Now Hear This - Halloween 2025: The Final Chapter

 We might be only three days away from Halloween, but that's still plenty of time to inject some spooky tunes to your holiday playlist!

 

 

 

Click on the album cover to go to its Bandcamp page where you can purchase it or listen for free. I am not affiliated with Bandcamp or any of the artists, just spreading the word on good music.

 

 Monster Mashup rises from the grave once more to deliver their 2-disc, 21st Monster Mashup compilation. Each year they put out a call to the mashup community for submissions and put it all together for the low price of free! There's a link on their page where you can grab previous year releases.

 

 The Monster Mashup series is where I first encountered Mr Fab & His Bag O' Heads and I was surprised to see he released a greatest hits album in August. If you're looking for something different to add to your playlist, start here. I highly recommend Cannibal Zombie Mom and Skeleton Crew on the Graveyard Shift. 

 

 If you like dubstep and bass (or even if you don't!) give WiddFam's 2024 Halloween compilation a spin. You might think dubstep isn't for you but if you're reading this blog in October, it's worth a listen!

 

 You don't stumble on to "Sounds from the Haunted Bathroom" and NOT share it with people. Put this on, close your eyes, and you'll be taken on an audio journey that may remind you of a certain Haunted Mansion..just with a few more water sounds. This is probably my favorite discovery this year. I've played it several times.

 

 Castle Mummula from 2017 is a 5 track love letter to the films of William Castle. Somehow this 2017 release never hit my radar. If you're a hardcore Castle fan, you should be able to identify some of the movies represented on the cover.

 

Saturday Night Satan is an occult rock duo with some killer songs. It may not be for everyone's playlist but they've got a great 70s/80s inspired heavy metal sound. 

 

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Now Hear This - Halloween 2025 in 3D

Ok, the post isn't really in 3D but I think it's mandatory since this is the third Now Hear This Halloween post. 

 

 

Click on the album cover to go to its Bandcamp page where you can purchase it or listen for free. I am not affiliated with Bandcamp or any of the artists, just spreading the word on good music.

 

  This one is something a little different. Tales of Terror is an anthology horror comic with an accompanying soundtrack. You can get just the digital album and comic PDF or you can get a physical CD and comic book! There's also a second issue but there doesn't seem to be an option to get the comic with that one.

 

 Are you brave enough to call the Hauntline? If so, you'll get a compilation of dark ambient and spooky synth in your ear.

 

 Maybe you like your spooky synth with an 80s scifi vibe? If so, you'll want to check out the soundtrack to Alien Terrors...a movie that never existed! Buying the digital album also gets you a 10 page PDF booklet featuring production notes, film stills and artwork along with a digital reproduction of the movie poster.

  

And speaking of synth, Halloween at High Noon has a new compilation of darkwave synth that's absolutely fang-tastic!

 

 Count Bojo returns with another edition of his holiday mixtape. There's a couple songs you may be familiar with but most of them I hadn't heard before. This is a good one for party ambiance and it's free!

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Now Hear This - Son of Halloween 2025

Keep your radio tuned to KRPT for more spooky sounds of the season!

 

Click on the album cover to go to its Bandcamp page where you can purchase it or listen for free. I am not affiliated with Bandcamp or any of the artists, just spreading the word on good music.

Every horror fan knows you can't keep a good slasher down! Slasher Dave recently dropped his Halloween Store EP with art designed by Chad Savage. The EP draws on 80s/90s mom & pop Halloween shop vibes, Halloween masks, and spooky sounds cassettes. He's got a few new things since I wrote this post, so be sure to check it all out!

  

Creeping all the way back to 2014, the debut album from goth rock duo The Long Losts is worth unearthing. The music is suitably spooky and the vocals have a ghostly, ethereal quality.

 

 Horror rocker duo Bloody Hammers have a new acoustic album appropriately called The Acoustic Halloween Special. They describe it as dark folk or gothic blues. It's different from a lot of stuff you might encounter on a Halloween playlist. 

 

 Wrapping up this week is not an album but a Trick or Treat LoFi Spotify playlist. I've really taken to this genre over the past couple years and while it may not all be horror-centric, the LoFi aesthetic really vibes with Halloween for me. 

 Click the image to see the full list of Countdown to Halloween blogs!

 

Now Hear This - Halloween 2025

 Every Tuesday, we'll be comin' at ya with a Now Hear This Halloween post featuring some spooky sounds to get your coffin rockin'. They may not all be new releases but hopefully they'll be new to you. 

 

 Click on the album cover to go to its Bandcamp page where you can purchase it or listen for free. I am not affiliated with Bandcamp or any of the artists, just spreading the word on good music. 

 

 It may be October but that shouldn't stop you from checking out Aurelio Voltaire's Summerween Surf album. Helping him out on this are bands like Los Straightjackets, Satan's Pilgrims, and Calabrese.

 

 It just wouldn't be spooky season without a release from Sam Haynes to kick things off. As you might guess from the title, this is his 13th annual Halloween album. The Bandcamp version is extended with a few bonus tracks you can't get anywhere else.

 

 Haunted House Party is also back this year with Late Night Frights, a new album of lo-fi hip-hop beats perfect for your Halloween hang.

 

 Released at the end of last October, Frightmare is a darkwave collab (that's what the kids are saying, right?) between Figure and Destryur featuring tracks inspired by some classic horror flicks like The Exorcist, Phantasm, and Street Trash.

 

Speaking of movie inspired music, artist Ben Living blends baleful beats with clips from deeper cut horror flicks like Terror Train, The Tingler, and Return to Horror High for a spooky cinematic celebration.

 

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Now Hear This - Halloween 2024 The Final Chapter

 You're tuned into KRPT radio for another round of hits from the underground. 

Six feet underground!

Are you groovy ghouls ready to rock? Click the cover art to go to Bandcamp where you can preview and purchase the tunes.

Midnight Danger makes some great darksynth that sounds like it was taken from an obscure 80s horror flick. In addition to their terrifying tunes, they have a killer music video for To the Shadows and Back which is a fantastic tribute to 80s horror.

Punk Rock Halloween II brings you 28 tracks to keep your blood pumpin'...assuming you're still alive. I'm not sure if this is 100% covers but there are a lot including: Grim Grinning Ghosts, Ghostbusters, (It;s A) Monsters Holiday, and Dead Man's Party.

If you need something a little more mellow, how about The Manchester String Quartet's A Gothic Halloween? They cover the theme from Halloween, Don't Fear the Reaper, and even Marilyn Manon's The Beautiful People. Most of these aren't songs I'd put on a Halloween mix (I'm a snob about my Halloween music) but hearing them covered this way, they hit a little different. 

 

BoJo is back with his annual Halloween Mix Tape. There's all sorts of fun stuff in here. If you enjoy classic novelty albums, here's another to add to your collection...for free!

Now Hear This - Halloween 2024 The Sequel

Here's a few more terrifying tunes for your turntable!

 

 Click the album covers to go to Bandcamp where you can preview and purchase.

 

 

Just released Friday, is my most anticipated release of the season: the first new album from Zombina and the Skeletones in 10 years! They're one of my favorite bands because their music not only heavily features horror themes but is a fun mix of new wave, punk, pop, and surf. If you want to get a feel for them, start with the track Don't Kick My Coffin.

 

SURPRISE KIDDIES! Just when you thought the Reliquary would be forever shut, another brave or foolish soul has dared once again to unlatch its ancient lock! This time we've unearthed another unparalleled collection of terrifying tracks from some of Dungeon Synth's most notable artists around the world, as well as some brand new ones! All gathering to bring you a menagerie of music that will curdle your blood and have you screaming! As usual, recommend listening all alone on a dark and stormy night...  

 

Reliquary of Terror is a series I only just became aware of this year and this is the third release! These collections are great for setting a dreary dungeon vibe.

Next we have one of my favorites from recent years, Haunted House Party with a double release! HHP creates some frightfully funky lofi beats prefect for any Halloween party.

Speaking of lo-fi chill beats, The Jazz Hop Cafe also has a new compilation.

It’s Halloween night, you’ve fallen asleep after a long night of trick-or-treating with your friends. You awake in a state of sleep paralysis. A creak from your wardrobe pierces the silence, but you’re paralysed with fear and stomach cramps!

I discovered LBD during last year's Now Hear This posts. In addition to original music, they have a killer cover album of horror hits. This season, they dropped a cover of Hex Girl by the band Hex Girls from Scooby-Doo. The B side is a cover of "I Wish You Were a Beer" by Cycle Sluts from Hell.

Stay cool, daddy-o and check out the other Countdown blogs at the link below.

Now Hear This - Halloween 2024

 Welcome to the first Halloween 2024 edition of Now Hear This! In these posts I'll be sharing some spooky tunes to get your crypt rockin'! They may not all be new releases but hopefully, they'll be new to you.

Clicking on an album cover will take you to the artist's site where you can preview/buy it. 

Halloween 2024 is coming out swinging with new releases!

 

  Kicking off the annual line up is, of course, Sam Haynes! His latest release has got a mix of darksynth and the occasional pop tune with vocals. There's also some bonus tracks exclusive to the Bandcamp release.

This is my second most anticipated release this season! If you're not familiar with the previous volumes of Sean Keller's Killer Sounds of Halloween, you're missing out on modern holiday classics. It's all original songs with each song being done by a fake band that has a very recognizable style. He said the third one was his last, but you can't keep a good killer down!

 

LVCRFT is also back with a new album called Under the Covers. As you might guess, it's got plenty of cover songs that make their way on to spooky playlists. I think my favorite is "We Got the Treats," a parody of The Go-Gos "We Got the Beat".

You can always count on Nancy Nightmare and the Wizard rising from their graves this time of year with some fun tunes. This new album may just be my favorite of theirs. Check out the track Spooky Halloween.

If you've been to Universal Hollywood's Horror Nights in recent years, chances are you've heard something from dastardly dub-step artist Figure. He recently released Triple Feature with his mixes of The Addams Family, The Munsters, and Beeteljuice themes.

Stay tuned for more music next week!

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Now Hear This - Sorcery

I presume I'm not the only person that has some music that lives only in their head. And what I mean by that is you have your popular music that lots of people know and you hear everywhere but there are some bands/songs that just live within you because it's something you only ever hear when you decide to listen to it. It just doesn't "exist" out in the world. Am I making sense or sounding like a crazy person? 

 

I recently saw Eli Roth's Thanksgiving and was incredibly surprised to hear a few songs from the band Sorcery in the movie. If what I said above made sense to you, then you know what a crazy feeling it is to hear something you're very familiar with but don't expect to hear in the wild.

 

  

Behold...Sorcery!

Now Hear This - Halloween 2023 The Revenge

How about a few more tunes to get you in the holiday spirit while you carve up a pumpkin (or something else)? They're not all brand new releases but hopefully they'll be new to you. Clicking on the album cover will take you to Bandcamp where you can buy the music.

DJ Pumpkin, let's twist this!

 

What better way to kick it off than with some hard rockin, coffin knockin horrorpunk? With 50 tracks, there's sure to be something that will get the dead on their feet.