A Taste:

White Zombie, Slayer, Slipknot, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Devildriver

Surviving Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is not going to be easy this year.

Chucky’s crazy ass will be on the loose, Michael Myers will be only a few steps behind you and Jigsaw will be behind the curtain manipulating every little detail in an attempt to inflict pure punishment on you. Universal has put together what’s bound to be their scariest and most fright-tastic Halloween Horror Nights yet, and it all kicks off tomorrow, October 2, after their Chiller Eyegore awards!

ARTISTdirect.com editor Rick Florino compiled the perfect playlist of songs for you to listen to in order to get pumped up to out run these iconic screen demons. Crank these tunes and you’re guaranteed to have enough adrenaline to escape…as long as Jigsaw doesn’t plant anything in your car, that is.

Go to Halloween Horror Nights this month!

Halloween Horror Nights Survival Music Mix:

1. White Zombie — “More Human than Human”

This is the best song for any narrow escape! It’s been in more horror movie trailers than we can count including, My Bloody Valentine 3-D, which also has a maze dedicated to it at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. Plus, Mr. Rob Zombie will be present at the Eyegore awards earlier in the evening.

2. Alice In Chains — “Check My Brain”

You’re going to need to check your brain to make sure it’s still there after Michael Myers swings his butcher knife at you! Spin this incredible new Alice In Chains tune at full blast while Michael is coming after you. Jerry Cantrell’s guitar is almost as evil as Myers!

3. Slayer — “At Dawn They Sleep”

It’s Slayer. It’s about vampires. It sounds straight up evil. Need I say more?

4. Pantera — “Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)”

Wait until the breakdown where Phil Anselmo starts talking—it’s the most Satanic interlude you’ve ever heard, and that riff will get you running from Michael Myers too!

5. Slipknot — “The Heretic Anthem”

Slipknot crafted the ultimate anti-everything anthem. The double bass, guitar and vocal assault is so deadly it may just help you get off the Terror Tram trip alive if you play it loud enough. Keeping chanting it over and over again, “If you’re 555, then I’m 666…if you’re 555, then I’m 6-6-6…”

6. Devildriver — “Pray for Villains”

With demons all over Universal, you’d better be praying. Devildriver gives the perfect sermon.

7. Ministry — “Psalm 69″

Uncle Al feeds us the gospel of industrial metal, and it’s oh so filling.

8. KoRn — “Sean Olsen”

This eerie early KoRn gem gets really evil, really fast. It’s slow, brooding and sick. It’s also the perfect soundtrack for trying to weave through Jigsaw’s clutches.

9. Deftones — “Headup”

This song has one of the most bludgeoning riffs of all time. Vocalist Chino Moreno also bleeds all over the hook alongside Max Cavalera. Their back-and-forth makes for one of the best metal collaborations ever. It’s great for dodging the scare zones in Universal as well.

10. Nine Inch Nails — “March of the Pigs”

What would any horror playlist be without the prince of pain himself, Trent Reznor? Jigsaw definitely listens to The Downward Spiral.

11. Type O Negative — “Love You to Death”

The ultimate in vampire love ditties…

12. Five Finger Death Punch — “The Bleeding”

You’ll be bleeding inside and out from the Saw maze. Five Finger Death Punch has made the best song to bleed too.

13. Lady GaGa — “Just Dance”

The undead like to get down…Home girl will prob have her own maze one year too…

—Rick Florino
10.01.09

A Taste:

Obituary, Devildriver, Imogen Heap

“My playlist is silence,” laughs Five Finger Death Punch skinsman Jeremy Spencer, just prior to kicking off his band’s current, Shock and Raw tour.

He continues, “I’m so fried right now from doing music [Laughs]. Anytime I’m not making music, I’m shutting down.”

However, Jeremy still found the time to crank some important new records. He opened up his iTunes for ARTISTdirect.com in this exclusive feature. Check out his playlist below and be sure to pick up War is the Answer, in stores everywhere now!

Jeremy Spencer’s Playlist:

1. Obituary — Darkest Day

I did just get the new Obituary album.

2. Devildriver — Pray for Villains

I think the drumming on the Devildriver record is amazing! I love John and those guys. They always deliver that style well, and the talent level in that band is ridiculous. They’re awesome!

3. Imogen Heap — Ellipse

That’s a little diverse. I love everything. Metal’s amazing. I jam it a lot but I also want to get away from it occasionally and jam something that’s not quite so abrasive.

—Rick Florino
09.25.09

A Taste:

Muse, Alice In Chains, Deftones, Pantera

Devildriver conjure a catchy cacophony of guttural grooves, double bass dementia and searing solos. It’s a heavy metal formula that’s impenetrable and strangely infectious. Right now, the band is finishing their hotly anticipated fourth epic, Pray for Villains, due out summer 2009 on Roadrunner Records.

However, while at Fangoria Weekend of Horrors, guitarist Jeff Kendrick talked to us about what he’s currently spinning for our playlist feature. He delved into some other inspirations too!

“Heat is one of my favorite movies ever, and I’ll always go back to that. However, my musical taste is all over the place, and that shows in my playing,” said Jeff. “We’re a band that a lot of people who don’t necessarily love metal can listen to. We’re catchy and we write songs that display technical proficiency at the same time. Our fans know we’re not going to let them down. We’ve stuck around.”

There’s no doubt they’ll be around for a long time to come too. Check out Jeff’s playlist below and get ready for Villains this summer.

Jeff Kendrick’s Playlist:

1. Muse — Absolution

“I just bought Absolution, and I’ve been listening to that a lot.”

2. Devildriver — Pray for Villains

“I’ve been cranking our new record non-stop because we’re going over mixes now. It sounds amazing.”

3. Guns ‘N Roses — Chinese Democracy

“I listen to Chinese Democracy all the time. The guitar playing is incredible!”

4. Alice In Chains

“I don’t feel like there’s anything coming out that’s going to really surpass the bands I’ve loved forever. Getting into music at a certain age, certain bands will seem more magical because you were in that moment. Alice is one of them along with Pantera.”

5. Pantera

6. Metallica — Death Magnetic

7. Deftones — White Pony

8. Lamb of God — Wrath

—Rick Florino
04.19.09