1. Ozzy Osbourne - 'Zombie Stomp' 

When Ozzy released No More Tears, it pretty much blew everything else he had done solo out of the water. Have this album on tape, it still sends chills down my spine every time I spin it and that bass heavy intro kicks in. You can just imagine some occult zombie ritual gathering taking place in Tahiti. Perfect.

2. Type O Negative - 'Black Sabbath'

Arguably one of those ‘better-than-the-original’ covers. Peter Steele (RIP) and Type O nailed this to a T, a cult track in the already cult Nativity In Black – Tribute To Black Sabbath making it heavier, eerier, atmospheric and menacing, making Black Sabbath relevant to an entire new generation discovering the roots of heavy metal. 

3. Helloween - 'Halloween' 

How can you not love the band that named itself (pun intended...duh) after this holiday and even had a song to explain their intent so obviously? Though ‘I Want Out’ is the calling to explore this band, the cheesy horror video for this track defines what the Halloween spirit is all about.

4. Anthrax - 'What Doesn't Die'

Thrash crossover anyone? Anthrax is probably one of my biggest influences amongst a host of others from the late eighties and early nineties. This track proves why they haven’t slowed down or given up over the years. So what if the entire band gets run over by zombies at the end? Just make it more “Halloweenish”, eh? No, there is no word like that but be scared nonetheless.

5. Pantera - 'Immortally Insane' 

This list would be just incomplete without Pantera.  Off the soundtrack for Heavy Metal Fakk 2 (what you do mean you haven’t heard of it, you hipster twat?) is a grueling testament to how Dime and Phil brought in their southern influenced redneck horror as well as the blues to the metal game.

6. The Misfits - 'Monster Mash' 

The Misfits are to metal what Duran Duran were to pop. A Grinding lo-fi punk version of a children’s horror classic, only The Misfits, who have influenced bands like Metallica (leave aside their current Belieber status...Ugh...Racking cough...Vomit) and Soulfly (all hail Max), could have done something like this. Put this on and go berserk.

7. Pungent Stench - 'Viva La Muerte' 

Bet you have never heard of this band, one of the most underrated death metal crossover bands from the '90s, with humor, blues and rock influences (yes you read that right). I have had a TDK90 rip off of their album on tape, which is still a prized possession. Long Live the Dead in Latin is what you should be screaming about on Halloween, right?

8. Cannibal Corpse - 'Death Walking Terror' 

And then there was Cannibal Corpse. ‘Nuff said. This track will make you want to be a zombie out in the streets of your dilapidated town, eating your neighbours’ babies for breakfast and spreading terror in the hearts of housewives.

9. Six Feet Under - 'The Day the Dead Walked'

One of the major death metal bands to have a zombie/Undead vibe going on as their primary calling, albeit which has been done to death since then. Chris Barnes was the low growling living dead for all purposes...Just that he likes to smoke a joint…or two...or a humongous three…etc! 4:20 or get a head shot, zombies!

10. Rob Zombie - 'Dragula' 

Been into his style since the seminal White Zombie albums; this guy resurrected the whole ‘Black Sabbath’ horror vibe, seeing that he is one of the leading Oscar-level horror movie directors today, it’s no mean feat! This is his party ditty for those of you dressed as blood sucking barons and dead rockstars. Bring it.

11. Marilyn Manson - 'Beautiful People' 

Manson doesn’t need make up or costumes for Halloween, he can come as himself and still scare the hell out of schoolgirls. This track harks back to the days when he still made genre-defying music before labels decided to butt their long noses into one of the most horrifying things the metal world had ever seen. Deformed people are beautiful people in their own right, especially on this day.

12. Celtic Frost - 'Danse Macabre' 

Having had the Devil-given boon of meeting Martin and Tom G from the original Celtic Frost in person, it would suffice to say that, for me, this band influenced much, much bigger people in Metal, like everyone from Sepultura to Black Dahlia Murder and generations of death metal in between. This track in itself could be the theme for one of the most horrifying movies ever made. It is abject horror, nothing less.

13. Artificial Fear - 'The Walking Dead Theme (Metal)'

Cool to see how YouTube has given birth to an entire new generation of metalheads, musicians and bands who re-work tunes to fit their current audience. Though the Brian McCreary original owns, the reworking of this cult TV show theme makes it come into its own and raises it beyond only a ‘soap-theme’ status to a metalheads heavy-banger dream (no pun intended there). Happy Halloween you all.