The Dark Night Playlist - 3

Happy Halloween you bunch of freaks! Thank you for following this playlist to it's final, ominous end . . . You were here for part 1 and part 2 (feel free to click on the links for a refresher), and I was very careful to make sure I could make it to three, to honor the auspicious number on what is going to be a providential Halloween weekend. I'm giving you 13 reasons tonight to get spooky, get weird, and get real acquainted with the Dark. Let's not dawdle, the night only lasts so long!

1. "After Dark" - A lowkey way to start off the evening thanks to Synthpop artist Mr. Kitty, who can be found on Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp. This song is so . . . dark, and slow, and kind of intimate/seductive in its sound and I just adore it so much. This is the song I play exclusively at night, not wishing for the harsh light of the day to sully its sound for me.

2. "I'm So Sick" - Who can possibly resist Flyleaf's catchiest (in my opinion, at least) song? The hoarse screams of Lacey just crackling along with the harsh and pulse-pounding guitars in the song make my breath catch slightly in my chest when I'm allowed time to really get into my music. It's a relatively old song but damn if it doesn't still make impact in every playlist it pops up in.

3. "Tourniquet" - I. LOVE. Breaking Benjamin. If pressed to choose a favorite band, they'd be it solidly. This song from their album Ember, and it's a typical heavy hitter that makes this band so awesome. The switch from Benjamin's lilting croon to the furious roars unleashed for the chorus creates a melodic pattern that makes you feel like you're floating in a storm.

4. "Psycho" - Same band, same album as above! I put this next because it is, in my opinion, a perfect song pairing. You have to listen to Tourniquet, then Psycho for the best listening experience you know? It's like how Queen's "We Will Rock You" is immediately followed by "We Are The Champions." Listening to this song; it's definitely the more chaotic of the two, the harsher vocals, and just plain awesome.

5. "Darkness" - Simple, succinct, and yet the fantastic retro synths oven together by Daniel Deluxe don't seem so simple when you're enjoying listening to it. The beat oddly reminds me of a track used to back a journey deeper into a twisted bizarro world, and the odd instances of the Dark One commanding for more destruction and annihilation to commence. I enjoyed this track when I heard it in 2018, and I still enjoy it's vintage vibes now, especially in this destroyed year.

6. "Knights of Cydonia (KLOUD remix)" - The original edit of this Muse hit is impressive, and somehow they managed to improve it with this excellent remix. Moreso, this is the remix that was used in the last dance routine of Academy of Villain's Altered States show from last year's Halloween Horror Nights show, and listening to the soundtrack is always a cool way to remember the show. After all, the night is still young, so getting into the heavy tracks first is the best way to make sure you can keep up the momentum all night!

7. "For Whom The Bell Tolls" - You may recall I had a Metallica song in my first playlist, and so we come to the end with another, quite popular song from this band. It's well known as the killer intro song for the first Zombieland, with some great imagery to go with it, and more than that just the general vibe of impending doom makes it a great addition to your haunted playlist.

8. "Did My Time" - Yes, how on Earth can you have a proper Halloween playlist without at least one Korn song on it? The bitter rage at your fate, the way the words of the lyrics trips off Johnathan's tongue until he groans out the chorus . . . ooh I'm getting chills!

9. "Change (In The House of Flies)" - Ooh, did I throw a curveball at you? Did you expect Deftones to make it to the playlist? Well you certainly should have! Deftones is one of the best bands to get some dark, emotional tracks out of and this one is a shining star for me. Hearing this on the soundtrack to the movie Lestat, I was sort of captivated by the dark sound and slightly disturbed yet seductive lyrics. Let this song transition you to a new part of the night, when the hour is at its darkest zenith.

10. "Panic Room" - A low-key but wonderful song from artist Au/Ra, I've enjoyed this song for about two years now (since it came out . . . in 2018), and love Au/Ra's rich voice and the sort of asylum vibe this song gives me. When I listen to this I feel like the monsters in my own mind want to cage me into a cage of dance and laughter, tucked away and left to the shadows.

11. "Hard-Wired" - This is . . . my favorite song from Perturbator, because I am mesmerized by the voice of Isabella Goloversic every single time. It's so . . . sensuous, and the pacing isn't something I would quite call slow yet anticipatory just as the lyrics are, a beautiful yet slightly haunted woman giving you the choice of the dark highway or a connection in the night. I can't even really describe to you how gorgeous this song sounds, you really have to experience this for yourself, and I highly recommend you do!

12. "American Horror Story" - I don't even need to explain this. You're a damn liar if this doesn't hit different for you every time.

13. "To Be Continued" - Yes, our last two songs on this playlist are songs from soundtracks of a couple of my favorite shows. This one is appropriate as an end to the playlist, I think, because there is no true end to Halloween. There will be another, and another . . . this isn't something you can stop. Just enjoy it! Await its resurrection if you truly think you can bury it, or enjoy the adventure that awaits you the very next day.

There we have it, thank you so much for following on this journey of my Dark Night Playlist! I hope your Halloween experiences are magical, transcendental, and most excellent! If you'd like, let me know what your Scary playlists are going to be filled with so we can have ourselves a massive playlist set for a potentially wild weekend. Be safe, guard your souls, respect the dead, and ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CANDY!