By Stephanie Arenas
With Halloween just days away, one may feel discouraged to celebrate the holiday due to COVID-19.
However, you shouldn’t feel that way, as there are plenty of other ways to celebrate.
Many may watch Halloween movies or perhaps even host a Zoom party with their friends. Personally, I can’t wait to get into the mood with some of my favorite spooky music this season.
Here are three albums to get you into the Halloween spirit.
Danzig (1988)
This 1988 record was heavy metal band Danzig’s debut album. After disbanding with The Misfits, lead singer Glenn Danzig formed this band in Lodi, New Jersey in 1987.
With the blend of heavy metal and blues rock, this band was able to create a unique voice in the rock music scene.
This album stirred up a lot of controversy during its release. Parents classified the lyrics as “disturbing” and “satanic.” However, when you look into lyrics in songs such as “Mother” and “Am I Demon,” you can see how these statements were simply just an overreaction.
The music video to the song “Mother” was banned from MTV due to “controversial imagery,” which I believe makes it more of a reason to check this album out this Halloween.
Type O Negative’s ‘Bloody Kisses’
Released in 1993, “Bloody Kisses” is the third studio album by American goth rock band Type O Negative. Lead singer Peter Steele was well-known for his vampire-esque style, deep bass vocals and a towering height of over 6 feet, 8 inches.
“His lyrics were often intensely personal, dealing with love, loss and addiction,” Billboard journalist Mick Stingley said back in 2010. “Yet he infused his writing with great wit and self-deprecating, dark humor which endeared him to his fans.”
“Bloody Kisses” contains songs that were seen as controversial by many. The song “Christian Woman” tells the tale of a religious woman who has a sexual encounter with Steele. Many religious groups have thought this song to be highly offensive.
Steele died of sepsis caused by diverticulitis in 2010 at 48 years old. Type O Negative disbanded soon after.
“We don’t have any interest in continuing,” drummer Johnny Kelly said back in 2011 in an interview with TV4. “When Peter died, Type O Negative died with him.”
DottiR’s ‘Fortress of Thugitude: The Instrumentals’
If you are looking for a more background music type of deal, then this album by Icelandic group DottiR is for you.
Available for free on YouTube and Bandcamp, “Fortress of Thugitude: The Instrumentals” gives a more dark and spooky vibe for this Halloween season.
Released in 2014, this album features 22 songs of different eerie instrumental music. A different version of this album simply titled “Fortress of Thugitude” is available for those who are not into instrumentals.
However, personally I believe this version ties in with the Halloween vibe perfectly.
