A to Z Band Challenge : The Letter C

I have decided I must narrow this thing down to five per letter. This will not be an easy task for me, as I love so many different bands and forms of music. I am limiting it to the first five bands that come to mind. On to the letter "C", and a brave attempt to be more succinct in my choices.

Candlemass -
A great Swedish doom metal band that were quite popular in the 80's and 90's, though I prefer their earlier stuff, such as "Solitude", and "A Sorcerer's Pledge" from there first album, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. Best album title ever! Candlemass are still making music, with a new singer, but I have yet to check their latest offerings out.

The Cult -
An 80's British band, considered post punk Goth rock. I just love The Cult. To me it is very straight forward rock. Though I love them dearly, especially singer Ian Astbury, and Billy Duffy's guitar work, the bass always disappoints me. I find it far too simplistic for my taste.
Favorite songs from these guys are hard to pick, as I love so many! A few would include, "In the Clouds", "Spiritwalker", She Sells Sanctuary", and "Rain".

The Cure -
Quintessential 80's Goth Rock, and of course, who doesn't love Robert Smith to this day? He is the definitive Goth icon, with Siouxsie Sioux being the female counterpart, of course. A few of my favorites by The Cure would be "A Forest", "Like Cockatoos", and "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep".

Clan of Xymox -
80's darkwave from The Netherlands, I love this moody band! I love much of their stuff, but my two personal faves are probably "She is Dangerous" and "Creature".

The Cruxshadows -
Yes, we are on a Goth roll with the "C"'s, ending with 90's darkwave lead by the more current Goth icon, Rogue. I love so very many of their songs including "Deception", "Solus", "Eyes to Heaven", and "Cruelty", to name but a few.

There...only five...I did it! On to letter "D"...

Originally published on Bubblews, October 24th, 2013.

A Few of My Favorite Spooky Tunes

A lot of the music I listen to would fit nicely this time of year. Being that I am predominantly a fan of metal and Gothic rock, I suppose that's not too surprising. Still, there are certain songs that just resonate extra well with the the spirit of Halloween for me. My list will probably surprise a lot of people, because there are way scarier songs I could have picked. The ones I did pick have special significance to me, though. Some are songs that I have associated with Halloween since I was a child. Other tunes are things I have used in my scenes at the haunted house, so they will ALWAYS represent Halloween to me.

From least (5) to greatest (1), here are my personal top five songs to play at Halloween:

5. "I Put a Spell on You" by Marilyn Manson. 

There are many great versions of this song, and I love them all. I have since I was a small child. Though I am not a huge Manson fan, I think he does an excellent job on this one. The mood of his version is quite spooky, and great for Halloween celebrations.

4. "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" by The Hollies

I know most people will laugh at this choice, but since I was a little girl, I have always been certain the woman The Hollies spoke of was a witch. I played this all the time, especially at Halloween when I was a child. I always thought the music was awesome too, and I still do. It will always be one of my 

favorites.

3. "The Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath

This one screams Halloween to me because it has always made me think of the mob with torches 

coming after Frankenstein's Monster in the old Universal classic movie. In addition to that, it is used in the soundtrack to the movie "Heavy Metal", which I used to watch every Halloween on VHS till I wore that thing out.

2. "Believal" by Bruce Dickinson

To me, this song evokes the spirit of Halloween in its imagery of smoking carcasses and its chorus of a "belief in evil". I've used it at the haunt many times, and it is just a great spooky vocal song. I have scared many a patron simply my singing the chorus at them to the top of my lungs.

1. "Voodoo" by Godsmack

Yes, I know, you are saying "not that Halloweeny" once again. Considering that I portrayed a voodoo lady at a haunted house for 5 years, and am STILL called that often, though I am now an Aztec Priestess, this song will always be about Halloween for me. I once got a standing ovation from a group at the haunt who caught me playing the drums to it on the arms of an old rocking chair with femur bones for drumsticks.

Those are my Halloween favorites. My list of spooky songs could actually continue forever with bands like Helloween, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Fastway, and a plethora of Goth bands to fuel it for aeons to come. Anyone else care to share a few of their favorite spooky tunes for All Hallows Eve before it is upon us?

Image credit : Image Credit : Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

A to Z Band Challenge : The Letter B (Finally!)

Finally, we are on to the letter "B". Sadly, there are plenty of bands here, as well! Or course we have to start with my all time favorite...

BLACK SABBATH -
Everyone knows my feelings about these guys, I am sure! My favorite band since I was 5, and the only you will see in all caps! A favorite song is VERY hard to pick, but I will choose "Children of the Sea" because one day, I will learn to play bass and sing it at the same time (that's SINGING Dio, while PLAYING Geezer...WHEW!)! When this is accomplished, I am quite sure I will become a veritable god! 

Budgie -
Probably only us musicians even remember this band, but they are actually still making some great music. I'll have to just mention my favorite album here, "In for the Kill". I love the whole thing! If forced to pick a song, it would be "Wondering What Everyone Knows". It is the "quirkiest" on the album.

Bruce Dickinson -
I mention Bruce outside of Iron Maiden because Bruce has done some phenomenal stuff...outside of Iron Maiden! I MUST name a FEW : "Cyclops", "Believal", "The Alchemist, "The Arc or Space and Time", "The Gates of Urizen" to name but a smattering!

Blutengel- 
Very interesting, very danceable, sometimes more traditional, classical, sometimes more industrial, always VERY theatrical, German Goth Rock. "Lucifer", "Born Again", "You Walk Away", to name but a few...GOTTA LOVE 'EM!

Bjork - 
Yep, she's NUTS, and I LOVE HER for it! This woman is totally ageless! I think it is her childlike, yet all-knowing spirit! My personal favorites would be "Army of Me" and "Come to Me", two drastically different tunes which I think showcase her massive versatility. I have loved her since the Sugar Cubes! 

I promise to TRY and limit the next post to only 5 more "B's", but no promises!

A to Z Band Challenge : The Letter A - Part 3

Just a few more on the "A" list. I will try to be brief, but there are just so many good "A" bands.

Acid Bath -
A little known, little remembered , sadly overlooked 90's metal band that I simply adore. They have more heavier stuff, but my favorite is probably, "Scream of the Butterfly". I think the bass line is beyond awesome, and there is a kool sounding mandolin in it. 

Adam Ant -
No one really seems to notice, but this guy is still kicking butt on the music scene. To this day, he seems to remain very true to himself. Most people will be familiar with his older stuff, but I newer song I really like is "Shrink". It is funky, electronic, and rather heavy for "Ant Music"!

Asrai -
Quintessential "Girlie Goth", and I can't say I like a lot of girlie stuff, but they do it well. A favorite of mine would be "Pale Light". It has attitude, and a really trippy colorful video.

Alien Sex Fiend - 
These guys are crazy punks, and I love them! My favorite is probably "She's a Killer". I do have to be in a certain "mood" to listen to them for long though. 

I am sure there are many I have forgotten, but that is a good sampling of the variety of music I like, and we are only finishing the "A's"! I could include a few more, like Anthrax ("Time"), but I am giving them a mention, so...

Originally published on Bubblews,  October 5th, 2013

A to Z Band Challenge : The Letter A - Part 2

In continuing with the "A-list", here are a few more of my personal faves. This is by no means all inclusive. I love lots of stuff. These are just a smattering of the ones that really stand out in my mind.

Alter Bridge-
These guys are basically Creed with a better singer. The music is way better, and Myles Kennedy's vocals are phenomenal. My personal fave is "Watch Your Words". 'Nuff said!

Audioslave-
Yeah, I know these guys are more or less disbanded, but I liked them a lot, so I felt they deserved a mention. I am sure there will be more bands I love on here that are gone now. The music is still here, though, so I still dig it! Audioslave was basically Rage Against the Machine with Chris Cornell from Sound Garden singing. Any band which features Tom Morello AND Chris Cornell is going to have my ear, at least for a while. Many of you probably remember "Like A Stone" by Audioslave. 

Argent -
Yep! These guys are an oldie, but a goodie! Argent is a late 60's, early 70's band that featured members from the Zombies. There biggest hit was probably "Hold Your Head Up". It is a personal fave of mine.

AngelSpit -
"And now for something completely different..." Angelspit are an industrial band. I like to industrial dance, what can I say. If you can get past the often "caustic" lyrics, you might like them too. If you are already into industrial, you probably love them. Raunchy though it may be, my fave by them is still "100%"

Alice Cooper -
Cooper is, of course, the godfather of obscene rock shows. My mom used to say he looked 50 when he was 20, but would always look the same. She is right, he does! In earlier Cooper, my fave is "Under My Wheels".

Originally published on Bubblews, September 3rd, 2013.

A to Z Band Challenge : The Letter A

As Spookywoods is now in full swing, and I don't have the time I'd like to post here, I thought I'd simply share the A to Z Band Challenge I am working on elsewhere...it does fit. It is simply brief notes on some of my favorite bands. Comments and debates are welcome, as always!

Yes, I have decided to start a new A to Z challenge. Each day I will talk about my favorite bands that begin with a particular letter. This may be one, or many; it depends on the letter.

 I am starting this in honor of my favorite Goth band, Angels of Liberty, who have just granted me an interview. It may be Halloween before they have answered all of my questions, so here is to staying busy until then. These will be like mini-reviews of each band, unless there is only one for a particular letter. In that case....we will see. Some letters may even take several days to complete. For example, we have a lot of "A's", so here goes...

 Angels of Liberty - Angels of Liberty is a Goth Rock band from the UK. They write synth music that sounds amazingly like music done with real instruments. This is one thing that impresses me so about them. They also write about some very controversial subject matter, such as reptilian aliens, and mind control. Fascinating stuff for any rock band.

 Alice in Chains- I love these guys newer stuff too, but I really loved them before Layne Staley died. You can still hear him a bit in songs which guitarist Jerry Cantrell sings, and I am happy for that. I believe Cantrell once said Staley was responsible for getting him to start singing more, so I would imagine he is a great influence vocally because of that. Staley had a very emotive vocal style, of which I am very fond.

 A Perfect Circle- This is a side project of Maynard from Tool that pretty much took on a life of its own. I love all of Maynard's bands, though Tool is still my favorite. All three of Maynard's bands contain top notch musicians. A Perfect Circle did an album of cover tunes that is very interesting. 

Needless to say, we will continue with the letter "A" tomorrow.

Originally published on Bubblews, September 2nd, 2013.