Music and Counterculture

 At last, the grand day of festivities, All Hallows Eve, is upon us. So, it is only fitting that the song of honour is as extravagant and vivid as the holiday itself. This is a day fit for stories of delight as well as tales of fright, with spots of nostalgia juxtaposed with demons waiting to strike. This week, I will provide you exactly that with the 13-minute epic, "Halloween" by Helloween.  Helloween - an iconic German power metal band formed in 1984 - released their second album, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part 1 , in 1987. This album, which established Helloween's place in the heavy metal scene, is also widely considered as vital to the creation of the district genre of European power metal, inspiring the techniques, vocals, and lyrical themes of bands to come. Keeper... is also significant as the first to feature Michael Kiske on lead vocals, another piece of the band's signature sound. The song "Halloween" takes place on seemingly innocent titular nigh...

 "Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!" As the grand day of festivities draws closer, we add another beast to our list of things that go bump in the night. This week, I bring you a vampiric tale from a highlight in emo history. This is "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" by My Chemical Romance. Years before The Black Parade turned the band into international stars, MCR released their debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in 2002, only three months after they formed. This album, which planted seeds for their future works, presented songs that still carried the raw, frantic energy from the emo genre's hardcore roots. This, together with Gerard Way's distinct, wailing and occasionally screaming vocals and the songs' heart-filled lyrics, helped MCR carve out their own unique place in the 2000s emo world, back when the subculture still largely existed as an underground community. Compared to the international ...

 The night. That bewitching time when spirits come out to play, when vampires hunt for fresh blood, and when sorcerers slip into the woods to perform their magic. After all, it is Hallows Eve when the liveliest of October's festivities begin. And it is that time of moonlight that is the subject of this week's song. Here is "The Night" by Voltaire. Aurelio Voltaire is a goth musician who thrives in New York City, a city known for its exuberant night life. His sound is often called dark cabaret or dark folk, although he is often prone to visiting other genres as well, some of which range outside the commonly expected realms of goth. In addition to music, Voltaire also runs a web show called Gothic Homemaking (which I highly recommend for anyone interested in spooky, DIY home decorating). "The Night" was conceived in 1988 in the midst of Voltaire's teenage years. A while later, the song fittingly received a due resurrection (or would one say it was re vam...

 In previous weeks, some of the songs that I've given you appeared in various horror and Halloween movies. This week, however, the song of the hour not only featured in a film, but was actually written for it. From the spirit world, just beyond the veil, I bring you "Noroi No Sha Na Na Na" (translated: "The Curse of Sha Na Na Na") by Seikima-II. Seikima-II, created in 1982, is a rather unique Japanese heavy metal band that inspired and influenced the Visual Kei genre and subculture. In addition, they also served as an early example of black metal. Both facts become apparent when one looks upon their kabuki-style face paint and elaborate attire as well as their demonic back story. The lore goes that Seikima-II is a group of Akuma, a race of demons, sent from a hyper-evolved dimension named Makai. Their mission is simple: to take over the world through their music.  The story behind the song is equally as bizarre. Seikima-II released "Noroi No Sha Na Na Na...

Let me first start off with a jubilation: At last! October has graced us with its presence once again! Now that that moment of silliness is out of our systems, let us proceed with the music. One band that I find always plunges me into the Halloween spirit is Type O Negative. Anytime in the year when I find myself longing for this special season, I can simply play a Type O track, and I am instantly transported back to the crisp, pumpkin-fraught weeks of October. So appropriately, this band is the centerpiece to start off the month of honour.  Also, as this is the first Shuddersome Soundscape post of October, I shall grant you two songs rather than just the one. Thusly, here are two featured tunes, both from the album World Coming Down (1999): "Creepy Green Light" and "All Hallows Eve." Type O Negative can be described as gothic metal, or "Gothedelic," in frontman Peter Steele's words, as their sound fuses classic gothic metal with 1960s psychedelia. As...