Deathrock · Genres
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What is deathrock?

Deathrock is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979. Deathrock songs use simple chords, echoing guitars, a prominent bass, and drumming which emphasizes repetitive, post-punk beats within a 4/4 time signature.

About deathrock

To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars are sometimes used.

From Last.fm, where 6,600 listeners have tagged music as deathrock.

Artists to start with

  1. Christian Death
  2. Scary Bitches
  3. Voodoo Church
  4. Mephisto Walz
  5. 45 Grave
  6. Alien Sex Fiend
  7. Specimen
  8. Bloody Dead and Sexy
  9. Bat Nouveau
  10. Altar de Fey

Albums to hear first

  • Lesbian Vampyres From Outer Space by Scary BitchesLesbian Vampyres From Outer SpaceScary Bitches
  • Death Church by Rudimentary PeniDeath ChurchRudimentary Peni
  • Cinema Strange by Cinema StrangeCinema StrangeCinema Strange
  • Acid Bath by Alien Sex FiendAcid BathAlien Sex Fiend
  • The Island of the Damned by Scary BitchesThe Island of the DamnedScary Bitches
  • Catastrophe Ballet by Christian DeathCatastrophe BalletChristian Death
  • Azoic by SpecimenAzoicSpecimen
  • Cacophony by Rudimentary PeniCacophonyRudimentary Peni

Deathrock songs

  1. I Wanna Be Your Dog by Mephisto Walz
  2. Deathwish by Christian Death
  3. Riboflavin by 45 Grave
  4. Bloody Rose by Bloody Dead and Sexy
  5. Cavity - First Communion by Christian Death
  6. Figurative Theatre by Christian Death
  7. She's a Killer by Alien Sex Fiend
  8. Lesbian Vampyres From Outer Space by Scary Bitches
  9. Painted Black by Mephisto Walz
  10. Evil by 45 Grave

Neighbouring genres

In the rock & punk family. All genres

alternative rockrockcrust punkart rockart punkindietronicaexperimental rockanarcho-punkglam rockgrungehard rockheartland rock

Questions

What is deathrock?
Deathrock is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979. Deathrock songs use simple chords, echoing guitars, a prominent bass, and drumming which emphasizes repetitive, post-punk beats within a 4/4 time signature. To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars are sometimes used.
Who are the best-known deathrock artists?
By Last.fm listening: Christian Death, Scary Bitches, Voodoo Church, Mephisto Walz, 45 Grave and Alien Sex Fiend.
What genres are similar to deathrock?
On Risocast it sits with alternative rock, rock, crust punk, art rock, art punk and indietronica.

Risocast is free. Install it once and it logs everything you play.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

Updated 6 October 2026

Risocast Help

A music log that fills itself in. It records the songs you play on your computer and your phone, turns them into your top songs, stats and a public profile, and finds people whose taste overlaps with yours.

Yes. The app and the website are free.

A song counts once half of it has played, or four minutes — whichever comes first. Songs of 30 seconds or less, and videos or podcasts over 20 minutes, never count.

On Windows, anything that shows up in Windows' media controls: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000, Windows Media Player and more (VLC, iTunes and MusicBee through their free media-controls plugin). On Android, any music app — it reads the same now-playing info your lock screen shows. You can also connect Spotify or import from Last.fm.

Yes. Plays are counted on your device and sent when you're back online, and the phone app opens without a connection.

It does the same core job — scrobbling, automatically — without plugins per player, and adds taste matching: see who listens like you and how much your taste overlaps.

Your profile and listening are public so people with similar taste can find you, unless you make your profile private (then only your buddies see it); your email never is. Nothing is sold and there are no ads; anonymous usage analytics (Microsoft Clarity, Google Analytics) show what to improve. See the privacy policy for the details.

More in Help, the guides and the privacy policy.

Welcome to Risocast
Risocast

Your music, logged. Your people, found.

A small player that sits in your tray, writes down every song you play, and shows you who listens like you.

243 songs logged today

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

Android is coming to Google Play. Get notified

How logging works

On Windows, Risocast reads the system media controls, so any player counts: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000. No plugins.

On Android the app reads what any music app is playing (it's coming to Google Play). Anywhere else, connect Spotify or a Last.fm username.

When a song countsAfter half its length, or four minutes, whichever comes first.Tracks under 30 seconds are ignored.Offline plays are counted on the device and sent later.

More on automatic logging · Risocast vs Last.fm

Taste twins

See how much your taste overlaps with anyone's, and find the people who listen most like you. The match comes from what you both actually play, not a list of favourites.

Open People

How the match works

Weekly Disc and Taste Map

Every week becomes a disc of your top songs. Every record you play goes on a map, grouped by genre.

Weekly DiscTaste Map

Real ones, from the maker's own listening.

Download Risocast

Risocast is free for Windows 10 and 11. Android is coming to Google Play; on any other device, use the web app with Spotify or Last.fm.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm
  • Version 4.0.9 · Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) · about 100 MB
  • Updates itself: new versions download in the background and install on restart.
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Features
Automatic loggingWeekly DiscTaste MapTaste matchProfiles and statsMusic windowsBPM, key and soundSong stripLikes that syncPlay in your appFindPeople and buddiesCompare tasteAnthemsGenre labelsAndroid appImport and connectWindows 98 look
18 object(s)Open as a list
Guides
Track music on WindowsLog YouTube MusicApple Music statsFind people like youPlayers that workLog VLCLog foobar2000Log MusicBeeiTunes on WindowsLog DeezerLog TidalLog SoundCloudAmazon MusicWindows Media PlayerSpotify historyTop songs of all timeWhat genre is it?Describe your tasteExport your dataComing from Last.fm
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243 logged today