BROODING TUNES, Creepy Podcasts & MORE

There’s nothing particularly spooky or brooding about this, but I think it’s cool as hell anyway. It brings me back to a time 20ish years ago when I really enjoyed bands like Stabbing Westward, Gravity Kills, and Filter. Oh, and I know most folks know Greg Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan (or maybe Killer Be Killed), but I implore you to also check out The Black Queen. It’s so good.

The absolute best compliment anyone can give this song is that it sounds like it’s straight out of an episode of Twin Peaks. It’s haunting and moody and gothy and has some strong saxophone work throughout. And TBH you might as well go check out Jorja Chalmers’ other stuff too because it is all v cool.

This tune might not be particularly brooding or creepy, but I sure do love everything that’s happening here. I mean, not only is it a great lil’ pop-country song, but the video is just an absolute delight. It’s creative and fun and it’s got symbolic UFOs and aliens and really what more could you want from a video?

I’m not always in the mood to listen to atmospheric black metal, but sometimes you’ve just gotta scratch that itch. I have no idea what they’re screaming about (I think it’s Russian?), but you can’t go wrong with a couple of dudes—named Velhelm and Morbius, btw—wearing Groot masks & rocking out in the woods.

I’ve mentioned that industrial music (or dark electronic EBM whatever) ignites the Halloween fires inside me, so every year I hunt for new music to add to my spookiest playlists. Recently, I found this. I don’t know anything about them, but it’s cheesy as hell & sounds like Frontline Assembly, so it’s pretty much perfect.

I’ve loved Nine Inch Nails for a very long time, so obviously I’m gonna appreciate a song that features Trent sounding like it’s the 1990s all over again. Honestly, the only downside is that this is just a one-off single and not a harbinger of a new HEALTH/NIN collab album because THAT would probably be cool.

The legendary John Carpenter has been releasing these Lost Themes albums for a while now (this is volume 3). And look, I know not every track is a banger, but most of them are cool/cheesy enough to make you feel like you’re in the middle of an 80s horror movie, and tbh that’s enough for me.

Andrew W.K., the fun-loving party man from the 2000s, is now knee-deep in Crowley-esque occultism and made this weird music video to prove it. The song truly slaps though, so I don’t mind helping him with whatever ritual he’s trying to perform by watching it over and over and over.

Frontline Assembly’s built an entire 30 year career on finding (slightly) different ways to write and record the same song, and that’s perfectly okay! They’re a mainstay on my fall playlists (because industrial music helps ignite the Halloween fires inside me), and I’m stoked they’re still doing their thing in 2021.