Tales from the Jugular

Trick Or Treating Tracklist!

Tales From The Jugular - Trick Or Treating Tracklist!
by EC

Wow, Frank Hill has managed to stay alive long enough to post 64 prior issues of our golden boy, the column that brought us to the dance, the Tales From The Jugular. At his age he really shouldn't be typing, moving, walking, or urinating without assistance or a pan. But leave it to the old timer to keep banging out the columns and ideas, running everything in tip-top shape for you METAL READER! I recently invited Frank Hill-Poo over to the house for an October double feature; High Tension and Saw. Anyone looking for that horror movie that does so much more, look no further than those two films. It really doesn't get much better than that.

So with that being said I was thinking of ideas for Halloween. I know, I know, we have done songs for Halloween before, we've done all time favorites, favorite soundtracks for a horror film, metal celebrities in films, dadaloodadada. This time I am adding a more current and modern spin on it. I am making a list of metal songs released in 2005 that are perfect for display on Halloween. That's right, I want to offer you NEW songs that can be jammed during the haunting season. I plan on making a burned disc with the following tracklist, and spinning this one between now and Halloween. The ultimate heavy metal Halloween, one that is new, fresh, and...well....Alice Cooper free.

1. Twilight Odyssey - "Near Dark" (www.twilight-odyssey.com)
This track in my eyes and ears is THE perfect Halloween cut, a fantasy that unveils in orange and black, the perfect tapestry to completely absorb all that is mystical and darkly delicious about this holiday.

2. Deceased - "The Kept" (www.upthetombstones.com)
Legendary thrash veterans returned this year with "As The Weird Travel On", the best record I've heard all year! "The Kept" is the opening cut, a violent, yet soothing vision of man's inner struggles. The melody through this cut is just fascinating to me, really setting it all up like an episode of the Twilight Zone.

3. Morgana Lefay - "Only Endless Time Remains" (www.morganalefay.com)
We can't have a set of Halloween songs without the classic vampire twist. This cut from Swedish power metal act Morgana Lefay isn't really about vampires, but it's theme is one of immortality and all of the dark despair wrapped up in living forever. This is just a haunting ballad!

4. Gamma Ray - "Blood Religion" (www.gamma-ray.com)
Possibly the band's best work to date in my opinion! This strong, haunting cut deals with immortality and vampires as well. This one starts out with a slow, eerie spoken passage that moves into faster German power metal before expanding into huge chanting and gothic overtones.

5. Force Of Evil - "Dead In Texas" (www.forceofevil.net)
It is really hard to choose a cut off of Force Of Evil's "Black Empire" release. The whole album is dedicated to horror movies and books. The one that always strikes me well is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre storyline in "Dead In Texas".

6. Widow - "An American Werewolf In Raleigh" (www.burning-village.com)
Well the name says it all. North Carolina's Widow unleashed a horror filled heavy metal charge with their sophomore release this year "On Fire". The opening cut and dialogue is perfect for this year's holiday! From Paris To London, Now It's In Raleigh!

7. Cathedral - "North Berwick Witch Trials" (www.cathedralcoven.com)
Leave it to Cathedral to provide plenty of doom and gloom to block out the sun!

8. Astral Doors - "Evil Is Forever" (www.astraldoors.com)
This one is sort of like a dark horse really, not really sounding too much like a horror styled cut, completely void of any atmosphere or mystery. This whole theme of the song however really enforces the idea of Halloween and all things dark and desirable, for me personally.

9. The Iron Maidens - "The Number Of The Beast" (www.theironmaidens.com)
Okay, how can you have Halloween without jamming this monster classic?!? To add a more modern spin on Maiden, dish out the all female tribute to Maiden with The Iron Maidens, and their fabulous cover of "The Number Of The Beast".

10. Embraze - "Beautiful Death" (www.embraze.net)
Finland's Embraze round out the listening experience with a slow paced creeper that recalls Danzig or Sentenced.

And on a side note, those of you looking for a chilling book to cuddle up with, I highly suggest Anthony Izzo's "Cruel Winter" from Pinnacle Books.

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