BY JEF WITH ONE F AND CHRIS GRAY

20. Marilyn Manson Antichrist Superstar (Interscope, 1996)

So squalid and deeply unpleasant it's mesmerizing, Antichrist Superstar is such an intricate dissection of how to become a "rock star" it could have come from a biology lab. Then 24 or 25, Manson gets so far under the skin of his idols he might as well be Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs. Even the blatant Ministry rips ("Little Horn," "1996") and leavings from Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral (Trent Reznor co-produced) are instructional, because the second Manson blasts into "The Beautiful People," Antichrist Superstar becomes self-fulfilling prophecy. "Wormboy" suggests that even at this early stage of the game, he's totally in on the joke, too. CHRIS GRAY

19. VNV Nation Empires (Metropolis, 1999)

Though VNV Nation is more industrial than goth, you'll find plenty of spooky kids at their excellent, high energy concerts. Empires is not Ronan and Mark's best album, that would be Automatic, but it is definitely the primer for their whole amazing philosophic approach to electronica that they utilize. You build from Empires, especially "Kingdom," and it opens your mind to endless possibilities. JEF WITH ONE F

18. Type O Negative Bloody Kisses (Roadrunner, 1993)

There simply has not been perfect gothic metal since we lost Peter Steele. Type O Negative embodied the goth aesthetic while harnessing the raw brutality of heavy metal. It's truly sad that we never got a baritone sing-off between Peter Murphy and Steele. It would've made the most amazing sequel to "Christian Woman." JEF WITH ONE F

17. Cruxshadows Mystery of the Whisper (Dancing Ferret Discs, 1999)

At times Cruxshadows is just plain eye-rolling. I've seen them read Poe from the stage for goth's sake. You can't take anything away from their beeping baroque approach to music though. Mystery of the Whisper is damn near a template for the perfect dark dance record, and it belongs in every iPod. JEF WITH ONE F

16. Danielle Dax Dark Adapted Eye (Warner Bros./Noble Riot, 1988)

Poor Danielle has been all but forgotten these days, but I have never been at a goth club and not heard "Big Hollow Man" at least once in the evening. She combined a pixie voice with buzzing experimental guitars and solid disco beats to craft a beautiful set of unbeatable and memorable tunes. JEF WITH ONE F