Physical media has been on the rise over the past years. Customers have been enjoying being able to own a physical copy of albums and EPs. These vinyls, CDs and cassettes can even serve as a decorative touch to student’s dorms.
Album cover art serves as a great way to show off your favorite artists and genres. There are many albums to choose that provide the Halloween-vibe sound along with their amazing artwork. Check these albums out to add to your Halloween mixtape and dorm decorations.
Evanescence – Fallen
Evanescence’s hit album “Fallen” came out in 2003 and was their first full length album to come out signed to a label. The hard rock album features heavy, yet celestial, riffs combined with smooth vocals that redefines the rock/metal genre.
Songs like “Bring me to Life” and “My Immortal” bring themes that remind audiences of a scary movie storyline throughout their hard hitting rock sound. The album cover’s dark tones paired with Amy Lee’s mysterious look makes for a great halloween record.
Blue Oyster Cult – Agents of Fortune
The most popular single of this 1976 album is the instantly recognizable song “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” This song has long been considered one of the most famous Halloween themed songs ever.
Its catchy riff in the beginning slowly transcends into spooky, off putting chromatic melodic lines that leads the song into chaos. Do not underestimate the rest of the album, though.
The scary stories carry on throughout songs like “Tattoo Vampire” and “E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)” that pay tribute to their equally spooky album cover.
The Cranberries – No Need to Argue
“No Need To Argue” introduces the start of The Cranberries’ heavier sound. The album rings out a soulful, angsty vibe that ties in perfectly to the changing weather and colors of the fall season.
Their 1994 hit “Zombie” is a Halloween classic that showcases The Cranberries’ ability to provide a thick, round sound as a band throughout their edgy image and lyrics.
Metallica – Ride the Lightning
Metallica’s sophomore album “Ride the Lightning” is jam packed with heavy, thrash riffs to fill your room. The dark blues and lightning rods are a perfect fit to the dark yet forceful songs that are consistent throughout the album.
Fast paced thrash hits like “Creeping Death” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” manage to take popular stories and motifs and turn them into hard-hitting forceful songs for the holiday.
Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare
Heavy metal greats Avenged Sevenfold released their album “Nightmare” in 2010. The title track is the quintessential Halloween song. The song opens with an eerie bell melody before cranking in full speed into their main riffs.
The lead singer, M. Shadows, provides raspy, loud vocals to pair with the track. The album’s cover does a great job representing the sinister essence of nearly every song on the record. This album is great to pair with the other dark colors and images of Halloween-esque albums.