Buttkickin' Halloween Songs: "Master of Darkness" -- Star One (2010)

Don’t be afraid, I won’t stray down the dark path
My conviction is strong
Those who’ve sinned will answer to my wrath
I will right what is wrong

That’s not the way, the dark will absorb you
You should never attack
You will be lost like many before you
There will be no way back…

At long freakin’ last.

It’s October. The Season. Halloween time. The greatest time of the year, bar none.

And here’s where I start waxing poetically about how our annual Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs is a most adored tradition around all parts Hokeyblog.

Except it seems that it’s the only thing going on at Hokeyblog lately. We’ve had exactly three posts since the end of our last round of Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs.

THREE POSTS.

Shameful. Still, it’s October 1st, the weather has gotten cooler, the days shorter, the nights creepier, and we’re living in an American Freakin’ Nightmare, so let’s refuse to give into despair and woe and jump right in with our month-long celebration of all songs creepy, crawly, weird, kooky, dookie, or just plain spooky. Guaranteed to make your Halloween Playlist a celebration of awesomeness that even Toshiro Mifune and Udo Kier doing shots off a hooker’s ass would stop, stand up, and say “Thank ya Ma’am!”

In both Japanese and German. Nifty.

So… let’s kick things off with something perfectly Star Wars related. Now when you think of Disney/Lucasfilm’s overexploited 42-year-old franchise, you might not think Halloween, and maybe you’d be right. Except we’re talking about today’s entry, Star One‘s 2010 thunderous onslaught of apprehensive doom, Master of Darkness.

Master of Darkness is a true proggy/metal beast: downtuned, distorted guitars meshing themselves with cosmic keyboard riffs, multiple vocalists, and of course those sci-fi inspired lyrics.

This thing is such a fun little monster. We have a full cast of characters: Dan Swanö as the “Apprentice”, Damian Wilson as the “Teacher”, Symphony X’s Russell Allen as the “Dark Lord”, and Nightwish’s incomparable Floor Jansen as the “Princess”. Connect the dots yourself on who they are really playing. Arjen Anthony Lucassen did a fine enough job without having to face litigation!

It’s all about facing Evil/Chaos/Darkness, and making that inevitable choice: embrace or resist. A little Joseph Campbell-esque perhaps but still, Master of Darkness makes a fine opening salvo for this year’s Halloween playlist.

I have you now…

You cannot break me, I’m not afraid of you
Don’t think you’ve already won

I am your destiny, you know it to be true
Don’t make me kill you, my son…