Sorry, that came across much harsher than I intended.

What I meant to get across is that the song is essentially a joke about a joke. Laibach have built a 30 plus year career out of turning corny pop songs into fascist rally music, which I assumed was pretty common knowledge.

Its kinda relevent to what we are talking about because what they do is a comment about how easily emotions are manipulated by music regardless of actual content.

I guess what Im trying to get at is that there is a big difference between something "sounding kinda creepy" and embodying an actual sense of evil. NIN, to use an example which has already been raised, are a damn fine rock band and I legit love their stuff. But the key thing is that they are a rock band - whatever industrial elements they have are peripherial to the fact that they inhabit that emotional call/response space which industrial sought to dismantle. Reznor emotes at you so hard that theres no room left for the kind of irony/context games that make industrial unsettling (rather than merely sounding creepy).

The surface level "sounding creepy" effect is just as easilly acheived in that genre with an easily recognisable set of commonly used tropes that its about as hackneyed as playing a tritone scale on a guitar in metal.

If we take something I think is evil/unpleasant enough that I refuse to have it in my house - Nicole 12 - it has its effect because of its themes ( endorsement of peadophilia) rather than its sound as such. If the themes were different it would be just another run of the mill noise album.

I get what you're saying here and I agree that what Laibach are doing is a very interesting social experiment, i.e. turning something potentially innocent into something malevolent. It's a trope that litters horror fiction, horror films and even mythology, e.g. the representation of evil children and evil families.

I think the problem with being arbitrary about this definition e.g. to say "this just sounds creepy whereas this is genuinely evil" is that it is a totally subjective issue. You can wax lyrical about how clever or subversive a piece of art is and how that contributes towards your own personal feeling of being unsettled or frightened but that feeling may not be mirrored by anybody else. The only band that has ever truly prompted an adverse reaction from my psyche is Deathspell Omega and that is just due to sheer intensity of negative emotion that their music conveys.

The aforementioned NIN and Tool song are only really surface level scares, although I would argue that some of the themes Reznor explores on the Downward Spiral, Broken and the Fragile could be construed as frightening, especially if human despair is something prompts that emotion from you!

You are right to an extent, but I think theres a counter argument one could present that just as there is a continum within metal between Black Sabbath and Deathspell Omega the same thing exists in what for lack of a better term I'll call "dark music thats not metal".

Just as we might view it as a pretty naieve statement from someone who listened mainly to, say, country to claim Sabbath as "really intense evil metal" because it has a heavy sound (when we know that its about as cuddly as it gets within metal), I think the same can be said for much ostensibly creepy stuff thats been nominated in this thread. Insofar as it's "haloween" creepy, done with a wink and a nod, rather than 3am nervous breakdown creepy.theres something to be said for discerning between the two I reckon.

Now I dont want to start a dick-waving contest any more than I have already done so by my previous tactless comment. Obviously we are talking on a metal forum, and looking at things through that prism its easy to say "that sounds evil because it sounds somewhat like metal". But I think that's a very surface level version - and gets you trapped in a pavlovian response where like Laibach as we discussed before you are listening to "the final countdown" and saying it sounds threatening. Which is why many noise/power electronics/industrial folks view metal as a bit of a joke. Cannibal Corpse, to use a popular example, go out of their way to break the 4th wall and reassure everyone that these are just horror stories. Whereas the point behind much extreme electronic stuff is to deliberately not let you have that get-out-of-jail card of it being music to drink beer with your mates too. And in that sense it makes you question "if I get off on this, maybe I'm part of the problem?". And in that question we see the difference between creepy and evil to a degree - creepy can be fun and camp, evil really isn't.

I agree with that. I think one of the difficulties within metal is that for the most part, one accepts that the guys making the music are, at heart, just regular ordinary guys who grew up listening to Iron Maiden and filching cigarettes from their parents. Whereas the obscure, mysterious and potentially anonymous artists that proliferate the electronic scene distance themselves completely from their fans, perhaps in order to create a create-your-own-context persona to their fans.

I think there is arguably a connection here between Black Metal and the above, insofar that many of the early Black Metal musicians were actually involved in acts which differentiated themselves further from their fans. Rather than appearing as just a bunch of dumb kids (which ironically is exactly what they were), they pursued a put-up or shut-up style scene which obviously involved murder, mutilation, arson and rape. All this background context contributes greatly to people being able to believe in the message or vibe of a piece of art. This probably explains the modern day hero worship of certain people within the scene e.g. Euronymous, Varg, Fenriz. This extreme context was't ever really mirrored in other contemporary genres e.g. Death, Thrash, Grind.

I think in a way this is why Deathspell Omega, and other such bands, prompt this kind of extreme reaction from myself. They are, for all intents and purposes, anonymous and the few interviews they have done suggest a sophisticated philosophical understanding of gnostic and metaphysical Satanism that does not, to me eyes anyway, appear as a charade. Thus, when I hear them at their more chaotic, twisting and strange it couples with the overall message of the band and creates an overall horrible listening experience. To someone who has no vested interest in the above topics, it might just sound silly or crap but to my ears it is a visceral, aural representation of extreme evil and an exploration of the negative, in a more universal sense.

I guess my overall point is that overall it is an art pieces context which contributes to its overall reception by the spectator/listener.

Very interesting chat though. I've never really spent enough time to actually sit, think and breakdown my reasoning for why music has this affect on myself!

Holy fuck, thanks a lot for that Doomsday Prods tip, Erotetic! I've been scrounging up all the various groups Brotha Lynch Hung has been involved in but for some reason I've never checked this one up. After the first minute of Redrum I booted discogs and scored Pray 4 Me and Filthy for pennies, on tape no less!

Wait, Sabbath IS really intense evil metal. I get that a lot of us are into black and death metal a lot, but I wouldn't claim that any of the black and death metal bands I listen to easily surpass Sabbath's most intense, dark or evil moments. Same goes for some other truly classic bands that are truly classic for a reason, like Slayer who I've once seen cringeworthily argued to have been "made obsolete" by newer bands.

Few years ago when I was drunk and high on acid these songs sounded so evil and good:

Whitehouse can be good stuff from time to time and would definitely fit my idea of "evil" music as well as anything else. Certainly not laid back stuff! If you like them then you should check out Cremation Lily and Genocide Organ.

These guys are sick fucks and awesome.







but the Metal crushes the good, heh

I always love these threads and I've noticed several of them that are similar to this with different titles over the past few years.

I remember one of the last ones about a year or so back mentioning Swans which influenced me to buy their first album which is great, as well as Child Abuse who are a great and very unusual band, and several others I can't remember.

I've got a few in mind.

Although they would in my PERSONAL opinion count as an early doom metal/proto metal band, they aren't on EM, and that's Bloodrock.

They were formed in 1969 I think and are excellent and to be honest their 1971 song D.O.A. is in my opinion the creepiest song I've ever heard in my life.

People have debated for years whether it's about a plane crash or car crash but the guitarist was quoted saying it's about a plane crash his friend died in and I remember learning about the song and band because like 15 years ago or so when Metal Maniacs still existed I was reading an issue with King Diamond on the cover where in an interview he mentioned the band and that song as an influence and since I'm an MF/KD worshipper because of how creepy his music is I had to hear it.

This is it from the original album Bloodrock:2 from 1971:

https://youtu.be/-Z1lD513AAE

Some other cool songs with creepy vibes are Ghost's "When Your Dead" off 1970 album.

They were a San Francisco Psych band.

I LOVE the eerie vibe on this track and honestly it kind of reminds me of early doom rock a bit like Pentagram, Witchfinder General, etc:

https://youtu.be/QOniM1Kf0sg


Another creepy awesome Psychedelic song is The Electric Prunes "I Had too Much to Dream Last Night" from 1966:


https://youtu.be/F-kVFfKezVo


Tell me if you guys don't get an early "doom" vibe, off the last two tracks, ESPECIALLY the Ghost track (not so much Electric Prunes, that's more acid rock).

And then a big favorite of mine is the Italian prog Rock band GOBLIN from the 1970s.

They did all the music for Dario Argent's movies, Suspiria, Tenebrae, Phenomenon and Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) and I'm a HUGE Argeno/Giallo fan and their music goes great with the scenery in his movies:

Here's the track for Suspiria and on a different note if you HAVEN'T seen Suspiria or Argento's movies and like Psychedelic Atmopsheric type suspense/horror type shit you NEED to:

https://youtu.be/PrbfgemL4yc


Here's more of their stuff:

https://youtu.be/zQejiArD608


A band came out a few years ago who are basically a tribute band dedicated to making music like them is called Zombi.

Virgin Prunes - If I Die, I Die...
Bauhaus - Mask, Nerves

Of course this list wouldn't be complete without Comus.

They really influenced Akerfeldt and Opeth and he used some of their lyrics on Opeth tracks like "My Arms Your Hearse" and "baying of the hounds" both come from Comus tracks.

These guys were totally acoustic except for their bassist, and I've heard them called the heaviest acoustic band of all time.

They have really weird, creepy and intelligent lyrics about dark topics like murder, rape and mental illness:

This is a really twisted song about someone hanging and killing a women, really excellent:

Drip Drip:

https://youtu.be/icGTBLeBXnE

This is a pagan type song about rape and the lyrics are really good. I mean just listen to the intricacy of the musician ship. The music itself sounds so "spritely" that until I read the lyrics I didn't realize it was really twisted:

https://youtu.be/80N0P2sRKYc

And this one about a guy in a mental hospital:

https://youtu.be/HzKgnX53H9I

Brighter Death Now.

That D.O.A song by Bloodrock is great! Really dark, reminds me a bit of the weirder moments on Alice Cooper's Welcome To My Nightmare album, which in itself has some creepy stuff on it.

The little trilogy of 'Years Ago', 'Steven' and 'The Awakening' always unsettled me when I was a teenager.

Also, the song 'Intruder' by Peter Gabriel is creepy as hell.

Atrax Morgue. Including metal music.

Been thinking about asking in the recommendation central but it isn't really worth its own thread - is there any non-metal with Lovecraft themes? Seems to be popular in metal, but I haven't really come across the subject outside of metal.

Rudimentary Peni's Cacophony is based around Lovecraft's work (as far as I can remember). Definitely an unsettling listen.

ENDVRA - "Liber leviathan" comes to mind

Not sure how "'evil" this may be, but it's sure dark as hell, and disturbingly hypnotic (as is the clip). Me likey. Need more.

Ancient Methods - Dämmerung der Parhelia

The french Zehul band Shub Nigurrath has those themes

I think you should consider some of Naked City's more ambient/experimental stuff. Specifically stuff like Grand Guignol and Leng T'che. Pretty unsettling stuff.

Shinjuku Thief! Althought that may be more "atmospherically witchy," not exactly "evil." Still .. great Halloween music.

I'm still completely shocked and puzzled as to why no one has posted this song. I'll just leave this one here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UVgH9JqSnQ

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPgRPRu4sho

Gabber.

Gabber is the music of evil, horny clowns that want to tie you down and fuck you like a jackrabbit. And there's nothing more terrifying than clowns.

No.

Robert Johnson is the American blues musician behind the infamous legend: he allegedly sold his soul to the Devil to play the blues. At first glance, it's basically your standard delta blues stuff, but there's something quite sinister hiding beneath...both in the lyrics and the general atmosphere of the track, at least by 1937 standards ("I can tell the wind is risin', leaves tremblin' on the tree"). Naturally, the lyrics seem to be about being hunted down by a demon, sprinkled with some sexual stuff & more traditional blues stuff, giving the impression that he's damned to hell for his lifestyle. Of course it's not Stalaggh or whatever but still worth mentioning, I think...



The Cure's "One Hundred Years" is fairly obvious and well-known but I don't think it was mentioned yet. The lyrics in particular are extremely dark and nihilistic, kind of weird but I basically interpret it as an extremely grim and bleak depiction of everything that's wrong with the world. In general this album is incredibly dark, but I wouldn't say anything on it comes close to "One Hundred Years" which is a level of darkness many black or death metal bands couldn't even reach. The part where he says "The ribbon tightens around my throat. I open my mouth. And my head bursts open. A sound like a tiger thrashing in the water. Thrashing in the water. Over and over. We die one after the other. Over and over. We die one after the other. One after the other." always gives me cold chills...

oh i love evil music.

this album right here i think seriously opened the floodgates of just plain evil music. maybe not evil in its intent but showcasing evil itself, i guess



and even though "hamburger lady" isn't on second annual, it's maybe throbbing gristle's most grotesque, terrible thing they'd ever do.

also, brainbombs kind of took what whitehouse were all about (which was a more extreme version of TG) and set it to guitars, drums and bass. and also made it extra tasteless to boot.



also i can agree on current 93 being dropped here to an extent. before tibet got deeply into christian mysticism and such, current 93 were pretty terrifying soundwise. i suppose the messages in the songs at that period weren't necessarily "hail satan" or anything, much of them were pretty much anti-war, but still sounded downright malevolent, including a couple albums after the dogs blood/nature unveiled duo. "dawn" is terrifying as is "in menstrual night." even some of the narrative of "imperium" is kind of evil in its jubilee. and yeah, "i have a special plan for this world" is, yikes. it's so good though.

I always thought Carmina Burana sounded very evil. I always imagine this is the music being played in the background as the Anti-Christ is conceived.

Persuasion by Throbbing Gristle is the only song that makes me legitimately uncomfortable.

my biscuit tin brings the boys to the yard and they're like you sure only middle-aged people read this.....

Probably this:



Creepier than a lot of black metal out there.

The Bloody Beetroots for sure

just listen to this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXI6A9nWPw4

The horrorcore genre is pretty damn dark, especially this artist.

When we think of Satanic music, we usually think of black metal.
But Satanic and Luciferan hymns can be just as dark as the most atmospheric of black metal.




I'm almost surprised there isn't some sort of "Black Folk" or "Satanic Folk" genre based around this. I can understand why the former wouldn't be a good name.

Bobby Beausoleil's Lucifer Rising is an amazing record in that field.

Though most of it is a somewhat proggy classic rock, Aqualung by Jethro Tull has some pretty evil/metal sounding riffs, usually complemented by darker (or creepier) lyrical themes:





(Especially around the 2:07 mark in this 2nd one)