10 albums that sound like they’re trying to kill you
We form emotional attachments to music that moves us. People adore The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Joni Mitchell because their music resonates with them in a way that they form an emotional connection with it. That connection doesn’t leave, either. These records act as a warm blanket, meaning whenever you’re going through a rough period, and you decide to play on Born To Run, the record is comforting and warm. The issue is that while music gives, music also takes away.
If an album can hug you, it can also break your neck and hide your body. Through the power of music, many artists have managed to make records that feel like they are trying to kill you. This can be for a number of reasons, either because the record is supposed to be terrifying and exceeds in as much or for other, less intentional reasons (which somehow makes it more sinister).
Some records are so bad that it feels as though the band planned it purposely. They made something so unlistenable that it would burst your eardrums and put you out of action forever. Whatever the reason, the fact is that there are several records out there which have quite sinister undertones. Feeling brave? Why not give them a listen?
Here, we will go through ten albums that sound like they’re trying to kill you, for good and bad.
Albums that sound as though they’re trying to kill you
Clipping – There Existed An Addiction To Blood
Clipping are the masters on concept albums, and on their 2019 record There Existed An Addiction Blood, they put you at the heart of your very own horror film. From an introduction recorded on a cassette player that sounds like it was left on your doorstep to the all too real track ‘Run For Your Life’, where the only beat is provided by passing cars playing music that fades off into the distance, this record is genuinely terrifying.
It makes for part one of two, as a year later, the band released their second horror concept, Visions Of Bodies Being Burned. Both are excellent records, but the first felt much more terrifying because the idea was so fresh, and the group hadn’t explored much in horror before. Don’t listen to this album if you’re walking by yourself, as it genuinely invokes the feeling that somebody is following you.
Merzbow – Venereology
Noise music, by its very nature, sounds aggressive and violent. That isn’t a judgment, either. I love noise music. The genre’s trajectory is fascinating, and some artists who make noise are the most innovative musical minds on the planet. However, its origins are routed in inaccessibility, and as a result, many albums sound angry and like something you should turn off the moment they begin playing.
No record embodies this feeling quite as well as Merzbow’s Venereology. If someone ever tells you that “all noise music sounds the same,” show them any record then show this. Merzbow takes inaccessibility to the next level with this album, which was made in an attempt to replicate his mind when on drugs and drinking excessively. It sounds horrifying and genuinely threatening—a truly terrifying masterpiece.
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
Mile Davis struggled to ever separate himself away from controversy. Jazz snobs were always quick to scorn whatever project he was working on and what gigs he had been playing. He was a revolutionary instrumentalist, and you don’t get to that level without ruffling feathers. Arguably, one of his most controversial moves was when he started dabbling in other genres.
When he started working with rock music and funk, the product was music that sounded chaotic and psychedelic. These days, albums like Bitches Brew are seen as defining moments in music, but when it was first released, the sound bordered on terrifying. It’s funny to think now, but that horror is laced within the grooves of that record enough that it deserves a place on this list.
Arctic Monkeys – The Car
Picture it: An over-excited lifelong Arctic Monkeys fan, waiting up past midnight for the release of their new album, The Car. Yes, their past few albums haven’t been the best, but they’ve been creative. The band has always maintained their integrity throughout, and Arctic Monkeys is still undoubtedly giving it its best. You can’t get mad at that, regardless of your opinion of the music. Refresh Spotify. It’s here. However, 15 minutes later, five songs in, sleep-deprived, delusional and disappointed, it hits… Alex Turner is trying to bore me to death.
The Car can easily be described as one of the most creatively stunted, boring, condescending pieces of lyrical vomit ever to hit the airwaves. A distant Alex Turner yells pretentious lyrics from so far up himself that they’re barely audible, string sections sound confused and lacking direction, and any other instrumentation is forced to take a backseat and play the most bog-standard music ever written. Don’t listen to this album while driving; you will fall asleep and potentially crash. Don’t play this album in hospitals; it will be a final blow to those hanging by a thread. Simply put, don’t play this album.
Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
Soul Glo’s Diaspora Problems is the musical equivalent of a small man, heavily drugged, standing outside a nightclub threatening to kill you. Sure, he’s tiny and probably wouldn’t do any real damage, but at the same time, I’m not getting involved, just in case. The record’s overall vibe is aggressive and fun, but there are moments when unhinged lyrics creep through, and you can’t help but look over your shoulder.
“Who gon’ beat my ass?! Who gon beat my ass?!” Is screamed over and over again in the album’s opener, which some could see as fun to listen to, but one too many times and those lyrics begin to sound terrifying. Soul Glo is one of the best punk bands out there, and the aggressive nature of punk shines through on this album, often resonating as actual fear.
Zeal & Ardor – Devil Is Fine
This album has racist beginnings, as Zeal & Ardor (or Manuel Gagneux) took to the site 4Chan and asked users for two musical genres that he would try to merge. One response was genuine, “Black metal,” the other was less so, as one user told him to use “Ni**a music.” Rather than scroll and find the next request, though, Gagneux took the term to mean music that was sung throughout slavery, given that’s where the offensive term originated from. The result is Devil Is Fine.
Arguably one of the best and most imaginative albums ever made, Gagneux took a racist comment and turned it into a creative concept album. He took chants and sounds similar to those sung during slavery, which were often devoted towards God, and asked, what if those singing had instead begun worshipping the devil, given Satan is such a prominent figure in the other genre he uses, black metal. The result is a twisted and demonic-sounding album that feels borderline evil but is also a pure work of art.
Sematary – Rainbow Bridge 3
It doesn’t get much more evil-sounding than Sematary’s Rainbow Bridge 3. The album already has demonic themes, but then it sounds like it was recorded inside Lucifer’s bin. It’s fuzzy and distorted, at times barely audible, thanks to the fuzz that dominates every track.
Despite the fact that the album is incredibly messy (bordering on evil), it’s still a good one to listen to. Yes, your life may feel in danger at times, but if you can’t put it all on the line for a record like this, then when else can you? The mumbled and droning rapping, mixed with eccentric drops and feedback, makes a chaotic blend of everything ever felt by anyone. Good and bad, it’s in there… somewhere.
Chance The Rapper – The Big Day
Unlike many of the other albums on this record, Chance The Rapper’s The Big Day actually resulted in a murder. After the success of previous records such as Acid Rap and Colouring Book, with headline sets under his belt and the world at his feet, The Big Day was supposed to solidify Chance as the next big thing. Instead, it was a complete flop that killed his career dead.
The Big Day is the musical equivalent of the grandparents in M Night Shyamalan’s The Visit. Sure, they seem all friendly and are baking cookies, but this record has evil undertones. It is so bad that it borders on sinister. The Big Day is arguably one of the worst rap albums ever made and is a constant reminder that the hip-hop world can be brutal (but fair) in its criticism.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica
If the cinnamon challenge were condensed into an album, it would be Trout Mask Replica. The way that people can’t keep the spice in their mouth without coughing, nobody can get through this mind-melting record the first time around. Yes, it was a completely revolutionary album that went on to inspire punks and rockers alike, but it’s impossible to listen to a record this haphazard without starting to think it’s attempting to kill you.
The album is now considered a classic, but that doesn’t stop the chaotic nature of the record from protruding on every single listen. Most interesting musicians will have something to say about Trout Mask Replica, but very few will have gotten through it the first time without stopping for their own sanity and safety.
Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition
An album that established Danny Brown as one of the greatest rappers in hip-hop. If you have ever complained that rap music isn’t layered and complex, Danny Brown can put that right in Atrocity Exhibition. However, as he writes about addiction, downward spirals and depression, he ends up making a record that embodies these feelings wholeheartedly.
Atrocity Exhibition is messy all the way through. The production is entirely unhinged, and Brown’s rapping feels like it’s on the brink of breaking down with every other word. The whole thing feels like an itch inside your brain you can’t quite scratch, and that sensation never leaves, even after the music stops.
