33 Great, If Disturbing Songs About Serial Killers | Playlist

1. Jane’s Addiction, “Ted, Just Admit It”

Nothing’s Shocking » Warner Bros. » 1988

Serial Killer: Ted Bundy (1946 – 1989)  

“Sex is violent.” In the hands of Ted Bundy, definitely. “Ted, Just Admit It…” is the lengthiest song off Nothing’s Shocking, the iconic 1988 sophomore album by hard rock/metal band Jane’s Addiction. Interestingly, the album’s titular lyric appears throughout the course of the record.  Perry Farrell is on autopilot to say the least.

“Camera got them images
Camera got them all
Nothing’s shocking...
Showed me everybody
Naked and disfigured
Nothing’s shocking
And then he came
Now sister’s
Not a virgin anymore
Her sex is violent...”

Adding fuel to the fire is Jane’s Addiction in the prime, delivering a biting, malicious backdrop, not to mention incorporating Ted Bundy’s vocals into the mix.

2. Randy Newman, “In Germany Before the War”

Little Criminals » Warner Bros. » 1977

Serial Killer: Peter Kürten (1883 – 1931)

“In German before the war / There was a man who owned a store / In nineteen hundred thirty-four / In Düsseldorf…” Randy Newman is a marvelous musician through and through.  While his distinct, expressive voice is fantastic in itself, his songwriting is arguably his best attribute.  One of his most beautiful songs is “In Germany Before the War,” appearing on his 1977 album, Little Criminals.  Unfortunately, the source of inspiration for the record isn’t beautiful. Newman based this particular song on the crimes committed by a serial killer in the 1931 film M.

However, part of the inspiration behind the film was a real-life German serial killer named Peter Kürten. Kürten has been nicknamed The Vampire of Düsseldorf as well as the Düsseldorf Monster.

“A little girl has lost her way
With hair of gold and eyes of gray
Reflected in his glasses
As he watches her
A little girl has lost her way
With hair of gold and eyes of gray...
We lie beneath the autumn sky
My little golden girl and I
And she lies very still.”

3. Bruce Springsteen, “Nebraska”

Nebraska » Columbia » 1982

Spree Killer: Charles Starkweather (1940 – 1959)

One of the most notable albums in the Bruce Springsteen discography is Nebraska, released in 1982.  As Ian Couch writes for The New Yorker in article “The Original Wrecking Ball: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’,” it was a unique, thanks to its share of dark material being told from a first-person perspective.  The title track tackles 19-year old spree killer, Charles Starkweather, who murdered 11 people.

“I saw her standing on her front lawn just twirling her baton
Me and her went for a ride, sir, and ten innocent people died
From the town of Lincoln, Nebraska, with a sawed-off .410 on my lap
Through to the badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.”

Starkweather had an accomplice, his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate (1943 – ), who was just 14. Ultimately, for his crimes, which took place in Wisconsin and Nebraska, Starkweather went to the electric chair.

“The jury brought in a guilty verdict and the judge he sentenced me to death
Midnight in a prison storeroom with leather straps across my chest.”

4. Bastille, “Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith)”

Wild World » Virgin » 2016

Mass Murderer: Perry Smith (1928 – 1965)

“‘Being brought up one way and trying to see another way is very difficult.’” The somber “Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith)” is among the most beautiful, thought-provoking moments of Wild World. Wild World is the intriguing sophomore album by British alternative collective, Bastille, fronted by Dan Smith.  As beautiful as “Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith)” is, the subject matter isn’t beautiful.

“These four walls to keep you...
These four walls to contain you
Supposed to save you from yourself...
And now we’re faced with two wrongs...
I don’t know, oh, I don’t know.”

Perry Smith was a mass murderer who was executed by hanging.  Dan denounces the mass murder’s actions, but argues against execution and capital punishment as atonement.

“We could be born to anything and now what, now what?
What you have done is terrible, and now you, and now you
Now you carry it with you
You carry it with you
You carry it with you.”

5. Slayer, “213”

Divine Intervention » American » 1994

Serial Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer (1960 – 1994) 

“A lifeless object for my subjection / An obsession beyond your imagination / Primitive instinct a passion for flesh…/ Sadistic acts a love so true / Absorbingly masticating a part of you.” Wow… what more can you say? Slayer is a veteran metal band, forming in the early 80s. Who better to tackle the darkness of Jeffrey Dahmer? They accomplish the task on their 1994 studio album, Divine Intervention, where “213” serves as the penultimate track.

“Erotic sensations tingle my spine
A dead body lying next to mine
Smooth blue-black lips
I start salivating as we kiss...
Panting excitedly with my hands around your neck.”

“213” sounds from eerie from the jump – a perfect soundtrack to the horrific actions by Dahmer.  Throughout its course, it’s filled with angularity, with the twists and turns matching the perversion which they sing about.  In addition to the aforementioned lyrics from the end, there’s more atrociousness to partake of.

“Driving compulsion morbid thoughts come to mind
Sexual release buried deep inside
Complete control of a prized possession
To touch and fondle with no objection
Lonely souls an emptiness fulfilled
Physical pleasure and addictive thrill
An object of perverted reality
And obsession beyond your wildest dreams.”

6. Richard Thompson, “Love in a Faithless Country”

Faithless » Beeswing » 2004

Serial Killers: Ian Brady (1938 – 2017) & Myra Hindley (1942 – 2002)

“Always move in pairs and travel light / A loose friend is an enemy, keep it tight / Always leave a job the way you found it / Look for trouble coming and move around it.” Sometimes, the darkest songs can be the most beautiful.  That is the case with “Love in a Faithless Country,” one of the most radiant, yet blackest songs ever.  This song originally appeared on the 1985 LP by veteran British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson, Across a Crowded Room. In the United States, however, the only available version appears on Thompson’s 2004 effort, Faithless.

“Love in a Faithless Country” “deals with a mass murderer and his wife roaming across Britain,” even though, the Moors Murderers – Ian Brady and Myra Hindley – aren’t explicitly mentioned in the song.  Nonetheless, as beautiful as “Love in a Faithless Country” is, it’s also unsettling, as are the lyrics.  However, That’s the way we make love.

“Always make your best moves late at night
Always keep your tools well out of sight
It never pays to work the same town twice
It never hurts to be a little nice.”

7. Exhumed, “Instruments of Hell”

Platters of Splatter » Relapse » 2004

Serial Killer: Albert Fish (1870 – 1936)

“My instruments of hell will rend your mortal shell / On human viscera and meat I dine tonight / With my cleaver, knife, and blades your rear quarters are flayed / I’ll take it out of your hide.” Death metal band Exhumed tackle the disgusting human being that is Albert Fish on the boisterous, indecipherable “Instruments of Hell.” The lyrics certainly aren’t decipherable without them in front of you.  Nonetheless, even without access to them, the vibe is certainly hellish like Fish was.  This is a frightening listen, that ends with the lyrics, “Your fucking ass is mine.”

8. Flotsam & Jetsam, “She Took an Axe”

Doomsday for the Deceiver » Metal Blade » 1986

Serial Killer: Lizzie Borden (1860 – 1927)

Phoenix thrash metal band Flotsam & Jetsam definitely don’t have kind words to describe purported serial killer Lizzie Borden. In their 1986 song, “She Took an Axe,” they characterize Borden as being twisted, deceptive, and in cahoots with the devil.

“A young maiden with a demon in her soul
A twisted mind with secrets to unfold
An innocent face, a deceiving smile
Under no suspicion, servant to Belial.”

Obviously, the axe was indeed the weapon of choice for Borden, who was acquitted of murdering her parents in 1892.

“Lizzy Borden took an axe
Gave her mother forty whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one
Now before the jury with a solemn face
These legendary murders, she left not a trace
Lizzy found it so simple to take their lives
Today she walks free with her axe by her side.”

9. Sufjan Stevens, “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.”

Illinois » Asthmatic Kitty » 2005

Serial Killer: John Wayne Gacy (1942 – 1994) 

“Twenty-seven people / Even more, they were boys / With their cars, summer jobs / Oh my God / Are you one of them?” Many of the best songs come in the hands of dedicated singer/songwriters.  Sufjan Stevens is a master at his craft, hence why he delivers the perfect song about John Wayne Gacy. On the first verse of “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.,” he paints the deceptive, eerie picture, while he summarizes his despicable, repulsiveness on the chorus.

Stevens ‘goes for the kill’ on the second verse, describing the killer being “on his best behavior” when he dressed as a clown, but ultimately “He’d kill ten thousand people / With a sleight [slight] of his hand.”  Perhaps the second chorus is the most disturbing:

“And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floor boards
For the secrets I have hid.”

10. The Rolling Stones, “Midnight Rambler”

Let it Bleed » ABKCO Music & Records Inc. » 1969

Serial Killer: Albert DeSalvo (The Boston Strangler) (1931 – 1973)

“Did you hear about the midnight rambler? / Well, honey, it’s no rock ‘n roll show.” Somehow, legendary blues-rock band The Rolling Stones manage to make a song about The Boston Strangler a blast…musically that is.  Sure, the acts of Albert DeSalvo are heinous – despicable to the nth degree – but “Midnight Rambler” is classic Stones at its best.  The second half of the song is particularly creepy, instigated by a rambunctious, repetitive section where Mick Jagger sings, “Don’t you do that, don’t you do that.”

 The final lyrics are fitting:

“I’ll go easy with your cold-fanged anger
I’ll stick my knife right down your throat, baby
And it hurts!”

11. Slayer, “Beauty Through Order”

World Painted Blood » American » 2009

Serial Killer: Elizabeth Báthory (1560 – 1614) 

Countess Elizabeth Báthory was something else – a hot mess to say the least.  Safe to say, the Blood Countess wasn’t playing around when it came to murder.  Slayer is perfectly suited to provide a soundtrack for the Countess, in all her hellishness.

From the jump, Slayer addresses her love for bathing in the blood of her victims:

“It’s the feel of your blood
As it flows smoothly down my skin
Intoxicating my soul
Immortality, seducing me.”

The song continues on in chilling fashion, always highlighting the “vampirical,” cold nature of Báthory.

“Frozen in time is the ice flowing in your veins
Are you insane?
At your mercy, they suffered while you sat there painless
vile and shameless.”

There’s more of course, as Slayer brings biting to play (“Biting the flesh, face my sick prelude / Now meet your frozen death”), as well as her status in society (“Murder is my birthright the bloodline proves aristocracy / Walled in, left for dead, your actions show no hypocrisy”).

12. The Acacia Strain, “Ramirez”

Wormwood » Prosthetic » 2010

Serial Killer: Richard Ramirez (1960 – 2013) 

“I wanna see the pieces fit into place / I wanna feel your body temperature drop / I wanna feel the wind against my face / I wanna hear your heart stop.” Metal collective The Acacia Strain seem like a perfect match to tackle “the horrible, no good, very bad,” Satanic monster, Richard Ramirez.  The interesting thing about Ramirez is that he is one of a handful of serial killers who was quite handsome.  Unfortunately, for the ladies who think this dude is a stud, he wasn’t called “the night stalker” for no reason.  There was nothing beautiful about Ramirez on the inside. He died in 2013, of natural causes, while on death row.

“Hail Mary, the virgin whore
I can't fucking take this anymore
Hail Mary with the broken face
You name the time I'll name the place.”

“Ramirez” the song may not be able to capture the horror of the serial killer (thank God), but doesn’t do a shabby job of simulating hellishness, blasphemy, and angst.

“I wanna tell her I felt it in my heart
But I have no heart to feel
I wanna tell them I know who stole my soul
But I have no soul to steel
I believe that Hell is real
Hell is other people
I am a burning building
You can't save me.”

Yep, The Acacia Strain nails it on the final lyrics, particularly the final, profane phrase.

“I am the one who will bring Hell upon you all
I'll stand at the gates and watch your kingdom fall
Ashes to ashes, and dust into dust
This world is a graveyard
I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!”

13. Kesha, “Cannibal”

Cannibal » RCA » 2010

Serial Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer (1960 – 1994)

Kesha has a knack for living on the edge.  She proved as much on “Cannibal.” Where does Jeffrey Dahmer come into play? Dahmer abused his victims sexually and ate them.  Kesha doesn’t literally eat her victims – boys – but she adapts Dahmer’s repulsiveness lyrically.

“I eat boys up
Breakfast and lunch
Then when I’m thirsty, I drink their blood
Carnivore, animal, I am a cannibal
I eat boys up
You better run.”

The lyrics are successful, but creepy. The first verse is incredibly suggestive, lining up TOO WELL with Dahmer’s crimes.

“I have a heart, I swear I do
But just not baby, when it comes to you
I get so hungry when you say you love me...
You’re the kind of guy I’d stalk in school
But now that I’m famous, you’re up my anus
Now I’m gonna eat you fool.”

Again, Kesha is portraying herself as a maneater in the figurative sense. Dahmer was literally a maneater.  Also, one questions if anus reference coincidentally plays into Dahmer’s sexuality. Beyond that specific reference, how many of the lyrics are coincidental? Kesha even asserts “I’ll pull a Jeffrey Dahmer.”  In reality, during high school, Dahmer was known for his practical jokes. According to Gawker, he died because of them.

14. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Jack the Ripper”

Henry’s Dream » Mute » 1992

Serial Killer: Jack the Ripper

“Jack the Ripper” concludes the 1992 studio album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Henry’s Dream.  It’s one hellish joint to say the least.  There are two characters in this particular tale – a woman and a man.  From the perspective of the narrator, the man, the woman is horrible to the nth degree.  This is apparent from the jump: “I got a woman / She rules my house with an iron fist.”

The problem is, “Jack the Ripper” also opens the door to considering the narrator to be suspect.

“She screams out Jack the Ripper
Every time I try to give that girl a kiss.”

“Jack the Ripper” can be interpreted a number of different ways.  It’s clear there’s an awful, dysfunction relationship, but is it merely the woman’s fault, or is the narrator actually the infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper? We’ll never know because we never found out who Jack the Ripper was!

15. Mudvayne, “Nothing to Gein”

L.D. 50 » Sony Music Entertainment » 2000

Serial Killer: Ed Gein (1906 – 1984)

“I’m just a soiled dirty boy/ Sheltered life innocence/ Insulated memories, spark reflections of my / Head / Duality in my consciousness / Caught in the war of hemispheres.”  Indeed Mudvayne, indeed.  Ed Gein ranks among the most famous and fascinating serial killers of them all, mainly because of his vast mental issues.  Lyrically, Mudvayne nail it on “Nothing to Gein,” as offensive as it is.

“Aprons of flesh corpse scalped hair with skin upon my face
Deliver the remains from her womb of earth
Prep the rack and tie up for
New love’s rebirth
Covert understanding of novice surgery
I’ll focus
Concentration and only take just what I need
For sickness I’m masticating
Dancing and masturbating
Celebrate in the fields of night with skin upon my
Face...”

16. Oh, Sleeper, “Dealers of Fame”

Children of Fire » Capitol » 2011

Serial Killers: Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs

“Let ‘em rot!” At the hands of the Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs as they were coined, shit certainly got real in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Viktor Sayenko (1988 – ) and Igor Suprunyuk (1988 – ) brutally murdered people just for the thrills of it back in 2007.  Metal band Oh, Sleeper captures the maniacs’ lust for fame throughout the course of their song, “Dealers of Fame.”

At one point, frontman Shane Blay sings:

“Innocence turned its head at 19 when the two screamed
Don’t try to save us
We’ll prove we’re man enough
Look how they chase us
All we need is fame, fame, fame.”

Both Sayenko and Suprunyuk were 19 years old when they committed their murders.  The song goes on to add more details.

“21 counts of murder and the public eye
She swings wide
To open her arms and welcome the bribe
Behold, these are the monsters that we’ve conjured
And they’ve both got to die.”

17. Whitechapel, “The Somatic Defilement”

The Somatic Defilement » Metal Blade » 2007

Serial Killer: Jack the Ripper

“Captivating with sadistic intentions to exalt the carrion / Holding onto faith like it would help me anyway / Up on my feet. Vehemence takes over as I pave the way to anatomical feast / Severing the ties I once endured to understand why it is that I crave the dead…” Jack the Ripper is known for the Whitechapel murders.  Fittingly, Tennessee metal band Whitechapel fittingly tackle Jack the Ripper throughout the course of their debut album, The Somatic Defilement, which was released in 2007.  Like we envision The Ripper to be himself, Whitechapel deliver a heaping dose of hellishness throughout the course of the title track.

“I find a sense in malpracticing the common ways
Wallowing in claret. I long for such salvation
For when I’m through. I shall wear you pride upon my lips
Songs of the dead will eternally be chanted...”

Like many metal bands, they get specific with the blackness.  Here, that blackness is the abuse of The Ripper, and it’s gross to the nth degree.

“An injection of sodium thiopental applied
Your eyes are getting heavy now. I smell your fear
Delusions and paranoia are setting in
Control in my hands. I now shall purge
With the saw I maim. By the saw I live
Inhaling fumes of the putrid festered funk
As I drain the throbbing cysts from the gangrenous vagina
The Mordant reek is overtaking every inhalation
The nausea is overwhelming. I stop to heave...”

18. The Smiths, “Suffer Little Children”

The Smiths » Warner Music UK » 1984

Serial Killers: Ian Brady (1938 – 2017) & Myra Hindley (1942 – 2002)

“But fresh lilaced moorland fields / Cannot hid the stolid stench of death.” Eerie. “Suffer Little Children” is the penultimate track from The Smiths’ 1984 self-titled debut.  The Smiths were an English band from 80s, led by Morrissey, who continued his career as a solo artist.  “Suffer Little Children” references the infamous child murders committed by Ian Brady (1938 – 2017) and Myra Hindley (1942 – 2002).  These murders were known as the Moors murders.

Morrissey mentions the victims of Brady and Hindley by name.

“Lesley-Anne, with your pretty white beads
Oh John, you’ll never be a man
And you’ll never see your home again
Oh Manchester, so much to answer for
Edward, see those alluring lights?
Tonight, will be your very last night.”

Creepy. Interestingly, Ian Brady is left out of the name dropping.  Myra Hindley, not so much.

“Hindley wakes and Hindley says
Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, and says:
‘Oh, wherever he has done, I have done.’”

19. Opera Diabolicus, “Blood Countess Bathory”

1614 » Metalville » 2012

Serial Killer: Elizabeth Báthory (1560 – 1614)

Swedish metal band Opera Diabolicus tackles the infamous Blood Countess, Elizabeth Báthory. The collective doesn’t merely focus on just one song, but dedicates an entire album, 1614.  The main attraction is “Blood Countess Bathory,” in all its hellishness.

“Beware! You don’t know what I’ve seen, what she hides in her
Chamber below
Beware of the devil enchantress
Every thought will bring you despair
Her thaumaturgy is stronger than you’ll ever know.”

Throughout the course of “Blood Countess Bathory,” Opera Diabolicus does a superb job capturing her twisted-ness.

“Thy deeds are over, we’ve torn down your gate
The trial has begun, your accomplices arraigned
Blood on the wall, blood on the floor
For what they have done their heads are going to roll
Blood on the wall, blood on her hands
No words passed your lips but silence means yes
Gone are dreams, return to me
Can’t you see I’m Countess Báthory
Countess Báthory.”

20. Devourment, “Abomination Unseen”

Unleash the Carnivore » Unique Leader » 2017

Serial Killer: Edmund Kemper (1948 – ) 

Some serial killers were quite smart.  Additionally, some serial killers where quite big – imposing.  Both statements accurate characterize Edmund Kemper, who was intelligent and huge.  Not many victims could escape a 6’9” necrophiliac. Notably, Kemper brutally murdered his mother and physically and sexually abused her corpse. Gross!  The indecipherable Texas death metal band Devourment are perfect suitors to cover this disturbed bastard on “Abomination Unseen.”

“Axe again the torso, gushing murderous, infectious, homicide
Thirst for the blood spray, spilling, coloring the walls red
Dead in seconds, mutilate extremities, chop off their head
To fornicate the lifeless object until I feel release.”

21. Steven Wilson, “Raider II”

Grace for Drowning » Steven Wilson » 2011

Serial Killer: Dennis Rader

“Your mouth is driving me into distraction, you talk too much… / A plague inside your home, I’m raider /Defiling all you own, raider /A cat among the crows, I’m raider /The butcher and his prose, I’m raider.”  BTK. Bind. Torture. Kill.  Wow. Dennis Rader was one of those ‘model citizen’ types, yet, he was living a completely different life behind closed doors.

Interestingly, his arrogance caused him to be captured after evading it for years. Shame on him.

“A fist will make you understand intention
To raise alarm is underhand, so I cut off the phone
I bind you up with tape and catch some TV
It’s getting late, the shadows in the street are watching us.”

Steven Wilson tackles the infamous BTK Killer on “Raider II,” which appears on his 2011 album, Grace for Drowning.

“Check for fibers in the gaps between the teeth, the floorboards
Check the fingerprints, go through the trash
Maybe I just wanted some attention
Compulsion seeks its own way in rejection of the light
Every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air.”

22. Cannibal Corpse, “Addicted to Vaginal Skin”

Tomb of the Mutilated » Metal Blade » 1992

Serial Killer: Ed Gein (1906 – 1984)

“Slowly turning me, into a flesh-eating zombie / Know this spell can only be broken / By the vaginal skins of young women / I proceed to find the meat…” Wow… American death metal band Cannibal Corpse provides the perfect tone poem to infamous necrophiliac and cannibal, Ed Gein. “Addicted to Vaginal Skin” appears on the collective’s 1992 album, Tomb of the Mutilated, which also features other colorful, explicitly-titled songs such as “I Cum Blood”, “Necropedophile”, “Entrails Ripped from a Virgin’s C**t”, and “Post Mortal Ejaculation”.  Definitely NSFW, and this was back in 1992!

“Addicted to Vaginal Skin” is much more disgusting and explicit compared to other records about Gein, such as Mudvayne’s “Nothing to Gein” and Blind Melon’s “Skinned”.

“The curse is broken
I have a dependence on vaginal skin
It’s become my sexual addiction
I must slit, the twitching clit
Rotted cavity hold the juice...”

23. Candlemass, “The Bleeding Baroness”

Death Magic Doom » Nuclear Blast GmbH » 2009

Serial Killer: Elizabeth Báthory (1560 – 1614)

Swedish doom metal band Candlemass has been in operation since the mid 80s. Exceptional tone poem, “The Bleeding Baroness” arrived in 2009, appearing on album, Death Magic Doom. “The Bleeding Baroness,” which focuses on countess and prolific early serial killer Elizabeth Báthory, has three distinct sections.

At the beginning and returning later, “Baroness” is in a slowish triple meter.  The guitars are incredibly dark and heavy, while the lyrics only add to the enigma, foreshadowing what’s to come. The second distinct section is in good ole common time.  It’s still heavy, capturing the self-indulgence and lust of Elizabeth. Then, there’s one more distinct section.  There’s a change of pace on the chorus. The tempo slows, while the lead vocalist continues to sing with the utmost angst and passion.

“The Bleeding Baroness
Hours of slumber
Just before she will take you and make you wish that you’ve never been born
The Bleeding Baroness
Crimes of passion
She needs you and feeds you and bleeds you with the rise of the moon.”

24. Blind Melon, “Skinned”

Soup » Capitol » 1995

Serial Killer: Ed Gein (1906 – 1984)

“When will I realize that this skin I’m in? Hey, it isn’t mine / And when will the kill be too much meat for me to hide on?” Damn, how can two minutes be so disturbing? Blind Melon finds a way to make the brief “Skinned” just that.  From the onset, Blind Melon, like Mudvayne and Cannibal Corpse before him, do Ed Gein justice.  But that’s the problem – the so-called Butcher of Plainfield was totally “Insane in the Brain” to quote Cyprus Hill.

“I’ll make a shoehorn outta your skin
I’ll make a lampshade of durable skin
And, oh, don’t you know what I’m always feeling able
When I’m sitting home and I’m carving out your navel?
I’m just a sitting here carving out your navel.”

Belly button fetish taken WAY too far.

25. Downthesun, “Lucas Toole”

Downthesun » Roadrunner » 2002

Serial Killers: Henry Lee Lucas (1936 – 2001) & Ottis Toole (1947 – 1996) 

Henry Lee Lucas and his accomplice, Ottis Toole were two VERY bad people.  Understatement.  Lucas was born into trouble, and naturally, he extended upon such trouble.  As for Toole, he literally “wasn’t the smartest tool in the shed,” pursuing a life of crime. Notoriously, Toole is believed to be responsible for the murder of Adam Walsh.

“You watch them, contemplating your desires
Waiting for someone like you
Life means shit, you’d kill anything
Empty eyes smile, erasing innocence.”

Read more on the two despicable deviants if you wish, but Downthesun does an exceptional job of describing the two lowdown souls above and below.

“Shutting out the life
Was Lucas born to die
A circle of madness is made
A tool of a sickened mind.”

The band truly captures the perspective of loved ones, mourning the loss to a disgusting serial killer.

“I wish I’d never had heard of this
Staring at his picture hurts inside
Why’d you have to make him die
I’d give anything to bring him back
And put you in his place.”

26. Interpol, “Evil”

Antics » Matador » 2004

Serial Killers: Fred West (1941 – 1995) & Rose West (1953 – )

“Hey wait / Great smile / Sensitive to faith, not denial / But hey who’s on trial?” Fred West and Rose West made some kind of husband/wife pair – a murderous one.  There are plenty more serial killing duos that garner more press, but this English pair shouldn’t be left out.  Arguably, Fred West is the worst of the two, ultimately hanging himself after being convicted.  Rose, certain wasn’t innocent, eventually earning a life sentence.  Alternative darlings Interpol tackle the twisted pair on “Evil,” a popular song from their 2004 album, Antics.

“Rosemary
Heaven restores you in life
You're coming with me
Through the aging, the fearing, the strife...
When your friends they do come crying
Tell them now your pleasure's set up on slow-release.” 

“Evil” is taken from the perspective of Fred, who is focused on his wife, Rose, who is still alive (remember, he hangs himself).

“Rosemary
Oh, heaven restores you in life
I spent a lifespan with no cellmate
the long way back
Sandy, why can’t we look the other way?
You’re weightless, semi-erotic
You need someone to take you there.”

27. Neko Case, “Deep Red Bells”

Blacklisted » Mint / Anti » 2002

 Serial Killer: Gary Ridgway (1949 – )  

“Deep red bells, deep as I have been done.” Gary Ridgway. Just look at a photo of the dude with that weird look in his eyes and you can tell he’s one messed up individual. He was also quite prolific in his murder as the infamous Green River Killer.  Officially, he murdered 49 women, but likely many more. Singer/songwriter Neko Case captures the fear and horror of his killing activities on her 2002 song, “Deep Red Bells”.

“He led you to this hiding place
His lightening threats spun silver tongues
The red bells beck you to ride
A handprint on the driver’s side...
It always has to come to this
The red bells ring this tragic hour
She lost sight of the overpass
But daylight won’t remember that
When speckled fronds raise round your bones
Who took the time to fold your clothes
And shook the Valley of the Shadow?”

The last excerpt is particularly notable.  Considering Ridgeway chose victims that were at the bottom of society, naturally, he racked up more victims because these weren’t important individuals.  Cruel, but true in a “dog-eat-dog world.”

“Where does this mean world cast its cold eye? Who’s left to suffer long about you…
All those like you who lost their way
Murdered on the interstate
While the red bells rang like thunder.”

28. Exodus, “Going Going Gone”

Shovel Headed Kill Machine » Nuclear Blast » 2005

Serial Killer: Richard Ramirez (1960 – 2013) 

“Two things that I can’t ignore / Dark nights and an unlocked door.” Thrash metal band Exodus have something to say about the handsome, but ultimately devilish Richard Ramirez (‘The Night Stalker) on “Going Going Gone.”

“A straight razor and a flick of the wrist
Brass knuckles and a willing fist
A big knife and a little scream
They do wonders for my self-esteem
Warm blood and a cold embrace
The catch is better than the chase
They all ask why I'm doing this
Violence is bliss.”

Phew, that right there is some hellish stuff. There’s more.

“What you see
All I know to be
Is a madman out on a killing spree
One thing I say
I did it all my way
Gave rise to the dawn of the dying age
When I feel the urge
And it's starting to surge
Soon I'm blowing like an atom bomb
When you comprehend
Your life's coming to an end
I'm going, going, going, going, gone...
I never leave any telltale traces
Only fear frozen on dead faces
An orgasm of depravity
It's the best kind of therapy.”

29. Sigh, “In the Mind of a Lunatic”

Scenario IV: Dread Dreams » Cacophonous » 1999

Serial Killer: Jack the Ripper

“Lunatic, you are just a maniac / Lunatic, on thoughts you do react / Lunatic, death is your domain / Lunatic, you’re the man with rotten brains.” Japanese metal band Sigh gets in on the serial killer coverage, tackling the infamous Jack the Ripper.  Before the aforementioned quote from “In the Mind of a Lunatic,” the band starts the story off with Jack buying a girl for pleasure.

“A man is searching for a girl to get him through the night
And with a smile he gets a lady for he knows his price is right
Off they go into an alley it's just around the bend
But one's not coming back for the Ripper's loose again.”

Sigh goes on to expound on the man’s intentions.  Great emphasis is placed on the worthlessness of the victims – prostitutes.  That shouldn’t be the case, despite their profession, but social status remains more important than it should be.

“Deep does cut the knife into another lady's life
For a man is killing off the corner whores
And with a steady hand he creeps around the land
This slashing fiend does bring a scene of gore
From top down to the bottom his victims feel the knife
For with precision and great care they have been cut
The horror of their faces are now stuck in scenes of fright
From the brutal acts committed on these sluts.”

Fittingly, the mystery of Jack the Ripper is also addressed.

“The town is drenched in murder while the whores are drenched in blood
And London has no clue, who is this beast?
In time, the killings ended but the case was never solved
And the curious they never went away
But no one was ever named for the crimes of Jack the Ripper
It's a mystery that's lasting till this very day.”

30. Overkill, “Hello from the Gutter”

Under the Influence » Atlantic » 1988

Serial Killer: David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) (1953 – )

David Berkowitz isn’t a good man…or at least he wasn’t in the late 1970s.  Berkowitz is best known as the Son of Sam, a New York serial killer who is currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment for his pointless murders.  According to a 2017 CBS News documentary, Son of Sam | The Killer Speaks, Berkowitz asserts, “There was a battle going on inside of me”. That’s an understatement to say the least.

But, this isn’t about the biography of Berkowitz but rather about a musical telling of his cruelty and compromised mental state.  Overkill does a fine job of capturing Son of Sam, naming “Hello from the Gutter” after the title of an editorial about the serial killer written by journalist Jimmy Breslin.  Overkill speak about the victims broken dreams at the hands of the demented, nonsensical murderer.

“Gutter child, sweet sixteen
Broadway stars that have never been
All those dreams and broken glass
Swept down the sewer
With the rest of the trash
Here’s a little story that we live to tell
Hello from the gutter
Hello from our little Hell.”

31. The Black Dahlia Murder, “The Window”

Ritual » Metal Blade » 2011

Serial Killer: Gilles de Rais (c. 1405 – 1440)

“Bless all Earth’s most precious children with my blackened love insane.” Throughout the course of our true crime playlists, we’ve covered Elizabeth Báthory (1560 – 1614), one of the earliest serial killers.  Now, we take it back pre-countess with Gilles de Rais.

De Rais is notable in history for fighting alongside Joan of Arc (c. 1412 – 1431).  Unfortunately, he is also notable because he was a convicted pedophilic serial killer. He not only killed innocent children, but the pervert sodomized them. The Black Dahlia Murder captures his perverseness exceptionally on “The Window.”

“I sodomize the young and dying
Sick hunger is my vice – my lust
To drip my rotten seed upon their cooling flesh, so fare
Of their gurgled screams, I could never hear enough
Bless their puny hearts and their sweet naiveties
Praise those little lemmings, but rats unto the piper
Bless those putrid beasts – their innocence, my blade's eager to meet
May my song of hatred lead them forever downward.”

32. Slayer, “Angel of Death”

Reign in Blood » American Recordings » 1986

Serial Killer: Josef Mengele (1911 – 1979)

“Auschwitz, the meaning of pain / The way that I want you to die / Slow death, immense decay / Showers that cleanse you of your life.” The themes tackled by Slayer definitely aren’t for the ‘faint of heart.’ On “Angel of Death,” the up-tempo opener from Reign in Blood (1986), the metal vets tackle Josef Mengele. Mengele was an infamous doctor at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, known for his “inhumane medical experimentation upon the prisoners.”

“Sadistic, surgeon of demise
Sadist of the noblest blood
Destroying, without mercy
To benefit the Aryan race.”

Fans of American Horror Story may not have realized that character Dr. Arthur Arden (James Cromwell) was based on Mengele. “Angel of Death” was the nickname for Mengele, in addition to being the song’s title.

“Surgery, with no anesthesia
Feel the knife pierce you intensely
Inferior, no use to mankind
Strapped down screaming out to die.”

“Pumped with fluid, inside your brain
Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes
Burning flesh, drips away
Test of heat burns your skin, your mind starts to boil.”

33. Daryl Hall and John Oates, “Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear the Voices)”

Voices » RCA » 1980

Serial Killer: David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) (1953 – )

“Look at me, I’m running / Ooh, what have I done / Oh, I must have hurt someone / It’s dark in Subway Station /…Oh, I hear the voices deep inside.” Daryl Hall and John Oates, often referred to simply as Hall & Oates, had a hit album on their hands with Voices (1980). The album’s closing song, “Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear the Voices),” supposedly “had a dark inspiration.” That inspiration was none other than David Berkowitz, better known as The Son of Sam.

According to a quote from Daryl Hall in 35 Things You Didn’t Know About Daryl Hall & John Oates’ ‘Voices’:

‘Son of Sam’ mentioned ‘Rich Girl’ was an influence on him. He got his rage up thinking about that song when he was killing people…I said, ‘Let’s write a song about a slasher or axe murderer who keeps hearing these voices in his head. Whenever he hears these doo-wop voices in his head it makes him kill people just like ‘Rich Girl’ did.’ So that’s what we wrote about.’

During the second verse of “Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear the Voices),” Hall & Oates reference The Son of Sam being a fan of their classic, “Rich Girl.” For good measure, they also reference Charles Manson. They continue on creating their own fictional slasher/ axe murderer, who enjoys “Duke of Earl.”

“Charlie liked the Beatles (ahh)
Sam, he liked Rich Girl (bitch girl)
But I'm still hung up on the Duke of Earl (duke, duke, duke of earl, duke, duke, duke of earl)...
Oh, the doo wop voices everywhere
And oh, the Duke is singing.”