A Letter to The Haxans: My Favorite Ghoulish Duo

There was something enchanting, maybe even witchy, about the first time I heard The Haxans. It was as though I stepped into a haunted house, but where glam met spooky, where horror met rock, and where every track felt like Halloween came early and never left.

I guess you can say it was fate. I was in my car listening to a random playlist Spotify recommended when “Dirty Magic” came on. That haunting, catchy tune stopped me in my tracks. It was love at first listen. I needed to know who this band was. And from that moment on, I was hooked.

But they’re more than just a band. They’re a mood. They're a spell cast in an autumn shadow. 

Ash Costello, with her commanding presence and bold vocals, gives voice to the beautifully weird sentiments that often cross my mind. And Matt Montgomery, aka Count D., brings the mystery and musical wizardry, wrapping every song in electric darkness and heapings of pumpkin spice.

The Haxans make it fun to be different. They don’t shy away from the strange or the spooky. They celebrate it. Their music makes you want to dance in a cemetery, laugh in the dark, and wear black as a badge of honor. They welcome the misfits and Halloween-forever crowd. 

Their songs are catchy spells; pop-infused, goth rock anthems that live in your bones. “Slick Black Coffin,” “Lights Out,” “Young Blood” — each track is a love letter to the night. “Fall Into You,” not just my favorite song by The Haxans, but my favorite song - period, is hauntingly romantic and addictive. 

And their aesthetics? From skulls to glitter, from eerie elegance to playful fright, their style is a match for anyone who lives for October vibes year-round.

So, here’s to The Haxans: the soundtrack to my spooky soul. Thank you for being unapologetically weird, beautifully dark, and ridiculously fun. You didn’t just make music. I found a piece of myself in your world. And I’ll keep dancing in the night for however long your music is playing.

Forever Halloween, 

Tara Adams 🧡🖤

The Haxans: Fall-Flavored Rock and Roll

Count D. talks about the new Haxans record and tells us what scares him

Photo courtesy of Count D.

If Halloween music had a scent, your nose would lead you straight to The Haxans.

"It’s pumpkin-spiced rock music. It’s like autumnal music for autumnal people," said Count D., founder of the spooky Goth-pop band. "Especially the new record. If I could have scented the MP3s that will fly through the air, I would have."

Count D., also known as Piggy D., bassist of nearly two decades with Rob Zombie, is joined in The Haxans by Ashley Costello of the rock band, New Years Day. 

The Haxans released its debut album, "Party Monsters," in October 2017. The second album, "The Dead and Restless," is set to drop this fall. 

While "Party Monsters" features fun Halloween party songs and a few covers, Count D. said the new album, mostly written at the same time as the first, is a bit more mature with a bit more wisdom. It also includes more personal songs and no covers.

"This record is less conjuring, less plastic pumpkins, and more clove cigarettes kinda fall," he said.

The union between spooky season and The Haxans led to a residency in 2021 at the popular California haunted attraction, Knott's Scary Farm, in which the band played 50 original and cover songs a night, three to four nights a week.

Prior to the residency, the band had only played one live show, Count D. said.

"You could smell the funnel cake in the air as we played," he said. "It was a unique challenge for a band who had only played one show to dive into that."

The Haxans also filmed a video during the residency for its cover of David Bowie's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)."

The Haxans "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" video recorded at Knott's Scary Farm 

"To be able to really roll around in that vibe, musically and environmentally, was a treat," he said. "There is something about playing music like that, in that weather, in that world that’s really magical. I’ve made Halloween playlists and mix tapes for years. We literally played every song I ever used on those. So fun."

Photo: Haunt Hunters App 

Count D. said he considers The Haxans to be an art project that serves as a mood board for the ghoulish interests he's had since his childhood. His love of "Scooby-Doo" led to a love of monsters, and the movie, "Frankenstein," left an impression on him when he was young.

"By the time I was 14 and interested in playing music, it just took one Alice Cooper concert, and I was on my way to doing what I’m still doing today," Count D. said.

The elements of danger and adrenaline present in both rock music and the horror genre is an attractive combination for those entertained by the dark and macabre. It's a pairing that Count D. says will be around for many years to come. 

“Even though you didn’t always get rock and horror together, they gave a lot of us the same adrenaline rush, or a similar excitement,” he said. “Once the two began to decorate like each other, we officially had put our chocolate into the peanut butter. Now we have a world full of horror-themed bands that aren’t going away anytime soon.” 

This story is featured in the book, Halloween Haunts, by Chuck Mound with Tara Adams, which will be released in Fall 2023.