12 Unsettling Songs About Murderers & Serial Killers | Playlist 🎧

12 Unsettling Songs About Murderers & Serial Killers features songs by Cannibal Corpse, Defeated Sanity, Ghost, SKYND, Slipknot, and The Killers. 

It has been a while since a full-fledged, true-crime playlist appeared on The Musical Hype.  Early on in my playlist ventures, I compiled several lists with songs soundtracking utterly deplorable, despicable, and depraved human beings.  Are those murderers, mass murderers, and serial killers even humans? While I delivered a true crime tease with 15 Chilling Murder Ballads (2024), only select songs were about or inspired by real-life crimes.  On 12 Unsettling Songs About Murderers & Serial Killers, all 12 songs are based on the horrific crimes of 11 different murderers, including Albert Fish, Countess Elizabeth Báthory, Jack The Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer (twice), John Wayne Gacy, and Ted Bundy. 12 Unsettling Songs About Murderers & Serial Killers features songs by Cannibal Corpse, Defeated Sanity, Ghost, SKYND, Slipknot, and The Killers. So, without further ado, enter if you dare into the disturbing realm of murderers and serial killers that are soundtracked on 12 Unsettling Songs About Murderers & Serial Killers.

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1. Ghost, “Respite on the Spitalfields”	2. Defeated Sanity, “Blissfully Exsanguinated”	3. Cannibal Corpse, “Stripped, Raped and Strangled”	4. The Killers, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine”
5. Nicole Dollanganger, “Choking Games”	6. Through the Eyes of the Dead, “Truest Shade of Crimson”	7. Eisregen, “Axtmann”	8. Venetian Snares, “Sinthasomphone”
9. Dead Moon, “Room 213”	10. SKYND, “John Wayne Gacy”	11. Slipknot, “The Chapeltown Rag”	12. Divine Heresy, “Letter to Mother”

 

1. Ghost, “Respite on the Spitalfields”

Impera // Loma Vista Recordings // 2022

Murderer: Jack The Ripper 

“The autumnal reaper, the stains of this creeper will last / The shine and the sham entangled / Like salting earth with tears of Jesus / He sliced and diced our dreams to pieces.” I noticed the shade to Jesus and Christianity, Tobias Forge, but who are you referencing otherwise? Jack The Ripper, the undiscovered serial killer responsible for five murders in Whitechapel and Spitalfields, London, England, in 1888.  In “Respite on the Spitalfields,” the longest song of IMPERA, the fifth studio album by Grammy-winning Swedish metal band Ghost, the singer notes how Jack The Ripper put the area on edge.  Jack, who supposedly stopped killing after Mary Kelly, focused on the ‘least citizens’ of society: prostitutes. 

“Respite” lasts nearly seven minutes – Tobias had lots to say! The tempo is more relaxed, but the intensity remains high on this big-time arena rock record.  There are guitar solos featured throughout IMPERA, with this one sounding especially sweet before the bridge.  Often, the bridge sections are among the most intriguing.  Here, Forge mentions Seven Sisters, Saint Jezebel, and perhaps most colorfully, ‘the bowels of hell.’ 

“We are leaving this city

So, this is farewell

Goodbye Seven Sisters

And Saint Jezebel

The moon in the gutter

Has a story to tell

One day he will come back

From the bowels of Hell.”

Woo! The chorus also marks another thought-provoking moment for the band, related to Jack The Ripper and his sudden exit from killing.  “We will break away together / I’ll be the shadow, you’ll be the light,” Forge sings, continuing, “Nothing ever lasts forever / We will go softly into the night.” Word. 

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2. Defeated Sanity, “Blissfully Exsanguinated”

Chapters of Repugnance // Willowtip // 2018

Murderer: Elizabeth Báthory (1560 – 1614)

“Delightfully dripping from above as I wallow in their warmth / Muffled sounds of anguish, a sweet lullaby to me / Exsanguination, their youth now flows within me.” Question: What kind of fuckery is this? Deadly fuckery, that’s for sure! “Blissfully Exsanguinated” – what a song title! Blissfully is defined as ‘full of, marked by, or causing complete happiness.’ Hmm… As for exsanguination, it is ‘the action or process of draining or losing blood.’ Yikes! In the hands of the horrible Countess Elizabeth Báthory (1560 – 1614), it makes sense.  She killed many women and supposedly bathed in their blood to retain youth. Fucked up to the nth degree. “Blissfully Exsanguinated” is the seventh track from Chapters of Repugnance, the 2018 album by brutal death metal band extraordinaire Defeated Sanity. They marvelously, if hellishly, capture the repugnant nature of ‘The Blood Countess.’

“Lunatic in nobility / Intense fascination with the blood / Tragedy provokes fury / Cruelty becomes mass murder.” Yep, all those things are true, Defeated Sanity! “Blissfully Exsanguinated” commences with enigmatic, unsettling sound effects. The unsettling nature encompasses crying and eventually the victim being murdered… one of those contributing to the Blood Countess’ blissful exsanguination… Holy moly! Soon enough, the jagged, malicious guitars and pummeling drums progress the hellishness of the track. The lyrics are indecipherable sans the lyrics in front of you but masterfully capture this surefire fuckery. The vocals are unclean, fitting given the song title and the murderer who inspires it

“Their inquiries have unveiled the appalling truth

Brought about a judgment equally twisted

Accomplices, scapegoats who now take her blame

Fingers ripped out then immolated alive.”

Interestingly, Báthory ultimately got a ‘slap on the wrist’ for her actions, per Syfy.

Given her major social status, it was decided that a public trial and execution would have been too scandalous, so instead, she was put on house arrest.

As dark as “Blissfully Exsanguinated” is, imagine how much darker Elizabeth Báthory was in real life!

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3. Cannibal Corpse, “Stripped, Raped and Strangled”

The Bleeding // Massacre // 1994

Murderer: Ted Bundy (1946 – 1989)

“Face down, dead on the ground / Find me before another is found.” “Stripped, Raped and Strangled” 😱 😬. Holy shi†, the title alone has a negative connotation! Believe it or not, Cannibal Corpse has done far worse, however. “Stripped, Raped and Strangled” is the third track on the longtime death metal band’s 1994 album, The Bleeding. Preceding “Stripped” are “Staring Through The Eyes Of The Dead” and the more shockingly titled “Fucked With A Knife”.  The inspiration for the song at hand is one of the most notorious serial killers of all, Ted Bundy (1946 – 1989).

“She was so beautiful / I had to kill her.” Hot mess, Ted B! The bass and guitars sound jagged AF from the get-go on “Stripped, Raped, and Strangled.” The harmonized guitar moments are cool. The riffs go fucking hard, anchored by cymbal-heavy, pulverizing drums. Naturally, the vocals match the aggressiveness of the music and the deplorable acts of Bundy. Fittingly, the vocals are coarse, gritty, and unclean.

“Tied her up

And taped her mouth shut

Couldn’t scream

Raped violently

Rope Tight, around her throat

Her body twitches

As she chokes.”

That is horrible.  As if Cannibal Corpse didn’t make their point loud and clear in the chorus: “Strangulation caused her death / Just like all the others / Raped before and after death / Stripped, naked, tortured.” As graphic as CC is, imagine how much worse it was for Bundy’s victims… he was deranged.

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4. The Killers, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine”  

Hot Fuss // Island // 2004  

Murderer: Robert Chambers (1966 – )

“Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” hails from The Killers’ fabulous 2004 debut album, Hot Fuss.  Hot Fuss ranks among the best alternative albums of the 00s.  Perhaps “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me” gets the most love, but “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” is awesome too! Also, the backstory – something else!

A name you need to know: Robert Chambers (1966 – ).  Who? Well, Mr. Chambers was a deplorable individual – a murderer. Chambers killed an 18-year-old girl named Jennifer Levin.  The Killers’ song, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine,” is about the aftermath of the murder. In the chorus, front man Brandon Flowers, posed as the killer, sings: 

“Tell me what you wanna know  

Oh, come on, oh, come on, oh, come on  

There ain’t no motive for this crime  

Jenny was a friend of mine…”

Appears in 🔻:  

• Mine: 5ive Songs No. 93 (2021)
• 15 Chilling Murder Ballads (2024) 

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5. Nicole Dollanganger, “Choking Games”

Observatory Mansions // Nicole Dollanganger // 2014

Murderer: Karla Homolka; Paul Bernardo 

“Crisscross applesauce / Spiders running up your back / Put your arms around my neck / I’ll only go to sleep for a second.” Oh, my… Nicole Dollanganger gives us a two-for-one as she soundtracks Karla Homolka (1970 – ) and Paul Bernardo (1964 – ) on “Choking Games.” “Choking Games” is the fifth track from her 2014 album,  Observatory Mansions. In the second verse, Dollanganger sings a key, repugnant lyric: “Sell your sister’s body to the man next door / Mix a batch and hit it, puke all over the floor.” Homolka was an ‘accomplice’ to her husband, Bernardo.  She received a controversial plea bargain for her actions in the rapes and murders committed by Bernardo, who she ultimately testified against.  However, her ‘slap on the wrist’ wasn’t warranted as she was “not that innocent”, Britney! Most disturbing is the fact that she assisted Bernardo with poisoning her sister, Tammy Homolka.  Tammy was drugged, raped, and ultimately died from choking on her vomit.  Those real-life happenings provide context to the lyrics sung by Dollanganger. The brief “Choking Games” is incredibly chilling and haunting, particularly the chorus. Nicole delivers what can be described as a beautiful nightmare.

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6. Through the Eyes of the Dead, “Truest Shade of Crimson”

Bloodlust // Prosthetic // 2005

Murderer: Jerry Brudos (1939 – 2006)

“Around your neck is where my hands are headed / To prove my point that love is what you make it / A rose petal for every time you scream / Sometimes I like to pretend you smile.” The lyrics are poetic… in a dark, twisted, and vile way. Surely that is the effect that Through the Eyes of the Dead was going for on “Truest Shade of Crimson,” the seventh track from their 2005 album, Bloodlust.  The troubling lyrics don’t end there. “My days consist of thinking of ways to hurt you / To bring you pain, to hurt you /… To bring you pain, to see you cry.” Why, why, WHY?!  Continuing a heaping dose of utterly fucked up, “Her screams are so lovely / Like the heavens singing to me / I, I told you I loved you, and I’m sorry I lied to you / But I need to see your pain and see your weakened cries.” Damn, damn, damn to ∞!

Jerry Brudos (1939 – 2006), the inspiration for “Truest Shade of Crimson,” was a horrible man nicknamed ‘The Lust Killer’ and ‘The Shoe Fetish Slayer.’ Not only did he murder four women, but he was also a necrophile. Through the Eyes of the Dead captures the delusion of a psychopathic perfectly: “Posing with my halo on / Covered in her blood,” and “I don’t hate you, I just love to hurt you.” The band provides north of six minutes of loud, often indecipherable hellishness.  Screamed, unclean vocals, athletic, jagged guitar riffs, and pummeling, rage-filled drums. Shout-out to those radiant guitar harmonies. Rock TF on 🤘! 

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7. Eisregen, “Axtmann”

Fegefeuer // Massacre // 2018

Murderer: Axeman of New Orleans 

“Versperrt die Türen / Vernagelt die Fenster / Verhaltet euch ruhig / Heut Nacht kommen Gespenster.” Heilige Scheiße! “Axtmann” is aggressive from the get-go.  Perhaps that’s an understatement! The five-minute cut is the sixth track from Fegefeuer, the 2018 album by German gothic/death/black metal band, Eisregen. The lyrics of “Axtmann” are exclusively in German, which makes the song even more distinct. An unidentified serial killer, Axeman of New Orleans, deserves a distinct soundtrack, right? Yes, though it would have been even better had the axeman been caught and convicted of his gruesome murders, which occurred between 1918-19.  But, the murders remain unsolved.

Eisregen thoroughly entertains us with “Axtmann.” For most of the song, the vocals are gritty and unclean.  The guitars are awesome, with stellar riffs.  The pulverizing drumming anchors.  Even with legit stank on “Axtmann,” there is a more melodic section that provides contrast.  A sampling of the lyrics, this time with an English translation:

“A spirit that found no peace in death

After weeks in a coffin

Goes through the country again, killing

Don’t stand in his way

Otherwise, he’ll strike you

And your corpse will be laid in pieces in the grave.”

That “Axtmann” was a bad, bad man!

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8. Venetian Snares, “Sinthasomphone”

Meathole // Planet Mu // 2005

Murderer: Jeffrey Dahmer (1960 – 1994)

“I’m a pervert.”  Correct. Jeffrey Dahmer (1960 – 1994) was a pervert, and that characterization is being far too kind. Dahmer is one of the most infamous serial killers – truly a Monster. Canadian electronic musician Venetian Snares (Aaron Funk) soundtracks this deplorable on the mostly instrumental cut, “Sinthasomphone.”  The excerpted lyrics are the sole lyrics of this nine-minute song. “Sinthasomphone,” the sixth track from Venetian Snares’ 2005 album, Meathole, is named after one of Dahmer’s victims, 14-year-old Laotian immigrant Konerak Sinthasomphone (1976 – 1991). Sadly, the murder of Sinthasomphone could have been prevented.  However, racism, homophobia, and the lack of a detailed investigation at the hands of the police led to Konerak becoming another victim of the sick Dahmer.  Dahmer and Konerak ‘adult homosexual lovers’? That was a devastatingly poor read on a crime of epic proportions. 

Venetian Snares makes our ears perk up for nearly nine minutes on “Sinthasomphone.” The synths are dizzying.  The drums hit you in the chest, unsettling with every rhythmic subdivision.  Allow yourself to nod your head to the music – when the groove is alive and well, that is. VS also ensures we remember the sinister inspiration behind Sinthasomphone, captured by an array of intense sounds and effects.  A masterpiece, “Sinthasomphone” is a damning, unsettling one – the intent of the composer. 

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9. Dead Moon, “Room 213”

Strange Pray Tell // Tombstone // 1992

Murderer: Jeffrey Dahmer (1960 – 1994) 

“Something strange is going down in Room 213.” Indeed, Dead Moon. Sadly, Jeffrey Dahmer (1960 – 1994) murdered 17 before ‘the jig was finally up.’ Shameful! Room 213 is the apartment that Dahmer lived in and committed his many unfathomable acts.  Dead Moon is one of many artists/bands to name a Dahmer-inspired song, “Room 213.” “Room 213” is the sixth track on the American garage rock band’s 1992 album Strange Pray Tell.  Dahmer is never explicitly mentioned, but he doesn’t need to be.  Lyrics like “No one hears the screaming from the house of fear” and “Your bones lie chilling, your blood turns cold / There’s a red tattoo carved into your skull” speak volumes.  Also, the dramatic, raw vocals of Fred Cole (1948 – 2017), and the dark, raucous tone of the guitars capture the hellishness superbly.

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10. SKYND, “John Wayne Gacy”

“John Wayne Gacy” // SKYND // 2022

Murderer: John Wayne Gacy (1942 – 1994)

“Now everyone is dead you can kiss my ass.” John Wayne Gacy (1942 – 1994), another infamous serial killer, was unrepentant for his actions up to the end – his execution by lethal injection. That negative phrase, ‘kiss my ass,’ is stated to be his final words. Gacy’s body count: “Thirty-three boys, Pogo the Clown is back.” SKYND, an industrial rock band consisting of singer and multi-instrumentalist Father, soundtracks the repugnant serial killer on “John Wayne Gacy.” “John Wayne Gacy” is quite a listening experience. It is an incredibly dark, infernal, and sleekly produced near-six-minute track.

Father delivers some banger lines throughout “John Wayne Gacy.” In verse one, he references the verbal abuse that Gacy suffered from his father.  Notably, “Exit through the crawlspace or into the river” references where JWG buried and dumped the bodies. In the second verse, he cites Gacy’s shocking “Man of the Year” recognition 🥴, following up with “Join the Jolly Joker Club and kill.” Yikes! In the pre-chorus, Father drops the names of the victims: “Robert, who else? / Who, who, who? / Maybe you.” In the chorus, he caps things off with the body count and Gacy’s final words.

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11. Slipknot, “The Chapeltown Rag”

Slipknot //The End, So Far // Roadrunner

Murderer: Peter Sutcliffe (1946 – 2020)

“Read all about it if you want to know / Read all about what they want you to know.” A damning intro is truly only the beginning when it comes to the fierce,  Slipknot track, “The Chapeltown Rag”. The third track from the band’s 2022 album, The End, So Far, references both the danger of the media as well as infamous British serial killer, Peter Sutcliffe (1946 – 2020).  Regarding the sound, “The Chapeltown Rag” is incredibly aggressive and dark. The drums pummel, while the guitars are distorted, hellish, and twisted.  The vocals courtesy of the one-and-only  Corey Taylor, kick ass and take names – an understatement. If you have virgin ears, watch out – there are f-bombs 💣, like boom 💥! Despite the infernal nature of this cut, the chorus is melodic – quite tuneful. Still, “Vessels burst, veins release / Just slide into the nearest lie” isn’t the most optimistic lyric…

The lyrics ‘take the cake’ on this fierce, unapologetic, hard-rocking cut.  “Everything is god online, and it’s evil as it gets / This is not a fuckin’ trick, either follow or repent,” Taylor asserts in the first verse. He has a legitimate point! In the second, Taylor shifts Sutcliffe: “All the ligatures are getting tight, like a style / Murder another mouth before the trial / Scalpel and then scalp ‘em to fucking death / Kills for the other vampires and surrogates / It’s a ploy for attention and evidence.” Well, they didn’t call him the Yorkshire Ripper for nothing! Another fun moment: “I’m a knife, I’m a gun, I’m a slit, I’m a scar /… You better call the triple 9…” “The Chapeltown Rag” is fierce AF 🤘!

Appears in 🔻:

• Slipknot, The Chapeltown Rag: FIERCE Pop + Rock 🔥🤘 11 (2023)

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12. Divine Heresy, “Letter to Mother”

Bringer of Plagues // Century Media // 2010

Murderer: Albert Fish (1870 – 1936)

“Send the letter to mother, tell how you devoured / Daughter, dismembered little girl.” If you have researched Albert Fish (1870 – 1936), you’re well aware an anonymous letter, sent to the mother of one of his victims led to his capture (thank goodness). The things that Fish did to 10-year-old Grace Budd are utterly disgusting.  Fish killed at least three children, including Budd, but may have had more victims.  Deplorable to the nth degree, Fish was a true pervert: a molester, rapist, and cannibal. Divine Heresy provides a mean soundtrack to the executed sadistic serial killer with “Letter To Mother.” “In his sin, he found salvation / Innocence means mutilation / In his sin, he found salvation / Little sins, decapitation.” Damn 😬! “Letter To Mother” is the eighth track from the heavy metal band’s 2010 album, Bringer of Plagues.

“So

The sadomasochist

Ci

Devouring the flesh

O

You push the needles in

Path

To set this stage again.” 

Sociopath and sadomasochist are perfect descriptions of Fish.  The needles referenced aren’t sensationalized.  He put needles into his body, specifically his groin.  He also ate his own feces… Yikes, yikes, yikes!  Anyways, Divine Heresy ensures we all know how horrific and fucked up Mr. Fish was. Again, as I’ve said regarding all these real-life murderers, imagine how much more horrific it was in reality 😳. It is unimaginable.

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12 Unsettling Songs About Murderers & Serial Killers (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Century Media, Island, Loma Vista Recordings, Massacre, Nicole Dollanganger, Planet Mu, Prosthetic, Roadrunner, SKYND, Tombstone, Willowtip; AcatXlo, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay]

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