13 Songs to Add Spookiness to November
Written by Emma Shock
The time has come for ghosts and ghouls to return to the crypts and turkeys and pilgrims to sail into people’s homes. Even though calendars and department stores mark the end of the Halloween season, that does not mean November cannot share in the spooky fun of October. If Halloween’s passing still looms heavily, then these 13 songs will help ease the mourning of the season’s end and bring October’s celebration of the strange and unusual to November.
13. ‘Dead Souls’ by Nine Inch Nails
Originally featured on The Crow (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), this Nine Inch Nails’ cover of Joy Division’s song can also be found on The Downward Spiral (Deluxe Edition). Trent Reznor’s interpretation will transport listeners to the gothic world of Eric Draven, carrying the eeriness of October into November.
Favorite lyric: “Where figures from the past stand tall/And mocking voices ring the halls/Imperialistic house of prayer/Conquistadors who took their share.”
In This Moment’s song off of the album Blood delivers the intensity of dangerous desires and cravings.
Favorite lyric: “Blood, blood, blood/Pump mud through my veins.”
11. ‘Epidemic’ by New Years Day
The track off of New Years Day’s Epidemic – EP hits hard with its descriptive lyrics, comparing hatred and cynicism to a spreading sickness while also echoing the imagery of the horror of contagion.
Favorite lyric: “Can you taste it in the blood when you breathe it in your lungs?”
10. ‘Johnny’s Revenge’ by Crown the Empire
Crown the Empire’s song from The Fallout continues the story started with “Johnny Ringo” of a man making a deal with the Devil and descending into Hell.
Favorite lyric: “I’ll feel alive when I have blood, your blood (Blood, your blood!)/Because revenge is all I haven’t lost.”
9. ‘Out from the Asylum’ by King Diamond
While not a traditional song, King Diamond’s track opens the album and sets up the story for Them with the perfect dark, foreboding tone. What better way to keep the Halloween spirit alive than with unsettling whispering?
Favorite lyric: “Look, the old bitch is back.”
8. ‘Dead Bodies Everywhere’ by Korn
The eerie music box tune opening the song from Korn’s Follow the Leader convey the darkness which familial expectations can take on and force on those affected by them.
Favorite lyric: “Your dreams never achieved/Don’t lay that shit on me/Let me live my life.”
Released as a single, Attila’s song makes worshipping the Devil sound like one hell of a party.
Favorite lyric: “I’m burning down your church like six six six/Can you smell the fire burning like it’s six six six?”
6. ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You’ by My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance’s song about rebelling against becoming like everyone else not only has a great message, but it is also filled with fun vampire imagery. Plus, with the announcement of the reunion show, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love deserves a revisit.
Favorite lyric: “And if the sun comes up, will it tear the skin right off our bones?”
From Slipknot’s second album, Iowa, the song escalates into guttural madness as Corey Taylor’s vocals maintain the dark tone carried throughout the song and the album.
Favorite lyric: “Cancer and people conspire together.”
While Rob Zombie, both as a solo artist and as part of White Zombie, has plenty of songs to choose from, the song from Hellbilly Deluxe deriving its name from Grandpa Munster’s dragster off of The Munsters is a classic.
Favorite lyric: “Dead I am the dog, hound of Hell, you cry/Devil on your back, I can never die.”
3. ‘This is Halloween’ by Marilyn Manson
Not only does the classic song from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas keep the spooky energy going into other holidays, but Marilyn Manson’s cover featured on The Nightmare Before Christmas (Special Edition) and Nightmare Revisited adds extra creepiness. Another cover to listen to is Korn’s “Kidnap the Sandy Claws.”
Favorite lyric: “I am the one hiding under your bed/Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red.”
2. ‘Undead Ahead 2: The Tale of the Midnight Ride’ by Motionless In White
Motionless In White has good reason for starting to begin live shows with the song from the band’s latest album, Disguise. The high-energy track masterfully weaves its music and lyrics into the iconic tale of the headless horseman. For further listening and viewing, Motionless In White’s “Undead Ahead” from Creaturesand Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow are necessities.
Favorite lyric: “Live or die in the tale of the midnight ride/Where reality and superstition collide/Close your eyes, kiss your dearest Katrina goodbye/And beware of the tale, tale of the midnight ride.”
1. ‘Stabbing in the Dark’ by Ice Nine Kills
On a list of songs dedicated to bringing the Halloween spirit into November, one of the top tracks should be a song inspired by the season’s most classic and recognizable movie. From the album The Silver Scream, Ice Nine Kills’ imagining of John Carpenter’s Halloween cuts deep with its beautifully vicious account of Michael Myers slaughtering the people of Haddonfield. The band also released an acoustic version of the song featuring guest vocals from Trivium’s Matt Heafy for an additional take on the story.
Favorite lyric: “I’ll haunt you day after day/Knife after knife/Day after day/Knife after knife/Taking life after life.”