Modern Tracks To Make Your Halloween Playlist Freshly Dead Instead of Rotting
Every October goths plant a new flag in Halloween to celebrate it as the one time of year our theming gets accepted by the mainstream (a claim that gets more ridiculous every year with the success of such aesthetic parallels as The Sandman and yet another Addams Family franchise). Even as I roll my eyes, though, I can’t balk at the increase in songs about monsters, dead people, and other spooky staples. I love this time of year. I love the decorations (or as I call them, regular house fixtures). I love all the costumes. And I adore grooving out to Halloween playlists.
Thing is, unless it’s run by a DJ constantly on the lookout for new talent (and if you are, I see you and I thank you), most Halloween events/parties offer up the same playlist. I can’t even listen to “Everyday Is Halloween” much anymore because I always hear it. One multi-band event I went to literally played it in between every band’s set, and it’s never had the same charm for me since.
I’m not saying Halloween playlists don’t have room for the classics. Rather, just like with all goth/industrial sets, there needs to be new blood in there somewhere else we all decay into stagnation. So whether you’re setting up a party, DJing an event, or just want some tunes to get you in the mood, here are a few cuts from the last 3 years, in no particular order, to make your Halloween playlist sound fresh out of the morgue.
Ashes Fallen: “Vampira (The Ballad of Maila)” - 2021
Right out of the gate this track is a guitar-soaked spookfest that’ll get any Halloween rocker in the mood. But listen a bit further and you also get the sad story of schlock horror’s first queen. Not every Halloween song has to have a pedigree, but it sure don’t hurt.
MXMS: “Gravedigger” - 2019
Don’t let anyone tell you there’s no such thing as a dirty, sexy sound. I wouldn’t throw this on during trick or treating, but if anyone wants to show off their costumes and dance moves, here’s a winner that blends the dangerous and titillating in a groove that sticks to your bones.
Black Angel: “Bullet to the Head” - 2019
Is it a love song? A hate song? A “hate to love you” song? One thing’s for sure, the Frankenstein/zombie imagery (complete with lightning sound effects) make this banger a true haunter, while the energy is sure to hype up any festivities.
Echoberyl: Rising From The Dead (Halloween Version)” - 2022
Okay this song is just fun. The synths evoke every schlock horror film I’ve ever seen, which is the exact mood I want for Halloween. When mentioning ghosts and zombies isn’t enough, leave it to Echoberyl to make you feel like you’re actually in a B-movie.
Pitch Black Manor: “Burial Grounds” - 2022
The intro narration to this song alone earns it a place at the beginning of a Halloween playlist. From there, the lurching guitars and strained, moaning vocals add enough atmosphere to make your party a spooky death rock sock hop.
Morgue VVitch: “In The Garden Of Monsters” - 2022
Not every Halloween song has to be danceable (seriously, watch an average crowd try to dance to “Monster Mash;” it’s hilarious). Sometimes you want something fun, but in others you need a serious, slow jam to set the mood. This tune is a musical fog machine, gently wafting through the air and transporting all of us to a haunted neverland where magic, both dangerous and divine, could be lurking right in front of us, unknown.
These are just a few I threw out off the top of my head. I’ve always got a brand new spooky tune or two each Sunday night at 10pm Eastern on Subculture Shock via my Twitch channel, then restreamed to Radio Xiane, Outworld Fleet Radio, and Mixcloud. Enjoy your listening, and Happy Halloween!
