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The world is disgusted and fascinated with serial killers. Here are 16 chilling songs that capture the horror of serial killers.
Photo Credits: Beeswing, Emetic, Roadrunner, Matador, Anti, Epitaph, Nocturnal Art Productions, Prosthetic, Nuclear Blast, Decomposed, Moth Wranglers, kscope, Racing Junior, Squeaky Squawk, Sub Pop
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1. Richard Thompson, “Love in a Faithless Country”
Album: Faithless, 2004 | Killers Referenced: Ian Brady & Myra Hindley
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 appearedon 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.”
2. Church of Misery, “Plainfield”
Album: Early Works Compilation, 2011 | Killer Referenced: Ed Gein
Previous Appearance: A Twisted Soundtrack for Ed Gein: Butcher of Plainfield | Playlist
“Lonely old blood farmer / Resides in deserted house / Grave robber, body collector / Fall from sanity’s grace / Digs up a bone and human body… / Put on your ‘Dead skin mask’ / Now’s the time to perform the rite.”
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3. Downthesun, “Lucas Toole”
Album: Downthesun, 2002 | Killers Referenced: Henry Lee Lucas & Ottis Toole
“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.”
4. Interpol, “Evil”
Album: Antics, 2004 | Killers Referenced: Fred West & Rose West
“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.”
5. Neko Case, “Deep Red Bells”
Album: Blacklisted, 2002 | Killer Referenced: Gary Ridgway
“Deep red bells, deep as I have been done.”
Gary Ridgeway. 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.
“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.”
6. Tormentor, “Elisabeth Bathory”
Album: Anno Domini, 1988 | Killer Referenced: Elizabeth Báthory
Previous Appearance: A Bloody Soundtrack to Countess Elizabeth Báthory | Playlist
“Countess it is your night / You haunted by your wild desires / Possessed by bestial lust / You are the goddess of the love.”
Even with some sarcasm coming into play, the vocals aren’t the least bit sympathetic in sound. This is an eerie listen by all means. Perfectly suited for Halloween – maybe not for the kids though. Definitely not for the kids…
“Her mind is insatiable / She craves virgins’ blood evermore / Her flames will never die… / Surrounded by infernal glory.”
7. The Acacia Strain, “Ramirez”
Album: Wormwood, 2010 | Killer Referenced: Richard Ramirez
“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!”
8. Exodus, “Going Going Gone”
Album: Shovel Headed Kill Machine, 2005 | Killer Referenced: Richard Ramirez
“Two things that I can’t ignore / Dark nights and an unlocked door.”
Thrash metal band Exodus can’t be left out the mix! Like the Acacia Strain, they have something to say about the devilish Richard Ramirez 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.”
9. Macabre, “Gacy’s Lot”
Album: Sinister Slaughter/Behind the Walls of Sleep, 2000 | Killer Referenced: John Wayne Gacy
Previous Appearance: A Most Gruesome Soundtrack to John Wayne Gacy | Playlist
Without the lyrics in front of you, it’s near impossible to decipher what Macabre are singing. A close examination of the lyrics finds the band speaking of his atrocities.
“The police unveiled a gruesome find; the product of John Gacy’s crimes / They found a lot of dead boys in the plots left to rot on Gacy’s lot / So they dug up the lot and tore down the house to look for the / Boys that were buried about / Twenty-eight boys were found on the lot filling his living / conditions with rot…”
Naturally, the music is dark, characterized by its jagged, angular guitars. Vocally, finesse isn’t part of the script, but Macabre paints the horrific picture of Gacy successfully.
10. Alkaline Trio, “The Torture Doctor”
Album: My Shame is True, 2013 | Killer Referenced: H.H. Holmes
“And there’s a devil dancing in my head / As I’m hovering above your bed.”
For the first time, on the fourth edition of our Chilling Songs About Serial Killers, Dr. H.H. Holmes appears! Likewise, Alkaline Trio makes its first appearance as the band covering a serial killer. Okay, maybe it’s not necessarily an honor, but H.H. Holmes was among the early American serial killers. His influence in pop culture runs rampant. Even though he’s influential, it’s BAD influence. He had a hotel of horrors for Christ’s sake to kill.
“The torture doctor is in / Back here to confess his sins / Knowing damn well he was dead wrong / And I can’t believe my eyes / Trouble and regret haunt my mind / I’ll let you take the whole thing down / Brick by brick tonight.”
Naturally, Matt Skiba and company have a little fun…
“Hey Ho – We know how this story goes / Hey Ho – The plot it thickens and grows / Hey Ho – There’s nothing left to hide / Hey Ho – Down here on the South Side.”
The South Side refers to Chicago of course. Dr. Holmes reflects at the end of the “The Torture Doctor”:
“I was the worst of my kind / I left my old life behind / Can’t believe I got away with it so long / At the end of the day / There is nothing to say / So tired of being wired wrong, all my life.”
11. Moth Wranglers, “Turnabout (For Dennis)”
Album: Never Again, 2010 | Killer Referenced: Dennis Nilsen
“Someone else has played this game / Did something awful – though I’m not quite sure how / Someone hid behind his name / Did things unlawful – and you can’t stop him now.”
Interestingly, Jeffrey Dahmer had a British counterpart, Dennis Nilsen. Let that sink in. Like Dahmer, Nilsen was homosexual, targeting gay boys and men. Like Dahmer, he enjoyed dismembering the corpses, as well as necrophilia. GROSS! Indie rock duo Moth Wranglers tackle “The Kindly Killer.” Despite the nickname, there’s very little “kindly” about taking 16 innocent lives.
“It’s just a lark, a little game / And darling, we’ve all felt the same / It’s just a fad, a passing stage / A product of this anxious age / Bad boy led the world astray / I can’t explain, but I can show you how / Sad boy sighed his life away / He felt no pain – well, not much anyhow.”
“It’s just a phase, perhaps a ruse / It’s nothing bad – he’s just confused / It’s just a shame, it’s just the truth /No, nothing serious – call it youth.”
12. Steven Wilson, “Raider II”
Album: Grace for Drowning, 2011 | Killer Referenced: 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. Steven Wilson tackles the infamous BTK Killer on “Raider II.”
“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.”
“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.”
13. Animal Alpha, “Bundy”
Album: Pheromones, 2005 | Serial Killer Referenced: Ted Bundy
Previous Appearance: 12 Songs Written About or Inspired by Ted Bundy | Playlist
So, if this is inspired by Ted Bundy to some extent, but isn’t explicitly about him, what exactly is “Bundy” about? Revenge. Taken from the perspective of a victim who’s been abused at some point, she’s going to take action, faking the pain he inflicts upon her. Ultimately, she’s planning something hellish, evidenced on the second verse in particular:
“When doors are locked, I’m gonna get you / You are not safe any place, anywhere / I’m bringing Bundys, have they met you? / I’m telling stories, saying what you’re gonna do.”
14. Sonic Youth, “Eliminator, Jr.”
Album: Daydream Nation, 1988 | Killer Referenced: Robert Chambers
“Kids cruise away, pack of chicken-shits / This guy is ours, dark stains on his pants / Enough to make a butcher out of the bone /Take a walk in the park? Shit, yeah.”
Robert Chambers may not be the first killer that comes to mind when considering serial killers, mass murders, and such, but he’s no slouch. His crime may not be a prolific as some of the horrific people gracing this list, but he did kill an 18-year old girl named Jennifer Levin. American rock band Sonic Youth ‘go in for the kill’ – rather expose the killer on “Eliminator, Jr.”
“A poor boy, a rich boy / A poor rich boy coming right through me / Rich boy, poor boy /Poor rich boy coming right through me.”
15. Macabre, “Fritz Haarman the Butcher”
Album: Gloom, 1989 | Killer Referenced: Fritz Haarman
“Young men were missing / Nowhere in sight / But they ate their steak / With hungry delight.”
Born in the 80s, death metal band Macabre excel at serial killers, mass murderers, and such. Honestly, the band owes a lot to the deviants of society, as awful as that sounds. This time, they capture a German homosexual butcherer of young men, Fritz Haarman. We’ll let the straightforward lyrics of the band speak for themselves.
“…He’d murder young men / And slice up the meat/ And sell to hungry town people to eat.”
“Fritz Haarmann – / He chopped up young men / The Butcher / Made steaks out of them / Fritz Haarmann – / He sold them as meat / The Butcher – For the people to eat.”
16. Tad, “Nipple Belt”
Album: God’s Balls, 1989 | Killer Referenced: Ed Gein
Previous Appearance: A Twisted Soundtrack for Ed Gein: Butcher of Plainfield | Playlist
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