Halloween Metal!
In honor of the holiday, here are 5 metal albums I consider appropriate for Halloween listening. In no particular order:
--- Ajax.
- Black Sabbath, Sabotage (1975). One of the most underappreciated gems in the Sabbath discography, thanks to great tracks like "Hole in the Sky", "Symptom of the Universe" and "The Writ." Ozzy's voice is at the height of its powers, and the production values are excellent. "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" is not quite a metal song per se, but the vocal delivery is creepy and unsettling enough that it fits nicely into the whole.
- Danzig, Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990). Arguably the best Danzig album of all, and comes close to being one of those elusive "perfect albums" on which not a single track is wasted. Glenn and company come out swinging with "Long Way Back From Hell", bridging seamlessly into "Snakes of Christ", "Killer Wolf" and "Tired of Being Alive" before changing things up a bit with the stripped-down and un-distorted "I'm the One." The second side is perhaps not quite as strong, but the ballad "Blood and Tears" is a highlight, with Danzig making the most of his Presley-esque vocal style.
- Slayer, South of Heaven (1988). Many Slayer devotees prefer Reign in Blood, but for me this is their best album overall. Though this is another album front-loaded with the best tracks ("South of Heaven", "Live Undead", "Behind the Crooked Cross", "Mandatory Suicide") that lets up a little bit on side 2, the cover of Judas Priest's "Dissident Aggressor" is well worth sticking around for.
- White Zombie, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1 (1992). Tough to choose this one over Astro-Creep: 2000, but when you're talking specifically Halloween music, this one's got a smidgeon more horror influence and a little less sci-fi. The most memorable tracks are probably "Thunder Kiss '65" and "Black Sunshine" (complete with Iggy Pop narration!) but deep cuts like "I Am Legend", "Thrust!" and "Starface" add lots of value to the whole.
- High on Fire, Blessed Black Wings (2005). I could've picked Venom or something more obvious, but I had to give a shout-out to High on Fire for this album, which is one of the best overall metal albums of the 21st century in my opinion. Imagine an H.P. Lovecraft story with a soundtrack recorded by Slayer, and you have a pretty good feel for this album. In fact "Cometh Down Hessian" and "The Face of Oblivion" are based on Lovecraft tales ("At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Hound", respectively), and both are excellent tunes. "Devilution", "Anointing of the Seer" and "To Cross the Bridge" are also stand-outs. If Slayer needed a successor, which they do not, they could do worse than this band.
--- Ajax.