Kelley Simms

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

There are many gore-filled, underground death metal songs that USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin could have picked for this list, but that would have been a cop-out and too blatantly easy.

Instead, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin steered down the more slightly commercial route in compiling our list. However, you’ll find no “Monster Mash” or any song from the campy “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on this list. In addition, no songs from movie soundtracks such as “Halloween” or “Trick or Treat” are present, either.

From classic rock to thrash metal to power metal to death metal to traditional metal, our list covers the musical gamut, which will allow our readers to experience a more nuanced variety of heavy metal subgenres. Let the countdown begin.

Many readers may be unfamiliar with the German pioneering power metalers Helloween. This is an obvious choice perhaps, but this 1987 track from the band’s “Keeper of The Seven Keys Part 1” stirs up the fantastical element of this holiday.

This may also be an obvious choice as well, but it’s equally perfect. If you’re a fan of heavy metal, then you’ll be familiar with this dark tribute to Halloween. Danish face-painted, falsetto vocalist King Diamond is a master at creating Stephen King-esque horror stories set to shredding heavy metal music.

You might not imagine the British Fab Four being known for being spine-tingling, but this track being associated with the Manson murders makes it gruesome enough.

Appearing on his 2001 studio album “The Sinister Urge,” as well as the soundtrack to his 2003 directorial horror film debut of the same name, this campy, yet eerie, track conjures up horrific images.

Although the band’s most popular lineup included vocalist Glenn Danzig, Michale Graves’ tenure in the band produced this 1997 creepy little graveyard ditty, complete with accompanying horror film-like video.

No one does it better than the shock-rock master himself. From the 1976 music concert film and album of the same name, Cooper scared the bejesus out of everybody with this masterful vaudevillian-esque beauty.

On this eerie instrumental track from the iconic British band’s 1971 “Meddle” album, the only lyrics spoken (“One of these days I’m going to cut you into little pieces”) are a rare contribution by drummer Nick Mason. With his words slowed down through a ring modulator, the accompanying swirling assault of the double-tracked bass guitars makes this track a scary good time.

California thrash veterans Slayer have proved in the past that they know how to write a factual and horrific tune (see “Angel of Death”), and what’s scarier than a track about Midwest serial killer Ed Gein?

The repeated refrain of "666" in the chorus of this track from Iron Maiden’s 1982 titular album convinced many people that the band were Satanists. But for pure entertainment value, the song’s Biblical reference — accompanied by the Vincent Price-esque spoken-word intro — only strengthens its classically-eerie element.

No song immediately sends chills up your spine as much as the opening rain, thunder and bell toll of this classic track off the band’s 1970 debut album. Not to mention vocalist Ozzy Osbourne’s terrifying howl of “Oh no, no, please god help me!” Pure horror!

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