s genuinely unsettling. Call it death metal, black metal, or some unholy combination of the two, Apocalyptic Raids (and “Triumph Of Death” in particular) now enjoys legendary status, and its influence on any number of sub-genres that came after it cannot be overstated. The band had actually broken up by the time the EP was finally released, but Tom G. Warrior and bassist Martin Eric Ain would go on to form the equally legendary and groundbreaking band Celtic Frost.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “And when at midnight an uncanny bell tolls/ Terrible noises, the dark graveyard calls/ Limbs break through the dirt/ Decay stinks like hell/ Dark creatures in the fog/ Crusted blood on the dead/ Triumph of death…”

7. POSSESSED - “The Exorcist”

Seven Churches, the debut album from San Francisco Bay area band Possessed was notable for two things back in ‘85: the speed at which the band played and the grunted lead vocals of singer/bassist Jeff Becerra. And though they were technically a thrash band, Possessed are often cited as the first death metal band, or at least for being the bridge between thrash metal and what would become death metal. In fact, the band’s 1984 demo was titled Death Metal, and Becerrra is said to have invented that term sometime around 1983. Genre hair-splitting aside, there’s no denying the raw brutality of the album, which is now regarded as a landmark release on par with works by Venom and Hellhammer in terms of its influence. What’s even more amazing is that Becerra and guitarist Larry LaLonde were just 16 year old high school juniors when they recorded it. As far as songs that could work on our Heavy Halloween playlist, hell, pick any track from this record and it would fit in just fine! I always liked opening track “The Exorcist,” lyrically inspired by the classic film of the same name. The spooky synthesizer intro at the beginning is played by producer Randy Burns as an homage to Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” theme from the original Exorcist movie. It’s a nice little atmospheric touch that gives the track an eerie feel before the band launches its full-throttle assault on your eardrums. Fun fact: Larry LaLonde quit Possessed in ‘87 and joined the band Blind Illusion in ‘88, which featured Les Claypool on bass. Claypool and LaLonde would form Primus in 1989, and are still with the band today.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “Lights shine below, in hell forever burning/ Words of insanity scream out the final plea/ Evil voices scream out ‘Help me’…”

8. HELLOWEEN - “Halloween” (1987)

Perhaps the least frightening song on this list, “Halloween” by Helloween (note the difference) is all about the fun, joyful side of the holiday. With lyrical references to trick or treating, Charlie Brown and “little ghosts making lots of noise,” the song captures the magical feeling of Halloween night as experienced through the eyes of a child. A shortened version was released as a single, but the full-length album version of this song runs for over thirteen minutes. And as the song progresses through different movements and multiple time changes, its overall tone shifts ever so slightly, and it becomes clear that something sinister lurks beneath that surface of childhood innocence. Is it cheesy? Kinda’, but it’s also really fun, and that chorus of “Ahhhhhhhhh! It’s Halloweeeeeeen!” will be stuck in your head for days. Plus the playing is super tight, with a melodic and spirited performance from vocalist Michael Kiske that soars above it all. This and the rest of the Keeper Of The Seven Keys album laid down a template and set the standard for this sort of European power metal for the next decade and then some. A cornerstone of any Heavy Halloween playlist.

9. DEATH - “Zombie Ritual” (1987)

It’s just not Halloween without a few zombies, right? And if those zombies happen to lure their victims into some sort of bizarre blood drinking ritual, even better! If you’re a fan of violent slasher films or the over-the-top gore of zombie movies, then Death’s Scream Bloody Gore album is definitely for you. Perfectly capturing the aesthetic of 80’s horror classics like the original Evil Dead (there’s even a song called “Evil Dead”), Death’s 1987 debut is loaded with ghastly, graphic tunes, any one of which would be perfect for a Heavy Halloween playlist. And with song titles like “Regurgitated Guts,” “Torn To Pieces,” “Baptized In Blood” and “Mutilation,” you know exactly what you’re in for. Beyond the confines of Halloween, this is another hugely important and influential album. If Seven Churches by Possessed is considered the bridge between thrash metal and death metal, then Scream Bloody Gore by Death might be considered the first “true” death metal album, and the first to employ the now trademark “Cookie Monster” vocal style that has become synonymous with the genre itself. Definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart, but still bloody good fun.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “Drink from the goblet, the goblet of gore/ Taste the zombie’s drug, now you want more/ Drifting from the living, joining with the dead/ Zombie dwelling maggots now infest your head…”

10. PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE TYPE O NEGATIVE DISCOGRAPHY, BUT LET’S SAY “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” (1993)

If Halloween itself came to life and took the form of a heavy metal band, that band would be Type O Negative. The goth metal masters built a career out of all things spooky, with 6’ 7” frontman Peter Steele crooning in a deep voice that was part Bela Lugosi and part New York City longshoreman. Their catalogue is littered with dozens of Halloween themed titles like “All Hallow’s Eve,” “Halloween In Heaven” and “Haunted,” but for me, “Black No. 1” was always the track that best defined what Type O Negative was all about. Their songs were often slow, somber, and Sabbath-like, peppered with churchy keyboards and the occasional gang vocal chorus. But the best Type O songs also had an underlying subtle sense of humor to them, as if they were poking a bit of good-natured fun at goth and metal stereotypes. That spirit is prominently displayed here, as Peter sings an ode to a goth girl who wants to go out on Halloween night, but can’t because her “roots are showing,” so she’s forced to “dye ‘em black…Black No. 1.” The little finger snaps and harpsichord nod to the Addams Family theme add the perfect little winking accents, letting us know that while the band took their craft seriously, they definitely didn’t take themselves too seriously. Sadly, Peter Steele’s struggles with drinking and drug use finally caught up with him in 2010, when he passed away at the age of 48.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “She’s got a date at midnight with Nosferatu/ Oh baby, Lily Munster ain’t got nothin’ on you/ Well, when I called her evil, she just laughed/ Well, cast that spell me/ Boo bitch-craft….”

BONUS TRACKS: 5 SONGS THAT AREN’T QUITE METAL BUT ARE STILL CREEPY ENOUGH AND/OR ROCK JUST HARD ENOUGH THAT METALHEADS MIGHT DIG ‘EM:

1. ALICE COOPER - “Welcome To My Nightmare” (1975)

Alice Cooper is a legend, and there are plenty of his songs that should absolutely be categorized as heavy metal. This is not one of them. In fact, when the horns kick in at the end, it gets dangerously close to becoming a disco song. That being said, what it lacks in heaviness, it more than makes up for in atmosphere. At his best, Alice was always a master at walking that line between genuine scares and campy vaudeville, and this one never strays too far over either side of that line. It’s fun and freaky at the same time, exactly the way we like our Alice. Bonus points for being one of the best ever musical segments on the Muppet Show.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “Welcome to my nightmare/ I think you’re gonna’ like it/ I think you’re gonna’ feel you belong…”

2. THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP - “Frankenstein” (1972)

Pardon the pun, but this one has always been a monster jam, anchored by an absolutely stomping rhythm section and the keyboard fireworks of Edgar Winter, who played synthesizer, electric piano, some percussion and even alto saxophone on the track. You might think the title “Frankenstein” was derived from the lumbering, lurching nature of the song, but you’d be wrong. Apparently, the final version of the song that appeared on the album in 1972 was spliced together from multiple separate recordings of the song’s numerous different sections, much like Frankenstein’s monster was stitched together from different body parts. Released as a single in 1973, the song became the first top 40 hit for the Edgar Winter Group, and their only song to reach number one. And though the song isn’t quite heavy enough to be called metal, it still rocks pretty hard. This is in large part due to the guitar playing of Ronnie Montrose, who would fully embrace metal when he formed his own band Montrose, a band who’s self-titled 1973 debut album is widely regarded as an American metal classic.

Halloweeny-est lyric: None. It’s an instrumental (duh).

3. BLOODROCK - “D.O.A.” (1971)

With a similar sound to late 60’s Deep Purple, Vanilla Fudge and early Grand Funk Railroad, Bloodrock is often referred to as “proto-metal,” and their 1970 self-titled debut album is well-regarded amongst fans of very early and obscure hard rock. Second album Bloodrock 2 had a slightly more commercial sound, with the exception of “D.O.A.,” which is hands-down one of the darkest, creepiest songs ever recorded in any genre, metal or otherwise. Guitarist Lee Pickens explained the inspiration for the song in an interview with Goldmine magazine, saying, “When I was 17, I wanted to be an airline pilot. I had just gotten out of this airplane with a friend of mine, at this little airport, and I watched him take off. He went about 200 feet in the air, rolled and crashed.” The band then wrote the song based on Pickens’ experience, and the lyrics are sung from the point of view of a man who has just been involved in a mid-air collision.

The keyboards and organ absolutely dominate here, so this is far from heavy metal. But the creeping and ever-present sense of oppressive dread that permeates all eight-plus minutes of this the song is absolutely stifling. It’s a harrowing listen, and, in terms of atmosphere, this is as heavy (or heavier) than any death metal song. It’s genuinely terrifying, and the terror doesn’t come from ghosts, zombies or anything supernatural, but from the stark and horrifying reminder of just how fragile (and short) life can be.

With its bleak subject matter and graphic descriptions of blood and bodily injuries, many radio stations refused to play “D.O.A.,” but many did. In fact, when a shortened version of the song was released as a single, it shockingly made it onto the Billboard charts, peaking at number 36 in 1971.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “Laying here, looking at the ceiling/ someone lays a sheet across my chest/ Something warm is flowing down my fingers/ Pain is flowing all through my back…”

4. CLUTCH - “Sucker For The Witch” 2015

I absolutely love Clutch, but boy, are they a hard band to pin down. Are they metal? Are they blues rock? Hardcore? Stoner rock? Or are they some kind of hard rock jam band? The truth is, it depends on which Clutch song you happen to be listening to! Yes, Clutch have been many things and experimented with many different styles over the course of their career, but they’ve always been in an almost unclassifiable class by themselves. And most of the time, their songs are super fun, and often delivered with a dry sense of humor. “Sucker For The Witch” is a perfect example. It’s a straight ahead, up-tempo, no-frills rocker, with frontman Neil Fallon bellowing the lyrics like a crazed old-timey Pentecostal preacher. Try though he might, he just can’t seem to resist the sexy temptations of the witch!

Halloweeny-est lyric: “Oh, I can tell you precisely where this all began/ Salem, Massachusetts, and I was hardly a man/ I fell madly in love with some kind of Stevie Nicks/ Oh, I begged and I pleaded like a fiend for a fix!…”

5. PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE MISFITS DISCOGRAPHY

Seriously. Go ahead, pick one. Any one. Just about every Misfits song would fit seamlessly into any Halloween playlist. Don’t believe me? Take a quick scan of their discography, you’ll see. All the proof you need is in the song titles: “Astro-Zombies.” “Night Of The Living Dead.” “Vampira.” “Skulls.” “Ghoul’s Night Out.” “Horror Hotel.” And on and on and on…

OK, maybe not all of them. There are some Misfits songs that aren’t horror-themed. But for the most part, the band built an entire career out of combining punk rock with classic horror film aesthetics. And most of their songs are downright catchy thanks to the vocals of the “Evil Elvis” himself, Glenn Danzig, who does kinda’ sound like a cross between The King and Jim Morrison. The songs that aren’t as catchy are fast and brutal hardcore punk.

Both styles were hugely influential, and not just in the punk rock scene. Misfits songs have been covered by Metallica, Cradle Of Filth, Behemoth, Entombed, and Guns ‘n’ Roses, among many others, so there’s a lot here for metalheads to enjoy. Glenn Danzig’s post-Misfits output with Samhain and Danzig is also worth exploring.

So yeah, go ahead and crank up some Misfits today. You can start with this one, named after every horror fiend’s favorite holiday.

Halloweeny-est lyric: “Candy apples and razor blades/ Little dead are soon in graves/ I remember Halloween…”

And there you have it! Plenty of stuff here to get your Halloween party started. And of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are literally hundreds of other metal songs that could have easily made this playlist, so use this as a jumping-off point, dive in and explore.

Happy Halloween!