• O C T. XXXI. • Halloween — “Trick or Treat”

THE FINAL SUPER SPECIAL SAMHAIN EDITION, PART VI:

From the 1984 album Don't Metal with Evil.



Being a third-rate shock metal group meant Halloween (the band) never got too much recognition outside of Detroit, but tonight is definitely their night to shine. Hell, they even used the annoying "Silver Shamrock" theme from Halloween III for their (way too long) video to "What a Nice Place", so that scores major points in my book. This here is as good a video to end the countdown with as any, as it's about as Halloweeny is it gets, right down to it's blatantly '80s video.
Hope everyone had fun!

• O C T. XXXI. • Lucifer — “Black Mass”

SUPER SPECIAL SAMHAIN EDITION, PART V:

 From the 1971 album Black Mass

More early synth weirdness, this time from Mort Garson, later of Ataraxia. Heavy use of Moog synthesizer throughout the whole album; it's kinda like an evil Wendy Carlos.

• O C T. XXXI. • White Noise — “Black Mass (An Electric Storm in Hell)”

SUPER SPECIAL SAMHAIN EDITION, PART IV:

From the 1969 album An Electric Storm.

Flanged drums never sounded so creepy. Weird album featuring heavy use of the first commercially produced British synth, the EMS Synthi VCS3.
I've been short on the descriptions, as things are busy and I've got some movies to watch, but I'm determined to cram in as much as I can before the Pacific deadline...

• O C T. XXXI. • Bauhaus — “Bela Lugosi's Dead”

SUPER SPECIAL SAMHAIN EDITION, PART III:

From the 1979 7" Bela Lugosi's Dead.

The first Bauhaus release, and they sure got it right the first time, as I personally don't think they ever topped it. Gothic perfection.

• O C T. XXXI. • Helloween — “Halloween”

SUPER SPECIAL SAMHAIN EDITION, PART II:

From the 1987 album Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part I.

Could I have linked to the 13 minute album version of this song? Sure, but then you'd miss out on that over-the-top video in all it's cheeseball glory. Helloween is one of those bands that have enough cheese that I can only tolerate so much of them at once, but when I'm in the right mood for their particular sort of power metal, they're fantastic. I draw the line at '80s power metal, though — all that modern Dragonforce stuff can still fuck right off.

• O C T. XXXI. • King Diamond — “Halloween”

SUPER SPECIAL SAMHAIN EDITION, PART I:


From the 1986 album Fatal Portrait.


Kicking off the day right with the King!
“I command you to scream!”

—• IT’S HALLOWEEN, MOTHERFUCKERS! •—

It's finally here!
A huge thanks to the fine folk of X-E that have stopped by, especially anyone who took the time to leave comments. If I managed to turn but one person on to something new and spooky, then I feel it was worth it tenfold. This was something that I was originally just going to do on my facebook account, but all of you X-E'ers got treated to a very special dedicated blog version replete with me racking my brain to try and come up with adequate track descriptions and occasionally even succeeding in doing so. Turns out my initial worry of not updating it daily was unfounded, as I ended up with the exact opposite problem—I thought of too much stuff to post! So check back here for the next 24 hours, I'm gonna be posting loads of stuff that I just couldn't fit in to 31 days.

Infernal hails, strong ales, and candy pails to all!
—Tom

• O C T. XXX. • Bezerker — “Halloween”

BONUS ROUND!

From the 1989 album Lost.


An Australian technical trash band that I don't actually know too much about, save for them evolving from a prior band called Final Warning, and then releasing this one album before disappearing. Fun stuff, though!

• O C T. XXX. • Horrific Child — “Frayeur / Angoisse” (excerpt)

Originally from the 1976 Horrific Child album L'étrange Monsieur Whinster, excerpt version from the 1999 re-release of Les Maledictus Sound's self-titled album.

THIS IS FUCKING ESSENTIAL HALLOWEEN MUSIC.

The twisted brainchild of Jean-Pierre Massiera (previously of Les Maledictus Sound), this amazing avant-psych meets imaginary-horror-film-soundtrack album is quite possibly my all-time favorite thing to play during spooky season. Every time I hear it, it makes me want to buy a run down old mansion, turn it into a haunted house, and blare this from it 24/7. Yes, it's that 'weenworthy.

Also, just feast your eyes in awe on a closer look at this batshit insane cover art:

A conquistador with an afro-laden hatchetfish for a head holding a skull with a lizard, spiders, a severed finger, and all sorts of other wacky shit in the background? There is just no arguing with how awesome that is.

• O C T. XXIX. • Henry Cowell — “The Banshee”

From the 1963 album The Piano Music Of Henry Cowell.

A spooky piece written in 1925 that uses the piano in a very different way—here, it's opened up and the strings are manipulated directly, giving it a truly ghostly sound. Cowell was a truly ahead of his time composer, one of the most radical of his era, and this piece was a reflection of his love for Irish mythology. Sadly, he was sentenced to 15 years in San Quentin State Prison (serving four) for the "crime" of being bisexual in 1936. After his pardon, he was a profoundly changed and perpetually scared man; still going on to compose, but now in a more conservative style, never approaching his prior groundbreaking work.

• O C T. XXVIII. • Igor Wakhévitch - “Ténèbres (Walpurgis)” / “Materia Prima”

BONUS ROUND!



From the 1971 album Docteur Faust.

These two tracks are absolutely phenomenal! Igor Wakhévitch is a French avant-garde composer who studied under Olivier Messiaen and worked with everyone from Salvador Dalí to Terry Riley, and despite his work passing by in relative obscurity at the time, was later praised by Michael Gira of Swans and Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound, giving it a small amount of renewed attention. I could gush about this particular album for many paragraphs, but I don't have to, as it just so happens that one of my all-time favorite music reviews (titled It Was the Strangest Record I Had Ever Heard) was written about this very album. Read the awesome story told in the review, and listen to the terrifying madness of Igor Wakhévitch's Docteur Faust. It's about as Halloween-worthy as music can get.

• O C T. XXVIII. • Goblin — “Witch”

From the 1977 soundtrack to Dario Argento's Suspiria.

The greatest horror soundtrack artists of them all, Goblin (led by composer Claudio Simonetti) broke free of the typical "minor key and dissonant classical strings" sound that was the stereotype for numerous decades, and instead brought their varied blend of Italo-prog and avant-garde that remains to this day some of the most unique soundtracks since Morricone. This track was used to great effect for the very best scene in Suspiria, an over-the-top murder that was filmed with such attention to color and artistic merit in general that it's by far my favorite death scene of any movie. If you haven't seen Suspiria (and if you haven't, RENT IT NOW!) just stick with the audio-only version above, but if you have, take a moment to revisit how well this amazing soundtrack helps elevate the stunning cinematography into a total nightmare:

• O C T. XXVII. • Iron Maiden — “Fear of the Dark” (live at Donnington, 1992)

BONUS ROUND!

From the 1993 VHS Donington Live 1992

I tried to keep it down to one Maiden vid, really, I did! But I just couldn't do it. So have some classic Halloween fare, this time from the Bruce Dickinson era. UP THE IRONS!

• O C T. XXVII. • Iron Maiden — “Phantom of the Opera”

From the 1980 album Iron Maiden.

How could I not have some Maiden on the countdown? This is just one of those songs that's so perfect that I refuse to believe that mere mortals created it. Just one awesome catchy riff after another, and just when you think that it would be physically impossible for it to get any more awesome, 4:34 comes along, and what's that? Yes! Yes, it's getting more awesome! But hold your horses, it actually gets EVEN BETTER. Wait for it... wait for it... There! There, at 4:52! Holy fucking shit! Pure "triumphantly standing with one foot on the stage wedge while wearing stripy trousers" glory! They just out-perfected perfection. Fucking A.

Despite it using footage of the 1980 performance at The Rainbow which doesn't always sync up to well with the studio version of the song, I had to post this version, because it's got all the awesome 1925 Lon Chaney film bits in it.

• O C T. XXVI. • Gnaw Their Tongues — “Sound the Horns, the Water is Poisoned”

From the 2007 demo Spasming and Howling, Bowels Loosening and Bladders Emptying, Vomiting Helplessly.

Absolutely FILTHY. It's the only word I can think of that can describe this Dutch one-man sonic endeavor. Ostensibly, it usually gets classified as black metal due to the vocals (not present on this instrumental track), but it goes so far beyond the boundaries of that genre that it doesn't seem adequate to encompass what GTT mastermind Mories does. Incorporating cinematic soundclips, horror film influenced synths, and orchestral dissonance into the sludgy soup of churning minimal guitar, Mories crafts a perfect audio nightmare that makes you want to take a shower after listening.

Normally, I cringe at the introduction of "symphonic" elements to metal, as it almost always seems to be some sort out-of-place sounding neoclassical cheese, rife with unconvincing Roland "orchestral stab" samples, but GTT eschews such florid romanticism in favor of subtly incorporating elements of modern orchestral music more along the lines of Krzysztof Penderecki or György Ligeti.

Also, there's no way in hell that Spasming and Howling, Bowels Loosening and Bladders Emptying, Vomiting Helplessly wasn't the best awkwardly long album title of 2007.

• O C T. XXV. • Antonius Rex — “Devil Letter”

From the 1974 album Neque Semper Arcum Tendit Rex.

Formed initially as Jacula in 1968, Antonius Rex was the musical brainchild of Italian occultist weirdo Antonio Bartoccetti. The Jacula/Antonius Rex sound is hard to pinpoint, as despite their use of insanely heavy-before-its-time guitars, I wouldn't actually call what they did rock or metal. It was more about creating some sort of esoteric and atmospheric soundscape, this track in particular being a prime example. Some 17th century magic sigils and diabolical themes don't raise many eyebrows today, but in the mid '70s, it must have been a different matter, as when they first submitted Neque Semper Arcum Tendit Rex to Vertigo Records, they objected to both the sinister nature of this track and the cover art. Subsequently, it was only released on a small label (Darkness) in a limited run of 400.

This particular track makes good use of extended periods of silence, causing one to occasionally jump out of their seat when the sound comes back in, so try not to get fooled into thinking it's over and end up spilling your beer everywhere...

• O C T. XXIV. • The Cramps — “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” (live)

WEEKEND DOUBLE-DOSE, PART II !

An outtake from the 1980 film .

The lowest rise trousers in the music industry, and terrifying for that reason alone.
R.I.P., Lux.

• O C T. XXIV. • Peter and the Test Tube Babies — “Zombie Creeping Flesh”

WEEKEND DOUBLE-DOSE, PART I !

From the 1983 7" Zombie Creeping Flesh

I ain't late; it's still the 24th on the west coast!
Also, I'm tired as all fuck, so while I'm not running out of songs, I'm kinda running out of interesting commentary right now. So  what does that mean? It means you're going to get a song from a classic UK punk band (probably most known for their song "Banned from the Pubs") named after a third-rate Italian zombie film, and you're going to like it, damn it. Or not.

• O C T. XIII. • UK Decay — “Werewolf”

WEEKEND DOUBLE-DOSE, PART II !

From the 1982 EP Rising from the Dread.

A great post-punk band from (big surprise here) the U.K., UK Decay didn't last long or find much success, but their sound played a big part in influencing the beginning of the goth scene. Totally hypnotic track.

• O C T. XXIII. • The Birthday Party — “Release the Bats”

WEEKEND DOUBLE-DOSE, PART I !


From the 1981 7" Release the Bats.

Easily the best of the Australian post-punk scene, and by far the most influential, The Birthday Barty's wild Stooges-meets-no-wave sound was a force to be reckoned with. Nick Cave certainly was a dark and powerful character later on with The Bad Seeds, but with The Birthday Party, he was a fucking animal. They definitely knew what they were doing, but that didn't stop everything from sounding like it was on the verge of totally falling apart. Utterly visceral stuff.

Part II coming later; as I'm barely awake right now...

• O C T. XXII. • Annihilator — “Alison Hell”

From the 1989 album Alice in Hell.

Annihilator's line-up changed more times than I can count without a graphing calculator, the only constant being the guitarist and backing vocalist Jeff Waters. I'm pretty sure this group of Canadians would have made it a bit bigger if they were just a little more stable and didn't take so damn long to release a proper album. Despite being active and releasing a demo as early as '85, it took until '89 for them to come out with their first album, and by that time, thrash was sadly already starting to wane a bit. As it was, they were cursed to release most of their albums in the mid '90s, when practically nobody in North America cared about the genre anymore.

Of all the varied albums (with equally varied line-ups), their first one, Alice in Hell is my favorite, and this song is the best one on it. This official video surprised me when I first saw it on youtube, as for some reason, despite remembering the album quite well, I have zero memory of ever seeing the video on TV back when I used to sit on the floor and watch Headbanger's Ball with my older sister when I was a kid. It's quite possible that I was just subconsciously trying to block out the memories of Randy Rampage's radioactively-blond hair.

• O C T. XXI. • Shub Niggurath — “Yog Sothoth”

From the 1986 album Les morts vont vite.

Another "Rock in Opposition" band chock-full of terrifying modern classical influenced prog rock weirdness, this time from France. Taking the name of both the band and the song from God-like entities of H.P. Lovecraft's weird fiction, if you haven't read The Dunwich Horror (in which Yog Sothoth features prominently), you owe it to yourself to set aside some time this spooky season to do so. Shub Niggurath was rather close to Univers Zero in sound, but featuring a bit different instrumentation and the chilling soprano vocals of Ann Stewart. Churning nightmarish compositions of the highest order, it manages to be both chaotic and highly focused at the same time.

Oh, and before you say “Hey, this video is broken! All I'm hearing is one note!” simmer down—this song just starts out with a long single-note harmonium drone. Trust me, your patience will be rewarded.

• O C T. XX. • Jonathan Briley — “Whimpering Wails of Woe”

From the 1985 album Darker Profits

Johnathan Briley was an experimental musician with a knack for manipulating sounds into a strange and sometimes unsettling collage. He was active as a solo artist from 1985–88, releasing seven cassettes under his name, but is probably best remembered for his extensive work with Sleep Chamber, a group fronted by John Zewizz (founder of the Inner-X-Musick label) that evolved from Nurse With Wound style musique concrete cut-ups, ritual industrial and ambient, and eventually even EBM influenced stuff.

• O C T. XIX. • Pentagram — “The Ghoul”

From the 1985 album Pentagram

If you happened to tune in to DJ D's show last night, you already know this song, as in a quirk of synchronicity, he played it with a shout-out to me, not knowing that I had already selected it for today's track days in advance! I've got my tinfoil hat on now, so hopefully my mind is safe from any further psychic intrusions...

Anyway, of all the Black Sabbath influenced bands playing the less flashy, and more slow-to-mid-paced and downtuned music that later was to be commonly known as "doom metal" (a sub-genre that I have a profound love and obsession for), Pentagram have been around the longest. Formed as Pentagram in 1971, they released their first single ("Be Forewarned" / "Lazy Lady") in 1972 under the name Macabre. Despite being active and recording of multiple demos, it took until 1985 for them to finally put out another official release, but it was well worth the wait. The 1985 self-titled album (later to be renamed Relentless and given a different track order for reasons that are beyond me when it was re-issued by Peaceville records in 1993) is an absolute landmark of doom metal, and has influenced countless bands since.

Despite enough drug use to kill an entire Roman legion, nearly 40 years later, Pentagram still tour, and are currently on break while working on a new album, as well as a documentary DVD to be released sometime next year.
 

• O C T. XVIII. • Vladimir Ussachevsky — “Piece for tape recorder”

From the 1957 album A Poem in Cycles and Bells & Other Music for Tape Recorder.

Vladimir Ussachevsky was one of the true pioneers in electronic music, especially in the field of tape music, which he pretty much invented with Otto Luening. Born in 1911 in Manchuria (just south of the Siberian border) to a pianist mother and a father who was a Captain in the Russian army and an honorary Mongolian prince, at age 19, Ussachevsky and some of his family immigrated to the U.S. when Japanese invasion looked imminent, later working for the OSS and State Department in WWII. For over 30 years, he taught at Columbia University, where he co-founded the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center with Luening.

His soundtracks to the Orson Wells directed film version of Jean-Paul Sartre's play No Exit, and Lloyd Williams' film Line of Apogee are eerie and fantastic, and are well worth tracking down. Speaking of soundtracks, this particular piece was posthumously used to great effect in one of the final scenes of the 2001 film Session 9, one of the few "recent" horror films that I truly love.