Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Ladies, gentlemen, and whatever is your preferred genre, here we are at the third and last Halloween playlist: the European. If you missed the American and the Finnish you can read it here and here. Doing this playlist was most difficult than the other two. I had to choose one band for country to make a twelve track playlist. And even the grandmas can listen to it…together their grandchilds.
If you will let down not to find any songs about Dracula, don’t worry, there’s a Romanian band. The choice of the songs is about more the titles than the lyrics. And if a tear can fall from the face I apologize.
The Sixters – “Ghost”
Start with an Ukrainian band, The Sixsters, and the song “Ghost”. The song is about loneliness and social isolation, but even feeling invisible to the world. Besides it’s a criticism to the world for being more connected online than in real life. A verse of the song: “I’m just here/ I’m not invisible/ But the world makes me so”.
Adagio – “The Darkitecht”
From Ukraine we flight to France with Adagio and the song “The Darkitecht”, the architect of darkness. A typical lyrics of prog/symphonic metal band, the song is about a demiurge who designs, shapes, and rules over darkness, chaos, and tortured dreams. “Progenies of night and moonlight/ Dancing towards me/ A dark black and hazy waltz/ With a frightening melody”.
The Gathering – “Monsters”
“Monsters” from the Dutch band The Gathering explores topics as emotional emptiness and disillusionment. The song is dark and hypnotic. It grapples with the gap between what people need and the harsh, empty reality they actually experience. “If you come closer/ I’ll show you how it feels/ High is high, low is low/ love is gone”.
Exilia – “The Hunter”
The song “The Hunter” by the Italian band Exilia is about the relationship between predator and prey. The main character is chasing by an evil figure who wants to catch her. And despite the fear, the protagonist doesnât give up and throws down a challenge. A great hard rock song who takes you to play drums.
Paradise Lost – “Perfect Mask”
A song about alienation and the need to be authentic.”Perfect Mask” by the English band Paradise Lost describes the hard condition for the ones who struggle living in the society. And they to protect themselves need to wear a mask and defend their pain and vulnerabilities. Or just hiding their true nature.
Magica – “Curse for Eternity”
From England to Romania here the Romanian band Magica with the song “Curse for Eternity”. In this song there’s the vampiric topic and the eternal curse. The one who has been bitten by a vampire describes the end of his/her humanity and the enter into a dark world. And living an eternal life in darkness is seen as an eternal sentence.
Me and that Man – “Better the Devil I Know”
“My mother was a witch/ My father was the moon/ I was only five/ When I met my doom”. “Better the Devil I Know” is a song of the Polish dark folk/blues band Me and that Man, the side project of Behemoth’s singer Nergal. The title is taken by famous English idiom “better the devil you know that you don’t”.
Moonspell – “Darkness and Hope”
From Poland to Portugal with gothic metal band Moonspell and its “Darkness and Hope”. This song is about the good and the evil in the world. The singer have dedicated this song to people from Saboia, Portugal. A dualism between the darkness of tragedy, but even a light of hope to not give in into difficulties.
SadDoLLs – “Kiss You in Hell”
Just like Moonspell, even this Greek band plays a gothic rock/metal with industrial influences. “Kiss You in Hell” by SadDoLLs is about a toxic love relantionship with all its worst shades. The couple is aware about that, but living this relantionship with love and pain, they are ready to live this love even in hell.
Xantria – “Vampire”
“Vampire” by the German gothic metal band Xantria is about a vampire woman, but as an insomniac person. This woman walking throught the streets at night with only neon lights. She is described as a predator, not a prey. she is described as a magnetic presence, cold and detached from reality.
Dover – “Sea Witch”
The singer of the Spanish grunge/hard rock band Dover described a change of her personality into a witch. “Sea Witch” it’s a rebel song against control of other people. “I will fix my ugly body/ No one will recognize me/ We don’t need to lead us”. And then “I am a witch, there are powers in me”.
Ghost – “Ghuleh/Zombie Queen”
The Swedish hard rock band Ghost can’t missed this playlist. The song “Ghuleh/Zombie Queen” is divided in two different parts. A ghuleh in Arabic folklore is a female ghoul associated with graves and other obscure things. And in the first part this ghuleh rose from the grave as rotting and pale succubus. In the second part of the song the Ghuleh claims the throne as Queen of Hell.
You can find the entire playlist here on Spotify:
