MY FAVORITE ALBUMS TO LISTEN TO ON HALLOWEEN

Ok. I love Halloween, and no Halloween is right without the perfect music to set the mood. Here are some personal favorites, the ones I find myself listening to again and again...especially around this time of year. These are in no particular order.

1. WITCHCRAFT's self -titled debut album. This album emanates a creepy retro-vibe, like a darker, more primitive and accessible early Black Sabbath. Very dark and hazy.




2. LA SEXORCISTO by WHITE ZOMBIE. The perfect accompaniment to you Halloween night. Fright-filled, sleazy, and drugged-out. Rob Zombie's lysergic lyrics, the abundant horror and b-movie samples, and bountiful evil grooves make this one my personal Halloween (and year-round favorite).

Embedding disabled by request. Makes me mad. Click here.

3. WALK AMONG US by THE MISFITS. My personal favorite Misfits album. Campy, catchy, and full of blood lust and horror b-movie worship. A must have for any horror fiend.



4. THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW by CALABRESE. Just pure horror punk at it's finest. Can't live without it.



5. SUSPIRIA SOUNDTRACK by GOBLIN. This is one of the most disturbing and mind-bending works of music to ever be recorded. Do not listen to this alone in the dark. If you want to scare the be-jeezus out of some Trick or Treaters play this one really loud. The movie is badass too but I will get to that soon enough.




6. BLACK ANGELS, by KRONOS QUARTET. I saved the darkest and most intense for last. Kronos Quartet is a string quartet that plays their own versions of some of the most extreme, intense, personal, and unsettling compositions of music ever written. BLACK ANGELS is their darkest, most bleak and emotional album in my opinion. Play this one really loud with the windows open and Trick-or-Treaters (what's left of their dwindling numbers anyway) will be too scared to even come to your door.



Ok, that's it. I'm sure I've probably left out some. What are some of your favorite albums to listen to on Halloween? I'd love to hear from you.

ROB ZOMBIE: DRAGULA

I don't know if it's just me, but Rob Zombie's work after White Zombie doesn't always do it for me. I guess nothing can match White Zombie's unique psychedelic horror metal vision. There are good moments in Rob Zombie's solo releases however. Many tracks still have that heavy, trippy, sleazy horror feel of White Zombie..just with more of a more modern industrial/dance vibe. His solo tunes also tend to a bit more accessible. Take "Dragula", for instance..one of my all time favorite Rob Zombie tunes. An excellent song, addictivly catchy with a cool, creepy, campy video as well. Here's "Dragula" for your enjoyment. Embedding is disabled by request on You Tube...I hate when they do that...so click here to listen.

RUSS MEYER'S "FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!"

Russ Meyer's "Faster Pussycat! Kill ! Kill!"(1965) is one of my favorite cult films of all time. It is slickly produced with beautiful black & white photography and has an addictive bad attitude and evil vibe. It is about three go-go dancers, Billie (played by Lori Wlliams), Rosie (played by Haji), and Varla (played by Tura Satana). These three voluptuous larger than life vixens are hanging out in the desert, drag racing and having a blast when a a preppy looking guy and his girlfriend Linda (played by Susan Bernard) pull up and want to race. Varla accepts the challenge and of course she beats him. He contests the results. A fight ensues and Varla breaks the man's back, leaving him to die in the desert. They kidnap the girlfriend and take off. They eventually stop at a gas station and learn about an old man (excellently played by Stuart Lancaster) who has a ton of money. Of course our girls want their hands on this loot. They have a lust for life, sex, and crime and they don't care who gets in their way. Of course they invite their way into the old man's house and all chaos and violence ensues as they do anything they can to get their hands on the load of money.

What amazes me about this movie is the sleek photography, the great script and dialog (courtesy of Jack Moran), the impressive acting and the unrelenting pace of the story. The black and white photography is gorgeous. There are many great shots of the desert, and the camera angles and smooth transitions are extraordinary. The script writing is incredible, full of double entendres and phrases that are so ingenious they will stay in your head forever. In fact, the dialogue in this movie is so good, many bands have heavily sampled from it, especially White Zombie. The pacing of the story and dialogue is excellent. It keeps you on edge but makes you comfortable at the same time, as if you were right there with the characters. The acting is incredible. Tura Satana plays Varla with a seductive vengeance, and Stuart Lancaster plays the old man with a brilliant down-home sort of creepiness. The pace of the story never lets up as the tension builds between the three vixens, leading up to the violent and thrill-packed ending.

This is one of those movies that you don't want to divulge too much of the plot as to not to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet, even though I want to tell you everything that happens in this movie right now. It is one of those movies that has to be seen to be appreciated, and a simple plot synopsis will not do it justice. If you have seen this movie you know what I'm talking about.
If you haven't seen "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" yet.....well what are you waiting for? And if you have seen it, watch it again . I've seen this one so many times I've lost count.

Here's the amazing introduction. I love the bizarre sleazy narration and the incredible 1960's garage rock theme song performed by The Bostweeds.


And here is the excellent trailer. Enjoy!

SLAYER'S "SOUTH OF HEAVEN"

Slayer's South of Heaven"(1988). This the first really heavy metal album that I bought as a teenager. Even to this day, twenty one years later, it holds up to repeated listenings and never sounds old. In fact, "South of Heaven", along with White Zombie's "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1" is my favorite heavy metal album of all time. Slowing things down a tad after their speed metal masterpiece "Reign In Blood"(1986), Slayer lets things breathe a little more on "South of Heaven". Evil, pervasive grooves abound courtesy of the excellent drumming of Dave Lombardo, and there is a bit more melody than on their previous efforts. There is an unrelenting sinister vibe on this album that never lets up. Combine that with the insane, atonal, hellish trademark Kerry King/Jeff Hanneman guitar solos and insane, shock filled lyrics & vocals of Tom Araya that are much more intelligible than on previous works and you have the perfect metal album. This is the way metal should be: unpretentious and chock full of evil grooves.

Here's the opening track "South of Heaven"...


...and here's "Behind the Crooked Cross".

WHITE ZOMBIE'S LA SEXORCISTO: DEVIL MUSIC VOL. 1

White Zombie's "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1". At the time this album came out, my interest in metal had wained, and I was heavily into punk and the early 1990's alternative & grunge scene. I bought this album, gave it one listen and I was hooked. Metal had never sounded so good. They reminded me of Slayer circa "South of Heaven", slowed down a bit and loaded on LSD. This album is full of heavy grooves, guitar solos that sound as if they came from the bowels of hell, and stream of consciousness psychedelic lyrics chock full of references to horror, B-Movies, and trash pop culture. The music is loaded with samples from several clssssic cult films, including "Night of the Living Dead", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill!". A sleazy yet ominous vibe permeates the entire album, and the songs flow seamlessly into one another, bridged together by samples. From the first track to the last, White Zombie transports you into a world full of 1960's and 1970's sleaze, biker babes, gore, monsters, and zombies that you never want to leave.

Thunder Kiss 65 - White Zombie

Black Sunshine - White Zombie