Sounds of Darkness

Rue Morgue Radio is a fun website featuring a weekly music radio show and horror news. This is their second horror music compilation, and it doesn’t deviate much from the pattern set by last year’s tracks. Some heavy metal, some psychobilly, some garage rock, and some stuff that’s just plain hard to categorize. I’ve never heard of any of the artists except GWAR (thanks to Beavis and Butthead). It’s mostly guitar-driven melodies with vocals.

Highlights include a really twisted track by Corpusse called “Blood Will Have Blood” … the beats remind me of an old Goblin track, but it has a good and scary vocal. “Tongue Sandwich (Water Creature Remix)” by Squid Lid is an interesting piece of instrumental electronica that I really enjoyed. “Bad Ritual” by Timber Timbre sets a nice dark mood, too. The tracks are bookended by an intro and outro by the good folks are Rue Morgue radio, and strewn throughout the playlist are four fake low-budget movie trailers … they are a hoot. They were also nice enough to include CD covers.

I’m not a huge fan of psychobilly or heavy metal. I have trouble sitting through an entire album of either one. Lucky for me, there’s enough variety on this compilation to keep things interesting. I can’t say enough about how well-done the artwork is, and how well they nailed the grindhouse feeling on those fake movie trailers. Big pat on the back to the folks at Rue Morgue Radio for a job well done.

Interestingly, the deadline for downloading this is July 31st, 2011. Get in there and get it while it’s hotter than hell.

Hymns From the House of Horror Vol. II