Halloween is simply my favorite time of the year.

It could be because my birthday is in October.  It could be because I love wearing black and its more acceptable at that time of year.  More likely, though, it's because I'm one of those people drawn to all things spooky and dark.  I love spiders.  I love horror movies.  I love walks through spooky forests and cemeteries and I really, badly want to believe in ghosts but my logical, scientific side won't let me.

Just like summer influences my listening, Halloween also seems to do the same.  Now, it would be real easy to just whip out a list of bands that use satanic imagery and say that was good Halloween music, but honestly it's not.  Don't get me wrong, I loves me the Danzig/Rob Zombie/King Diamond stuff and listen to it year round.  Additionally, there are plenty of bands out there (mostly psychobilly bands) who still promote the Halloween subject matter year round such as The Cramps, Horrorpops, Tiger Army, etc.

Instead of copping out and throwing up a smattering of bands everyone has heard of, I've tried to pull in some lesser known (or forgotten) names who love the dark side of life.  Here's five that I find are essential listening as the leaves fall from the trees and the shadows grow long.

1.  Goblin - A little known one but a no brainer really.  These guys are to Italian horror movies in the 1970s what Tangerine Dream was to movies of the 1980s.  Originally Goblin was just another Italian prog-rock band with the really gay name The Cherry Five.  Then they were asked by Director Dario Argento to score his film Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) and found their niche.  They changed their name and continued to work with Argento, most notably on their incredibly creepy and tense soundtrack to Suspiria.  Although they went on to record soundtracks for Buio Omega (Beyond the Darkness), Patrick, and Zombi (Dawn of the Dead) among others, it's Suspiria that finds its way to my iPod this time of year.  Specifically, the unnerving "Sighs" and the title track (which tends to remind me of "Tubular Bells").  If you decide to check this one out, you should also take the time to see the film.  It's a great pick for an October night.

2.  Oingo Boingo - There may be no band more creepy than Oingo Boingo.  I say that not because they have Day of the Dead imagery everywhere and used to put on notoriously rocking Halloween concerts.  I say this because Danny Elfman as a frontman has the insane grin of the devil's own henchman.  He's still grinning like that now because he's raking in ten times the scratch and banging Bridget Fonda, but I digress.  Oingo Boingo's songs are a madman's look at the world.  Forget "Dead Man's Party" which has been overplayed to death.  Check out "No One Lives Forever" where Elfman cheerfully dodges The Reaper while dancing on graves, "I Love Little Girls" where he takes on the identity of a pedophile and encourages you to sing along, "Cinderella Undercover" where the fairy tale girls have track marks and turn tricks, "No Spill Blood" where Elfman and company take on H.G. Wells' Island of Lost Souls... I really could go on and on and on.  I love this band because they are drawn to the same dark content I love.  I kick myself every day for never having seen them live.  Check out their Farewell Concert DVD or pick up Boingo Alive for a great introduction to this extremely fun and freaky band.

3.  Nekromantix - This one may also be a no brainer to some.  They are indeed a psychobilly band and no, they don't have the output of The Cramps.  They do have one masterpiece of a Halloween rockabilly album though.  Dead Girls Don't Cry is the stuff legends are made of.  It's got the feel of a souped-up '57 Chevy spitting hellfire from the exhaust pipes and doing donuts in the graveyard.  Aside from the awesome title track, there's "A Stone With Your/My Name" (a love song for ghouls), "Dead by Dawn" (not affiliated with the Evil Dead movies), "What's On Your Neighbor's BBQ" (do I really need to tell you) and the excellent 50's ode to Elvira-type chicks "Ghoulina".  This is a fun one and highly recommended if you like The Cramps, Horrorpops, Tiger Army, et. al.

4. Dark Sanctuary - I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking this is a metal band.  You, dear reader, are wrong.  In fact, Dark Sanctuary is about as far from metal as one can get.  Instead, they are a French band that plays goth-classical compositions.  Is it creepy scary?  No, not really.  Is it dark and disturbing?  Yes, oh yes.  Musically, it's the classical equivalent of a cold marble slab surrounded by stone angels and covered in a blanket of snow.  Lyrically, it's sometimes goth-sad, sometimes downright unnerving.  For instance, sample these lyrics (translated from French) for the song Reve Mortuaire:

Sleep, sleep, little angel, and dream of Death/
Sleep, sleep, little angel, tomorrow shall you be dead/
Sleep, sleep, little angel, tomorrow shan't you live anymore/
Sleep, sleep, little angel, tomorrow shall I be there/
Sleep, sleep, little angel, sleep and dream of me./

Now imagine the killer, looking over the sleeping child and longing for the moment of release.  The hair on my arms just stood up.  Pick up Thoughts: 9 Years in the Sanctuary for a sample.  Remember, though, that while the booklet with the CD translates them, all of the lyrics are actually sung in French.

5.  Main - Okay, here's a band that most people wouldn't think of as scary.  Main is primarily the work of two people, Robert Hampson and Scott Dawson formerly of Loop.  To say that this band is experimental would be like saying Einstein was a little smart.  Main mix ambient sound, feedback and droning layers of sonic detritus to make what can only be described as soundscapes.  It's not for everyone by any means, but even so, the majority of their output wouldn't be what I would consider scary.

However, their EP Transiency is down right eerie.  Essentially, Main constructed an album of silence that is broken up only by the sound of light clicks in varying patterns.  The effect is not unlike sitting in a silent room where you can hear hundreds of roaches move about inside the walls around you.  It's completely unsettling and will get under your skin fast.  Even so, I find myself putting it on at this time of year.  If that's not your cup of tea and you still want to check out Main's catalog, get Firmament III and IV.  Packaged together as one release this is the second half of a concept that's a great example of what this band does normally.

I know I left plenty of other bands off of here that deserve a spin.  I mean, Bauhaus' Bela Lugosi's Dead is a freakin' staple!  Anything by Fields of the Nephilim is goth enough to do the job.  Hell, check out The Birthday Massacre (my new fave) if you're just perusing iTunes for samples.

Better yet, let me know what yours are.  I'm always looking for more!