A (Heavy Metal) Halloween Party Playlist with A.K. Palombo #WomensFiction #HeavyMetal #RockNRoll


Sure, when it comes to music for a Halloween party, we all know the classics: “Monster Mash”, “Werewolves of London”, “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, “Thriller”, and so on. But, as a metalhead and author of the contemporary novel Heavy Metal Symphony, I thought I’d recommend you some metal and metal-adjacent tracks that are perfect for Halloween and will help your party playlist stand out. After all, Halloween is the most metal of holidays!

“My Lost Lenore” – Tristania
This Edgar Allan Poe-inspired song by gothic metal band Tristania is dark, eerie, and has a slightly sinister edge that’s perfect for the spookiest season of the year.

“The Zodiac” – Kamelot
As the title suggests, this song is about one of the most infamous serial killers who was never caught – The Zodiac Killer. What’s scarier than that?

“Monster’s Ball” – Butcher Babies
Who says metal can’t be catchy! This song absolutely is, and, well, I don’t think a song called “Monster’s Ball” needs any further explanation as to why it belongs on your Halloween playlist!

“Witching Hour” – In This Moment
This song has a great creepy vibe to it and draws on historical witch hunts for lyrical inspiration.

“Snow White Queen” – Evanescence
This song has a very eerie sound, and it becomes all the more chilling when you learn that Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee wrote it about a real-life experience she had with a stalker.

“Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean” – Nightwish
The song tells the story of an undersea devil abducting a young bride, complete with a bloodcurdling scream.

“Wolf Moon” – Oceans of Slumber
This is a cover of the Type O Negative song of the same name, and I love the heaviness that Texas metal band Oceans of Slumber bring to it, complete with frontwoman Cammie Beverly’s melodious howls at the end.

“Die & Rise” – Lacuna Coil
Werewolves and zombies both get a shout out in this catchy, hard-rocking song from Italian metal titans Lacuna Coil.

“The Ghost and the Reaper” – The Dark Element
This song has more of a catchy and upbeat vibe, but the lyrics make it a perfect fit for Halloween!

“This is Halloween” – Ad Infinitum
Yes, this is in fact the classic song from Nightmare Before Christmas, covered by symphonic metal band Ad Infinitum, which is fronted by metal goddess Melissa Bonny.

“Gravedigger’s Chant” – Zeal & Ardor
This is a song about, well, graveyards and gravediggers, from Zeal & Ardor, a black metal outfit that also plays with American southern blues-inspired sounds. Trust me, it works!

“Turn the Lights Out” – Delain
This song has a beautiful sparkling melody, but why is it on a Halloween metal playlist? Because it’s written from the point of view of Death.

“Damnation Flame” – Amaranthe
Another fun, catchy metal song (Amaranthe is great at that) about a mysterious vampire queen.



Heavy Metal Symphony
A.K. Palombo

Genre: Women’s fiction (contemporary)
Date of Publication: August 15th, 2023
ISBN: Paperback: 9798218175207
Ebook: 9798218178628
Number of pages: 334
Word Count: 100,500
Cover Artist: Jennifer Hark-Hameister

Book Description: 

"I hope you never reach a day where you have to choose between your band and your relationship."

Ava Tomei seems to have it all: she's the lead singer of Buffalo-based symphonic metal band Handel's Messiah and is in a committed relationship with the band's keyboard player and brilliant lead composer Killian Sterling. But as the band hits the studio to record their fifth album, Ava and Killian can no longer hide the cracks in their relationship from their bandmates-or from themselves.

What started as an artistic collaboration between Ava and Killian six years before quickly bloomed into a passionate romance. Then, when the original lead singer of Handel's Messiah-and Killian's ex-girlfriend-leaves the band right in the middle of the band's world tour, Killian calls on Ava to fill in. Ava is plunged into the pressures of stepping in to front one of metal's biggest rising bands amidst fan disappointment, skepticism from her new bandmates, the physical demands of a world tour, and sexism in the metal scene. 

But she also has the chance to fulfill her wildest dreams, and to do it at the side of the man she loves. Still, as Ava's desire to express her creativity comes to a head with Killian's artistic dominance, they are forced to confront whether what they have can be repaired-and what will happen to their band if not.

Told in alternating storylines that show Ava and Killian's seemingly fairytale past and their fraught present, Heavy Metal Symphony is a novel of rock stars, ambition, creative control, finding your voice, and, of course, heavy metal.


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About the Author:

A.K./Alyssa Palombo is the author of four historical novels from St. Martin’s: Griffin: The Violinist of Venice, The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel, and The Borgia Confessions. 

She graduated from Canisius College with degrees in English and creative writing, respectively. In addition to her love of heavy metal, she is also a classically trained mezzo-soprano. She lives and works in Buffalo, New York, and when not writing she can be found at metal shows, listening to records and adding to her vinyl collection, lost in a good book, or planning her next travel adventure.


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