Ozzy Osbourne
Black Sabbath’s Prince Of Darkness has been able to proudly boast of being Birmingham’s scariest rock star since at least the early ‘70s. From biting the heads off various flying animals (doves, bats, he’s not fussy) to doing his bit to further the evil that is reality TV, he’s certainly done his fair share of the devil’s work.
John 5
He’s supplied six-string shred to Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, and can be relied upon to bring suitably spine-tingling riffage to any metal-minded front man. With a murderous clown’s dress sense and a habit of working the names of serial killers into his song titles, he’s arguably the most frightening gun for hire out there.
Rammstein
Rammstein are named after an air disaster, are enormous fans of on-stage pyrotechnics and came to international prominence with the hellish sounding Du Hast in 1997. A mixture of intentionally unsettling performance art, harsh German vocals and a sound that blends metal with industrial soundscapes, Rammstein will haunt your dreams.
Slipknot
If you were a parent of a teenager in the early 2000s, you lived in fear of your precious offspring coming home wearing a Slipknot hoody. Dressed in identical overalls, with band members numbered instead of named and each sporting bowel-loosening home-made masks, Slipknot made nu-metal dangerous.
Ghost B.C.
With their fascinatingly eerie appearance (frontman Papa Emeritus II is a papally attired brother to Skelator while the five Nameless Ghouls don hooded robes and face-concealing black masks) and songs that espouse the virtues of good ol' Beezlebub, you'd think that Ghost (or Ghost B.C., as they're known in the US) might went to send you beyond Down Under. Their sound, however, is sort of heavenly – a hyper-melodic, pop-tinged take on vintage metal. Which makes them even scarier, actually.
Marilyn Manson
In the late ‘90s, Marilyn Manson became a synonym for controversy thanks to his outrageous stage persona and knack for disturbing imagery. Taking pleasure in twisting the melons of the mainstream, Manson was at one point one of the most talked about musicians on the planet, and not just because of that Wonder Years rumour…
KISS
KISS has been proving that stacked heels, studded black leather and pyrotechnics are a viable rock and roll proposition since the early ‘70s. Iconic face paint and no-nonsense rock and roll has helped establish KISS the brand as much as KISS the band, but you can be sure Gene Simmons covered in fake blood and wielding an axe-bass would give you a jump on a dark night.
Cradle Of Filth
Cradle Of Filth perfected the ancient and noble art of the shock tactic throughout the ‘90s (particularly with the infamous band t-shirt calling Jesus a… very bad thing) and with their none-more-black image is exactly the sort of band than makes vicars nervous. Perfect for Halloween, basically.
Gorgoroth
There are many bands on this list who have employed pyrotechnics, make-up and satanic imagery to make an impact, but few have gone as far as Gorgoroth, who have played on stages covered in sheep’s blood surrounded by models being mock-crucified. Here’s former vocalist Gaahl looking suitably deranged.
The Misfits
It’s only fitting that the band who invented horror punk round off our list of Halloween horrors. Inspired by gore-heavy b-movies and schlocky horror, the original incarnation of The Misfits bought an inspired splatter-obsessed sensibility to punk. The latter-day line-up retains the image but with a more straight-up metal assault.
