Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! The best Holiday of the year is upon us once again! There’re a bunch of cool music releases to help get you in the mood this year. So, let’s celebrate All Hallows Eve with witches and werewolves, ghosts and goblins, as we crank the volume up to 11!

First off, just released last week, VAZUM’s excellent Unrated V. It’s a remix album of sorts, an electronic/industrial version of their October 2020 album, Rated V. As much as I enjoyed Rated V, I have to say that I found Unrated V to be a much more polished, superior album. The Deathgaze duo of Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm has really come into their own over the past year. This is their second album this year, following the release of V+ back in June, which ranks in my top three albums of 2021 thus far. I had a lengthy conversation with the Detroit duo back in June, which you can read here, if you’d like to know more about them. As far as Unrated V is concerned, it’s a glorious 77-minute opus consisting of 12 tracks; the first 6 songs with vocals and the latter 6 are instrumentals. Some of the highlights include “Jester”, “Lycanthrope”, and “Wytch Lych”. This album will be perfect for your Halloween party! And you know what’s even better? It’s a “Name Your Price” release on Bandcamp. So, head over there and show them some love, you’ll be glad you did.

Next up is a fantastic compilation curated by expert doom/stoner rock maestro, WEEDIAN. Simply titled Halloween 2021, it features 19 kick-ass songs from a who’s who of today’s best doom/metal/stoner/heavy rock bands. Among those featured and some of my favorite cuts include Beastmaker’s trippy “Colors of the Dark”, HAZEMAZE’s awesome cover of Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral”, and Dead Scrolls’ brutal “The Satanic Mill”. And guess what? It’s another “Name Your Price” release on Bandcamp! Get your copy here.

If you’re a fan of ‘80s horror movies like I am, then they are a staple of the Halloween season. Many great songs have stemmed from that golden era of horror flicks, including a mostly forgotten band by the name of Fastway who sang the title track to 1986’s “Trick or Treat”. Ripple Music’s Doctor Smoke have decided to cover the song for the occasion and it’s an absolute gem! You can buy the track on Bandcamp for a dollar right here.

Last but not least, no stranger to Halloween festivities, Sister Midnight, a band who has made a name for itself over the past few years covering classic horror movie songs/themes are back just in time for Halloween! They do a terrific rendition of Bruno Nicolai’s “Sabba”, an instrumental piece from the classic 1972 Giallo “All the Colours of the Dark”. You can snatch it for $0.72 on their Bandcamp page.

I hope you’ll find these musical suggestions to your liking and that they’ll make your Halloween a little spookier. Enjoy the music, the booze, the parties, and the candy! Stay safe, and have a frightful Halloween!