Rock and metal stars in Halloween costumes is the winter warmer we need right now

Spooky season might be over, but that doesn't mean the Halloween fun is entirely done and dusted for another year. Rock and metal stars got well and truly into the spirit as they donned costumes to celebrate over the weekend. 

We've rounded up some of our favourites below... 

Tom Morello as Pickle Rick (Rick and Morty)

Generally speaking, Halloween costumes come under the wider banner of being horror-inspired, but Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello's take on Pickle Rick from the Rick and Morty series is... well, cute. It doesn't make Morello any less an icon, though, and even elicited laughs from System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian and was dubbed "best outfit I've seen on my feed" by Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes.

Jesse Leach as He-Man (He-Man)

Rumours that Killswitch Engage are going full Manowar on their next album remain unsubstantiated, but KsE (and Times of Grace) frontman Jesse Leach really committed to the bit with a full body costume of He-Man on a day off in Texas. October or no, we can't help but feel like it can get pretty hot under the sweltering Texan sun, so props to him for not just sticking a mask on. The beard does shatter the illusion a bit, mind. 

Jay and Chloe Weinberg as Kylo Ren and Rey (Star Wars)

When you're in Slipknot, every day is basically Halloween. We can forgive drummer Jay Weinberg then for going maskless in a holiday photo with wife Chloe dressed as Kylo Ren from the most recent Star Wars trilogy. It's a bit more Comicon than frightfest, but we'll let him off (mostly because we know how hard he can clatter something when he puts his mind to it and those lightsabers look like they're itching to bite into some flesh). 

Gwen Stefani as a leopard

No Doubt vocalist (and pop icon in her own right) Gwen Stefani took to Instagram to show a picture of her dressed as a leopard. It's not the most imaginative (or spooky) costume idea but considering she's wracked up millions of record sales (9,000,000 for 1995's Tragic Kingdom alone) and influenced everyone from Jinjer's Tatiana Shmaylyuk to New Years Day's Ash Costello, clearly something is going very right. 

Scott Ian and Pearl as Michael Myers and Carrie (Halloween/Carrie)

Now we're talking. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian dressed up as Halloween baddie Michael Myers (or The Shape, if you want to go OG), while his wife Pearl got liberal with the splatter in her take on Stephen King's Carrie. It's horror nerd ambrosia and earned accolades on Ian's Instagram account from numerous fans, as well as Vio-Lence (and ex-Machine Head) guitarist Phil Demmel. Top marks all-round. 

Robb Flynn as The Joker (Batman comics)

As if we needed any more reasons to worry about running into Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn in a dark alley, this Joker look is positively unhinged. Decidedly more comic book accurate in his costume than aligned with any of the character's big screen portrayals, Flynn even dyed his beard green for the look. We have to ask though, Robb - why so serious?

Simone Simons as Sally (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

It's hard to think of Halloween without getting that song stuck in your head (you know the one - 'This is Halloween, this is Halloween...'), so props to Epica vocalist Simone Simons for getting creative with her make-up in recreating the iconic look of The Nightmare Before Christmas's Sally. Simons even alluded to the fact she had covered Sally's Song on her Patreon page. Want to watch it? Best sign up, then!

Charlie Benante and Carla Harvey as Indiana Jones and Princess Leia (Indiana Jones series/Star Wars)

Those Anthrax boys really do love their Halloween costumes, eh? Drummer Charlie Benante isn't alone however as he took a snap with Butcher Babies' Carla Harvey, who got in on the action with a Slave Leiah costume from Return of the Jedi. It's not necessarily horror-themed, but if you listen hard enough you can hear the furious tapping of keyboards as a billion Lucas Arts extended universe fanfics are born.

Taylor Momsen as a witch

T'is the season of the witch, after all. Going for a more classic look, Pretty Reckless vocalist Taylor Momsen went all in on a traditional witch costume. Our favourite part is the twirly, wonky broom that looks like it could have come straight from the mind of Tim Burton. 

Ice-T and Coco as The Joker and Harley Quinn (Batman comics/Suicide Squad)

We can't really blame Body Count mastermind Ice-T for not joining wife Coco in going for a movie-accurate portrayal of The Joker and Harley Quinn (those tattoos and the gold grill is excessive even for an actor as notoriously outlandish and committed as Jared Leto). Instead, while Coco takes up Harley's costume from Suicide Squad, T went for a comic-accurate portrayal of Joker. The clown prince of crime has never looked more effortlessly badass. 

Serena Cherry as Nurse Joy (Pokémon)

When she's not blasting us with the post-hardcore of Svalbard or stirring us to adventure with Skyrim-themed black metal in Noctule, vocalist Serena Cherry is apparently all about healing those Pokémon. Nurse Joy isn't the most horrifying Pokémon costume Serena could have gone with (we don't trust Mr. Mime as far as we can throw him), but it's a great effort nonetheless. 

Svalbard play their When I Die, Will I Get Better album in full at Damnation Presents: A Night Of Salvation at Leeds Refectory on Friday October 5, alongside Orange Goblin, Akercocke, and Raging Speedhorn. The even is being streamed live, and tickets and t-shirts bundles for the stream are available via Hotel Radio.