For something easy to transport Fluxx is fun and comes in many different themes:
http://www.looneylabs.com/games/fluxx
There are a lot of games based around Cthulhu mythos if that takes your fancy. Plenty around zombies too.
Pandemic might be worth checking out, not heavy metal or gloomy but has a certain darkness about it with the world getting infected.
BGG's Advanced Search is pretty decent, have a tweak of some of the options:
https://boardgamegeek.com/advsearch/boardgame
Thank you.
I've ordered a set of the Cthulu Fluxx cards. My girlfriend and I had played the Pirate one during one of our earlier dates. I particularly enjoyed the rule that made her have to address me as Captain
. That said, I'm often reluctant initially as I know that I'm at a distinct disadvantage having not played many such games! I fear losing disastrously but only one way to learn I suppose.
The name of it escapes me but a recent train journey playing a Snap card game variant (multiple images on each card, a guaranteed match but differing image sizes makes seeing the match more difficult) had us having to verbally declare matches such as "fire" and "bomb" among other things in the carriage. It gets intense and voices become raised... silly fun
Secondly, I have joined BGG as I am hoping to pick-up a used copy of the Eldritch Horror board-game through the member's market there. That type of game would be my first experience of its type, and I'm quite excited.
Whether or not I need board-games to be another field for me to sink more money than I do time in to, as with video games, is another thing!