Spooky Season

As the nights grow colder and the leaves fade away, the spooky season descends. It’s an annual time of fireside gatherings, ghost stories and a reflection on life. Culturally, it’s a time of death and rebirth, best told by the tradition of All Hallows Eve, aka Halloween.

Evolving over time — from a holy holiday honoring saints, martyrs and the Celtic tradition of Samhain to the globally-celebrated event it is today — Halloween has become a core inspiration for generations of artists who dabble in the darker side of music. From sampling classic horror films and soundtracks to presenting alternative visions of horror stories through their lyricism and aesthetics, Halloween and horror stories are a seemingly endless source of creativity.

Across the spectrum of rock music, goths, punks and metalheads have brought the ominous sounds of Halloween into their work, tapping into themes of horror, death, fear and the afterlife. Some iconic spooky acts include Black Sabbath, The Misfits, Tiger Army, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Cramps, Rob Zombie and AFI, who all present a powerful, ominous vision of rock music.

On the electronic side, genres like industrial, coldwave and ambient tap into this mood, as exemplified by Nitzer Ebb, Nine Inch Nails, Cabaret Voltaire, The KVB, Nine Circles and the late The Soft Moon, among many others. And then there are the acts who, although not overtly horror-infused, have come to be appreciated for their more tender approach to conveying darkness, such as The Smiths, The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen and Placebo. 

Dive into this collection of spooky tracks — featuring The Nerve Agents, Alkaline Trio, Chelsea Wolfe, The Birthday Massacre and more — to soundtrack your All Hallows Eve.

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LISTEN TO THE SPOOKY SEASON PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW

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The Smiths, “How Soon Is Now?”
With its moody blend of post-punk, indie rock and psychedelica, this track — from their 1984 album ‘Hatful of Hollow’ — has become one of the British band’s best loved tracks.

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Echo & The Bunnymen, “The Killing Moon”
Liverpool’s second greatest band released this track on their 1984 album ‘Ocean Rain,’ but it gained a new, younger audience in 2001 when it was featured in dark, cult favorite film “Donnie Darko.”

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The Cure, “Lullaby”
Taken from their 1989 album ‘Disintegration,’ this track distills The Cure’s style of experimental indie rock, blending the mournful and hopeful in psychedelic swirls of feedback. 

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Siouxsie and The Banshees, “Spellbound”
This foundational gothic rock band’s 1981 single has lived on thanks to its innovative use of pop music and its ominous tone, featuring on TV shows like “True Blood” and “Stranger Things.”

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Tiger Army, “Ghostfire”
Blending romance and horror into their lyrics and aesthetics, Tiger Army are a leading psychobilly band from California. This track is from their 2003 album, “III: Ghost Tigers Rise.”

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AFI, “Halloween”
Punk rock band AFI released their 4-track ‘All Hallows’ EP in 1999, which features this cover of The Misfits song of the same name.

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Type O Negative, “Halloween In Heaven”
Peter Steel of Type O Negative wrote this track, taken from their 2007 album ‘Dead Again,’ as a tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell of metal band Pantera. 

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The Nerve Agents, “Evil”
This Halloween-ready track features on the punk rock band’s 2000 album, ‘Days Of The White Owl.’

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HorrorPops, “Walk Like A Zombie”
With their camp take on psychobilly’s horror themes, Danish band HorrorPops’ rhythmic tracks are ideal for Halloween.

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Nekromantix, “Trick Or Treat”
Another Danish band with overt horror themes, Copenhagen’s Nekromantix have a highly stylized take on psychobilly. 

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Alkaline Trio, “Private Eye”
With their macabre presentation and lyrics, Chicago punk rock band Alkaline Trio blend romance and horror to memorable effect.

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Misfits, “Dig Up Her Bones”
Arguably the blueprint for generations of punk rock bands, The Misfits devoted their theatrical catalog to horror themes. This track is from their 1997 album, ‘American Psycho.’

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The Cramps, “Human Fly”
A proto-psychobilly band, blending garage rock, punk and psychedelica, The Cramps create an ominous feeling on albums like ‘Bad Music For Bad People.’

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Section 25, “Dirty Disco II”
Cult English post-punk band Section 25 released this track on their 1984 album, ‘From The Hip,’ on Manchester’s Factory Records.

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Nine Inch Nails, “Came Back Haunted”
Taken from their 2013 album ‘Hesitation Marks,’ this Halloween-ready track sees the industrial rock band use guitars and synths to devastating effect.

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Rob Zombie, “Dragula” 
A lifelong devotee of horror, in his music and film work (“The Devil’s Rejects,” “Grindhouse”), Rob Zombie stomps his way through this hit track from 1998’s ‘Hellbilly Deluxe.’

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Nitzer Ebb, “Murderous”
On their 1987 debut album ‘That Total Age,’ British EBM band Nitzer Ebb present their aggressive, rhythmic style of industrial music.

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Cabaret Voltaire, “Night of The Jackal”
Taken from their 2020 album ‘Shadow of Fear,’ this track by Cabaret Voltaire showcases their pioneering blend of industrial post-punk and synth pop music.

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Nine Circles, “Mercy”
A 1980s Dutch minimal wave band, Nine Circles centered their music around icy synth tracks with stories of isolation and longing. 

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The KVB, “Dead Of Night”
British duo The KVB blend coldwave, synth pop and shoegaze to ominous effect. This track is from their 2024 album, ‘Tremors.’

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Placebo, “Running Up That Hill”
Covering Kate Bush’s track of the same name, Brian Molko of Placebo’s voice gives a new, horror-laced weight to the original.

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Cheslea Wolfe, “Feral Love”
Infusing her experimental rock sound with a coldwave pulse, this track by vocalist and musician Chelsea Wolfe shivers with dread.

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The Soft Moon, “Monster”
The late vocalist and producer Luis Vasquez, aka The Soft Moon, released brooding coldwave electronics through Sacred Bones Records.

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The Birthday Massacre, “Dead”
Canadian group The Birthday Massacre blend gothic rock with synths for their doomy sound. This track is on their 2016 album, ‘Imagica.’

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Trouble, “Psalm 9”
With their black-hearted metal sonics, American doom band Trouble creates a menacing atmosphere; this is the title track from their 1994 album. 

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GOATSNAKE, “Flower of Disease”
With their albums on Southern Lord Records, doom stoners GOATSNAKE blend creepy imagery with heaving metal music.

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Green Lung, “Let The Devil In”
English metal band Green Lung released this track on their 2019 album for Nuclear Blast Records, ‘Woodland Rites.’

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Black Sabbath, “Children of the Grave”
The iconic vocalist Ozzy Osbourne pioneered the heavy metal genre with Black Sabbath, and this spooky track shows why.

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Colter Wall, “The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie”
Canadian country vocalist and guitarist Colter Wall gets into an eerie headspace with this 2015 track.

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The Drowning Men, “Oracle Meets Weeping Willow”
On their album ‘Beheading Of The Songbird,’ American indie folk band The Drowning Men explore creepier tones.

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LISTEN TO THE SPOOKY SEASON PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW

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