When You Wish Upon a Spider

My boyfriend is a huge metal fan. Most of his clothes are black metal band t-shirts that I end up stealing. He showed me a clip of the recent concert he went to see: Nekrogoblikon–a metal band involving one of the lead singers donning full goblin garb.

The idea of a lead singer in full goblin makeup was intriguing to me already, but then my boyfriend and I went down a YouTube rabbit hole exploring the way metal singers manipulate their voices to scream continuously. I also learned about all the different placements which can create a fascinatingly vast array of sounds.

I was a choir kid. I was explicitly taught twice a week for several years how to manipulate my voice for the cleanest and clearest sound. Metal screaming is doing precisely the inverse, adding as much texture and dirt as possible to create a sound unlike anything else. Learning that there are methodical ways to change your voice to sound like gravel was like learning there is a secret room in your house you didn’t know existed.

From its catchy chorus I can’t get out of my head to its strange, almost Caribbean outro, The Magic Spider by Nekrogoblikon does it for me. The premise of the song is adorable. If you wish upon a spider, all your dreams will all come true. I love this mythology. I love that a spider, something we so often hate to see in our houses and that are often used to scare us, could maybe be a magical creature which was just waiting for you to wish on it to grant your wishes.

Plus, it’s spider season. So, today, when I saw a little spider in my bathroom, I made a wish.