I came across the following okCupid question, “Do you enjoy dark, violent, or disturbing music? Yes No When I’m in the mood Unsure”, and I thought, what exactly is that? Dark, violent, disturbing music? I tried to think if there was any kind of music that would disturb me such that I couldn’t enjoy it. I immediately thought of Neo-Nazi hardcore, “white power” acts usually sponsored by hate groups seeking to recruit, and incite real violence.
Setting aside music motivated by genocidal tendencies and bigotry, I couldn’t think of other music too disturbing for me to listen to. So I went on a Google search. Gangsta rap/horrorcore popped up most, the likes of Brotha Lynch Hung’s Rest in Piss, and Three 6 Mafia evoking tall tales of hood life, the thuggery within hyperbolic by design. So not disturbing for moi, in fact I enjoy both (I’ve liked hip-hop since the 1980s). As for all the misogynist lyrics and videos out there in this genre and others, I can pick and choose, and while some of it might offend, I’m not creeped out. I couldn’t even press play on this live footage vid of Blood &Honour , a British neo-Nazi punk band — I leave that to the less fainthearted.
Of course death metal bands also came up a lot. After a graphic account of the gory lyrics in Cannibal Corpse’s “Evisceration Plague” by a fan I had high hopes, but even the official HD vid caused not a stir. Mostly just giggles, especially after learning they’re from my hometown of Buffalo.
And then circuitously, as these Google School reports often go, I wound up on The Autarch’s YouTube channel, listening to spooky-weird soundtracks from video games. A truly happy discovery! This is Disturbing Video Game Music 15: Zant at Lakebed, there are many more just as good. I noticed other people doing the same, gathering together scary video game music, a subcultural niche/trend I’d have otherwise never discovered! Most are homespun (I love the taste disclaimer in this vid, Top Ten Creepy Songs in Nintendo Games, though of course, commercial versions have already cropped up ala this comp by the game company, Level Up. ENJOY!