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Scary Voices: The 13 Creepiest, Most Blood-Curdling Singers in Rock
- Posted by James Sullivan
13
Lux Interior of the Cramps
Right around the time that Elvis had left the building for good, the world was introduced to Lux Interior, a native of Akron, Ohio, who fouled the King's music with bondage gear and Z-grade horror tropes, thereby creating the lurid style called "psychobilly." Coincidence? We think not. The Cramps singer was the undead Elvis, all dyspeptic hiccups and festering wounds. --Suggested by Jenne Willis-Marquez and Anna Gonzalez
Gravest Hit: 'I Was a Teenage Werewolf'
Gravest Hit: 'I Was a Teenage Werewolf'
Mick Hutson, Redferns
12
Björk
"If you ever get close to a human," the Icelandic pixie sang on her second solo album, "you'd better be ready to get confused." And she can sing like she's trying to avoid such unnecessary confrontation: Her dazzling shrieks and growls are like the vocal equivalent of a skunk's spray. --Suggested by Tillie Elvrum
Gravest Hit: 'Play Dead'
Gravest Hit: 'Play Dead'
Shirlaine Forrest, WireImage
11
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
The "black Vincent Price" made a lifelong career of voodoo shtick after legendary promoter Alan Freed paid him to climb out of a coffin onstage. Hawkins cut his signature song, 'I Put a Spell on You' -- all grunts and woofs and howls -- while so drunk he couldn't recall the session.
Gravest Hit: 'I Hear Voices'
Gravest Hit: 'I Hear Voices'
Jean Marc Giboux, Getty Images
10
Ian Curtis of Joy Division
The impossibly dour Curtis sounded like he was singing from beyond the grave even before he took his own life in 1980, after recording just two albums with his band Joy Division. An epileptic, Curtis took inspiration from some notably bleak writers, including Franz Kafka and William S. Burroughs. --Suggested by @hpzz
Gravest Hit: 'She's Lost Control'
Gravest Hit: 'She's Lost Control'
Lex van Rossen, Redferns
09
Julee Cruise
Of course it helps raise the scare quotient that this flash in the pan is known primarily for her haunted, barely there singing for David Lynch's nightmarish TV series 'Twin Peaks.' Having first come to Lynch's attention during the making of 'Blue Velvet,' Cruise embodied the sound of every teen-tragedy "splatter platter" ever made.
Gravest Hit: 'Falling'
Gravest Hit: 'Falling'
CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images
08
Peter Murphy of Bauhaus
The late Bela Lugosi was a piker next to this goth godfather, who sounds more like the unsilent version of Max Schreck's chilling Nosferatu than the star of 'Plan 9 From Outer Space.' Coffins, hearses, eyeliner: Few bands besides Bauhaus have done Halloween year-round so convincingly. --Suggested by Daniel Montano
Gravest Hit: 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'
Gravest Hit: 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'
Chris Gordon, WireImage
07
Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys
Surely he's worked at it over the years, but the former frontman for punk provocateurs the Dead Kennedys just sounds plumb crazy when he opens his mouth to sing. Biafra's quavering, high-pitched and undeniably scary voice is the sound of a man who knows where the bodies are buried. --Suggested by Noel O Flaherty
Gravest hit: 'Saturday Night Holocaust.'
Gravest hit: 'Saturday Night Holocaust.'
Marc Broussely, Redferns
06
Tom Araya of Slayer
A trained respiratory therapist, Slayer's vocalist helped define thrash-metal's lung-busting rasp on the band's landmark 1986 album, 'Reign in Blood.' He's got a twisted thing for serial killers, writing about the exploits of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein, among others.
Gravest Hit: 'Dead Skin Mask'
Gravest Hit: 'Dead Skin Mask'
Peter Wafzig, Getty Images
05
Black Francis of the Pixies
"Slicing up eyeballs" might be the single most gruesome lyric image ever committed to tape by a musician who claimed to be influenced by Peter, Paul and Mary. When Black Francis asked, "Where is my mind?," it seemed like a perfectly legitimate question.
Gravest Hit: 'Debaser'
Gravest Hit: 'Debaser'
Ben Meadows, WireImage
04
Nick Cave
He's done murder ballads and vampiric attacks, and questioned God in hurricanes, but no song by the Australian undertaker is more bone-chilling than 'The Mercy Seat,' Cave's first-person account of a condemned man frying in the electric chair. For 30 years, he's positively sizzled. --Suggested by Cyrus Esphahanian, @amywaz and @cratic
Gravest Hit: 'The Mercy Seat'
Gravest Hit: 'The Mercy Seat'
Jim Dyson, Getty Images
03
Diamanda Galás
She recorded with Led Zep's John Paul Jones, paid tribute to Edgar Allan Poe and contributed scary voice work to such films as 'Natural Born Killers' and Francis Ford Coppola's 'Dracula.' The sound that created this unique career is the sound of 'The Exorcist' remade as an opera. --Suggested by Daniel Durchholz and Janet DiCastro
Gravest Hit: 'Sono L'Antichristo'
Gravest Hit: 'Sono L'Antichristo'
Frans Schellekens, Redferns
02
Tom Waits
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame candidate made a sharp left turn at the cemetery midway through his career, transforming from a dive-bar singer-songwriter to a man utterly possessed by the darker side of life. With a scary voice like an acid attack, it's no wonder Waits moonlights as an actor playing psychopaths and devils. --Suggested by Neil Rubbens, Maggie Maher, Victoria Carnahan, @hongrime and @Saul_Williams
Gravest Hit: 'Earth Died Screaming'
Gravest Hit: 'Earth Died Screaming'
Taylor Hill, FilmMagic
01
Howlin' Wolf
Of the harsh, haunting blues voice of the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Wolf, born Chester Arthur Burnett, Sun records founder Sam Phillips once said, "This is where the soul of man never dies." Right: It's like the 'Night of the Living Dead.'
Gravest Hit: 'Moanin' at Midnight'
Gravest Hit: 'Moanin' at Midnight'
Jan Persson, Redferns
- Filed under: The Hit List
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Add a Comment
What about Alien Sex Fiend, Type O Negative, or Jim Morrison? How about Patti Smith? Have you heard "Gloria"? I can see leaving out Manson, it's too obvious, but what about the Godfathers of black metal, Venom? Cronos had a voice straight from Hell.
October 30 2011 at 12:38 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAnd another thing, why is it that the songs by Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Bjork won't play?
October 26 2011 at 12:15 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI love these people. Esspecially Tom Waits. If anyone deserves to be in the hall of fame, it's him. "Possessed by the darker side of life"... I guess you could say that, but he's alot deeper than alot of people would give him credit for.
October 26 2011 at 12:06 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOK, maybe not everyone on the list.
October 26 2011 at 12:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhat about Tiny Tim ?? Talkin' about freaks ....
October 25 2011 at 6:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhat about Tiny Tim ??
October 25 2011 at 6:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
steve
So where's The Legendary Stardust Cowboy then? Just listen to Paralysed by the aforementioned to really appreciate what creepy vocals are all about.
November 06 2010 at 1:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
BoboMacaroni
Thanks for that very thoughtful scolding.
Your list is so, so....so awesome! You, you, you are definitely in the know when it comes to scary Heavy Metal!
Douchebag.
Lee Hammer
WAKE UP The lizard king Jim Morrison reins with his scary lyrics and frightning recorded songs as well as his legendary live shows of the past,THIS IS THE END.....
October 31 2010 at 6:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
handsomeBwonderful
yes yes King Diamond for sure Aice Coopers Welcome to my Nightmare, Black Sabbath and so on, ect ect. SPINNER didn't even touch on rock history twas a very sad list!!
October 31 2010 at 1:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Jim
OMG the number one scary voice has got to be Justin Bieber!!
October 31 2010 at 12:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
130 Comments