You know, nothing satisfies my blood thirst like a really good horror rock album. The great thing about a good horror rock album is that you know when you're listening to one because the songs touch that evil and cavernous spot of your heart that gets you all excited about buckets of blood, death, murder and all things of the like.For me, albums like this are fairly hard to run across.Sure, you get the albums that are pretty good and are somewhat interesting and mildly entertaining and then you run into these albums more-times-than-not that are just boring and flat out stink.
Saying that, I'm always on the lookout for new horror rock/punk and I ran across a keeper in Germany's The Fright.Today we're here taking a look at their debut album DACABRE and let me tell you, I'm rather impressed.It shouldn't come as much of a surprise since the majority of the horror music coming out of Germany is gold, but I am.One of the reasons I'm so impressed is because according to some of the band members' Myspace pages, some of The Fright are only in their late teens and they're producing this kind of quality music.The second and most important reason is just that.The music.Some of the songs on DACABRE would give you the impression that the band are seasoned veterans in the genre when in fact, they're relatively new.
The Fright kick off the album with three of my favorite tracks; all three of which head straight for that cavernous part of your heart I spoke of earlier."Birth" is a no-frills, straightforward, pulse-pumping track that sounds like it would be played in a horror movie during a scene that found its lead heroine being chased through the woods by chainsaw wielding maniac.It also reminds of something fellow countrymen The Crimson Ghosts would release. Interestingly enough, "Die With Me" is something that I could very easily see other fellow countrymen The Other releasing. It's an intense, catchy and somberly romantic track that you'll play a few times in a row to let it all sink in."So Cold" starts off mid-tempo and than gradually speeds up into a higher gear.Lead vocalist Lon shows some great range on this track and sometimes reminds me of TB Monstrosity of Blitzkid.
There isn't a bad track to be found and if you're looking for an album that you'll keep closely on hand for all your horror rock needs, you've found it.Aside from the three previously mentioned tracks, a few of my other favorites are: "Love of the Damned", "Lust 'n' Pain", "Last Moments" and "Thanatos".
Lugosi’s Morphine - The End Of The Beginning Review!
Lugosi's Morphine – The End Of The Beginning
Pennsylvania's Horrorpunkin'/Deathrockin' ghouls, Lugosi's Morphine are back with their third release ironically, entitled The End Of The Beginning. The irony of the title is descriptive of my own life, so don't read too far into it. What to say about this band that I haven't said over the past few years?! LM hasn't changed their method one bit since their last EP, "5 Shots To The Head". The band has grown stronger, honing their craft to the point where they sound ten times better than the bulk of today's major Punk acts. Don't believe me, take a peek at The End Of The Beginning!
The album is crammed with thirteen "go for the jugular" tunes that completely rock my face off! At times I don't know whether I wanna slam dance or go on a fucking killing spree. No fluff here, LM has touched that certain nerve in me with this album that's rarely ever stroked or prodded. "I Like It Spooky" is the first track that gets my "goat" and the thrill ride doesn't end for me until the last song, "Graves". In between these tracks the band wages a sonic onslaught of Horror, Camp, Blood and PUNK! "Psycho Mammoth Stomp", "Bucket Of Blood" and "Miserable Breakfast" are prime examples of just how vicious "The End Of The Beginning" is, can and will be...
D.F. Lazurus's vokill work is fabulous, you can feel his conviction and passion rising as the disc plays on. Although he doesn't sound like Jello Biafra in the least, he's as convincing as good ole Jello. This says a lot this day and age with all the poseurs and fakes we having running wild in the music business. Musically, LM has never sounded better, the rhythm section is tight as hell and the riffage is outlandish. The End Of The Beginning is definitely Lugosi's Morphine best work to date and get this, they aren't signed to a label?!! This band is a walking, talking and rocking example of just how ignorant the music industry has become. Horror or not, the band deserves to get their due and eventually I think it'll happen. If it doesn't, you can at least say you've been rocked by a real band with evil intent if you pick up the new disc! Check the myspace page below and get your ass handed to you.
When was the last time you heard an authentic Rockabilly band with legitimate traces of the forefathers of the genre? Personally, it's been a long time around here. I think the last band that damned good was The Cramps and they've been around forever! Admittedly, I don't get out much but I'm not a slouch when it comes to trying to turn on and tune into anything that RAWKS. Having said all of that, I'd like to introduce you all to North Carolina's The Tremors – one of, if not the best Rockabilly bands I've heard since The Cramps or Buddy MOTHERFUCKING Holly!!!
Holy hellfire, slap your Moma and wake the neighbors! The Tremors are all about the Rockabilly, Roots, good times and just enough Psycho/Punk influence to appeal to everybody with or without a heartbeat. The band's latest disc, Invasion Of The Saucermen is a few years old, however it's not lacking in any area. In all honesty, I haven't heard a band that I liked this much since I was a kid – these boys come 'a stormin' out of the gate like a pack of wolves and they don't slow up. If you're a fan of musicianship, you'll latch on to the band instantly. Jimmy Tremor is an axe grinding/six string wielding/midnight crooning gift directly from the GODS of 'Billy. Also joining the festivities are Slim Perkins – one of the slap-happiest upright bassist's this side of the Mason Dixon. And last but not least, we have Stretch Armstrong – a drummer who gives a whole new meaning to the speed of light! Together these three fellers serve it up so good it oughta be against the law.
Let it be known, there are no favorites on this disc, that'd be like asking me which hand I liked better my left or right. It doesn't matter whether it's "(I Ain't No) Two Timin' Man", "Late Night Drive-In Monster Show" or the extremely roots influences "The Crawdad Song" every tune on here is flat out spectacular! The vocals, guitar licks, riffs, bass slaps and that ragin' back-beat will blast your ass back to the stone age. It's like Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Two on SMACK. Other tunes to sink your teeth into are "Atomic Jesus", "Jungle Fever" and "Treat Me Right". Adding to the geekiness of the Sci-fi freak in all of us the band went the extra step and had the album artwork – including the cd printed in 3D! Not only is that unique and expensive but it's damned cool.
If ya think you've heard it all, you ain't! Get your ass over to the band's myspace page and get a gut full of this Swingin' Rockabilly. The band will do the rest and trust me when I say, you'll thank them for every minute of it! Best Damned Rockabilly band since The Cramps!!!!!!!!!!
Band: The Reanaimated Album: Scream at the Screen Label: none Format: CD
From the burnt ashes of one atrocity rise's a phoenix of epic horror…THE REANIMATED!!! These foul mouthed axe swingers tear off your face, serenade you and then fuck your corpse. Here is a bit of back story on these ghouls for all of you unknowledgeable creatures. James Bondage, Eric Stitches and Adam Alone were ¾ of the long running outfit known as Pagan Holiday 1313. In early 2007 Bondage, Stitches and Alone left Mike Pagan to his Pagan Holiday moniker and raised Mortimer (their skull logos name) high as these post-mortem punks took their side project to the forefront. I've said this many times before and I will say it again. I absolutely hated Pagan Holiday 1313, but for some reason with a name change and a new drummer (Stitches moving from drums to bass) inspiration gave birth to a new era. The slate was wiped clean just as it is from the passing of one life to the next, and now all that is scratched on that slate is "Scream at the Screen".
This album is nuclear and took me out like my name was Hiroshima. The intro of this sinister set of songs is a sample of a man and a woman in a car and ends with a righteous scream from the lady at hand. A fitting way to start this 11 song sing-a-long romp! Going track by track on this expedition would be pointless because every song is catchy beyond belief. "Scream at the Screen" (an in your face b-movie sing-a-long), "Sometimes They Come Back" (horror-punk at it's finest), "The Nightbreed" (a new anthem for our community in nocturne) and "They Live" (ala 1950's crooner about the movie) will have you bellowing at the tip top of your lungs to keep up with James Bondage's sonic attack called vokills. Sean Sleeze and Adam Alone have forged a merciless and unyielding guitar assault. These aren't your fly by night punkers, by any stretch of the imagination either, as you get a little brutality with "Virus Andromeda". This ditty is sci fi punk and metal hybrid to be proud of. Though, I must say that the intro to the song is a little wonky, but the rest of the song makes up for that rather quickly. The barrage never stops with this album. I can feel my ears smoking during "Ressurection 85". A sample from Return of the Living Dead ushers in a mosh pit utopia. Eric Stitches show's his jedi bass skills in another crooner called "Watching You Die". Personal taste takes me to the acoustic version of "Watching You Die". It is a song that just puts you in the mood to lovingly slit your girl's throat to. "Devilution" is my pick for one of the catchiest songs on the album. I could never pick a favorite out of these tracks in this live or in the next. Even the one track called "We Eat People" (pretty much a straight up punk song) that took time to grow on me is a far cry better than what most bands are putting out.
This is just the start to one hell of a legacy. This first album is just a prelude to things to come. This is by far a solid first release and I look forward to seeing what these Covington creepers have up their tattered sleeves. I say get this album and be the judge yourself, but do not sleep on this or you might just regret it.
~~ Hydro
The Reanimated – Scream At The Screen
The Horrorpunk scene has ushered in a new band called The Reanimated. The band is relatively young, they've only been together since the winter of '07. However, they've been kicking ass and taking names since - they've already opened for The Independents, Legbone and The Casualties. This in itself is pretty strong considering the Horrorpunk genre has become so saturated with shitty Misfits clones. Hardly, anybody takes the genre seriously anymore, but The Reanimated are a well oiled machine with something fresh to offer the Horror fiend in all of us.
The band has just released their debut album entitled, Scream At The Screen and I gotta tell ya I'm really enjoying what I'm hearing from these guys. The eleven tracks present on "Scream" offer a new twist on the Horror genre in that they're not all about the "Woah's", but more about melody, the Punk sound with small doses of Pop just for effect. Vokillist, Jimi Bondage has great range and a nice sense of timing and melody. "They Live", "Sometimes They Come Back" and "Watching You Die" are extravagant examples of his musicianship. The band themselves aren't slackers, every tune is packed with stout riffs and spectacular melody lines. Adam Alone is a very accomplished guitarist for a Horror band, there's definitely some Metal in his background. The rhythm section of the band is damned nasty too – Eric Stitches and Jason Hell give a new outlook to "wrecking your neck"! Honorable mentions of not to miss tracks are "We Eat People", "Devilution" and "The Nightbreed".
Overall, Scream At The Screen is an extremely well done debut for a youthful Horror band. If I had to pick out one weakness on the album it would be the mix/mastering. But seriously, we're talking independent Horrorpunk here with no label backing whatsoever. These boys did it all themselves without any help and they don't sound like the Misfits AT ALL! I applaud their efforts and I cannot wait to see what they'll be serving up on the next album. If the band stays fresh and continues to thrive they'll surpass my expectations for sure. Check their myspace page out and pick up the album!
Deep within the catacombs under Ghoul's castle in Creepsylvania, there are rooms filled with meat hooks drenched in blood, chainsaws with tufts of human flesh in the teeth and tables littered with skeletal remains. In the room next to those you will find the darkest and filthiest of them all…this is where the SPLATTERTHRASH is brought to life!
What should one expect from SPLATTERTHRASH? Well, actually, the title defines it perfectly. It's a combination of blood splattering, gut stomping atmospheres intertwined with saw to the bone thrash. Don't let that fool you though, as Ghoul can change it up as quickly as blood spilling out of a gutted pig. While songs like "As Your Casket Closes" and "Gutbucket Blues" have more of a traditional thrash sound, songs like "Bury the Hatchet" and "Cult of the Hunter" often cross into death metal territory and while there is a good deal of treading the thrash and death metal line on this album, the band trade off between the two flawlessly. If you dig on thrash and death metal but want something a little extra, Ghoul provide it courtesy of the ghastly surfabilly/rockabilly instrumental "Psychoplasm".
Ghoul will appeal to not only the fans of horror themed music (horror punk, horror rock, horror THRASH!) but to fans of straightforward thrash and death metal as well. The band is a great combination of imagery (check out some videos of these guys) and top-notch musicianship. I highly suggest checking these guys out if you haven't already.
The Revenants are one of the older Horror bands in the scene, I actually remember checking them out way back in the late nineties. Bringing us up to date on the band and their latest disc entitled Hand Of Midnight, not much has changed in the way of their sound and approach. The new album sees the band utilizing a keyboardist more and injecting an awful lot of darkened nightmarish soundscapes into the mix. This has always seemed to be the case with the band, but it's kind of all new to me as I had forgotten about them.
Hand Of Midnight isn't your typical Horror album, not in the least. I don't think there's a single moment in it where you could really pin them into today's current Horror scene. I do hear faint echoes of Empire Hideous, Son Of Sam and Alien Sex Fiend but not enough to make a difference. More often than not the tracks found here are reminiscent of the early nineties Black Metal scene with a splash of current Celtic Frost influence. Out of the ten tunes on Hand Of Midnight, not one is bad or out of place, sure I don't enjoy every one tremendously, but the tunes I do like, I'm ecstatic over.
"Nephilm", "Sick Menagerie", "Hand Of Midnight" and "Road Of The Broken" are my personal favorites thanks in part to the hopeless feeling the lyrics and music put off. The Revenants are a band you'll want to check out if you enjoy dark literature, Horror/Black/Goth Metal. The band seems to have it all wrapped up in a tiny ball and it awaits you like a murdering fiend hiding in the bushes! Check out their myspace page and get a taste of something different for a change.
If you love the feel, look and sound of the cheap ole Horror B-movies, you'll absolutely freak out over The new Scared Stiffs album, The Last Horror Movie. The band hasn't changed their antidote or approach since the last disc (Autopsy Turvy) and why would they, if it ain't broke don't fix it!
The Last Horror Movie is everything I thought it could and would be - every track is packed with camp, amusement and RAWK! Just like an album entitled The Last Horror Movie should be. There are several tunes worthy of spinning over and over starting with the title track, which the band has made a video for and added to this disc. My picks for the best of the BEAST are "Dead Girls Are Easy", "There's No Wonder I'm Six Feet Under", "Let's Put The Fun In Funeral" and "Dirt Nappin". Each and every one of these songs carry a sensational melody line and a boot in your face back-beat, combined with a handful of fiery fretwork! Lyrically, these songs are funny as hell and quite smart even if they are cheesy, but hey what do you expect?! Horror was built on cheese and I'll eat a pound of it every chance I get.
In true Stiffs fashion, the band has also added a few covers on the disc just for the hell of it. However, you won't realize it unless you're an old school music veteran like myself. "Knoxville Girl" is the first cover and boy is it ever a cover! It's an old Country/Gospel/Murder ballad, originally made famous by the Louvin Brothers. Trust me, this song is absolutely gorgeous and to make it even sweeter for me, I still have my Mom's old 45 of it! The Stiffs do a rousing version of it packed with bleeding guitar leads and a heaping helping of "Billy". Next up we have "Seventh Son", which was originally written and recorded by the immortal Willie Dixon. Again, the Stiffs keep the pedal to the metal, ripping and romping their way all through the tune.
The Scared Stiffs have once again firmly seated themselves next to some of the coolest corpsicles to ever strap on guitar and play spooky music! The Last Horror Movie is a definite must have for fans of The Ramones, Groovie Ghoulies and Horror Movies! Fucking Spectacular and if you don't believe me, check the band's myspace page.
Zombeast is easily one of the best horror rock bands to emerge past the cemetery gates over the past few years. One characteristic that Zombeast possesses that draws me to this conclusion is that they have a genuine passion for what they due. They take their love of Danzig and inspiration of everything horror and inject it with their raw, energetic and intensely dark rock n' roll to be a top contender in the world of horror rock.
This self-titled debut album is chock full of throat gripping anthems that will turn you into a flesh craving fiend in mere minutes of the album starting. The opening track "Cthulhu" sets the course for this darkened path of destruction. As one of my favorite tracks here, "Cthulhu" starts off ominously and grows into a memorable and soon to be classic terrifying tale. One of the album's most thrilling songs is one of torture, pain and agony. "Life of Hell" brings forth all of these elements and is one of the strongest and best overall examples of what the band is all about. If zombies are your thing, crank up "Flesh Eaters" as once you hear the song you'll be singing the chorus in your head again and again until you "see the world through new dead eyes".
Another impressive aspect of the album that Zombeast pulled off is that it ends with the same level of integrity, passion and emotion that it started off with. While "Black Death" had me thinking "man, this is stuff that would make Danzig proud", it was the dark and chilling "Eternity" and rage engaging "Wolfskin Killer" that had me thinking that these guys are legit and have a very promising future ahead of them.
Cleveland's Horror Of 59, is a Horror/Punk band that I feel is often overlooked when it comes to the scene in general – be it Horror or Punk Rock. Obviously, the band has been kicking ass and taking names for a few years now and with a new disc under their belt it doesn't look like they're about to let up an inch. This can and will be heard on the new album – The Golden Age Of Sin.
The Golden Age Of Sin, is a far cry from the band's previous effort, Screams From The Cellar. First and foremost, the production and song structures are fantastic! The lyrics are more thought provoking and interesting than before. Now, that's not to say the band's first effort was bad, it wasn't at all - the band has simply grown into their skin... Vokillist, Ignizio weaves an infinite web of Horror in every song on the album whilst the rest of the band thrashes about like newly re-animated cadavers. A few of the highlights from the disc are "Bloodstains and Dirt", "Lycanthrope", "All For The Gore" and the title track "The Golden Age Of Sin". These tracks alone should be enough to sell you on just how good "Golden Age" is! However, there are several other songs that'll get ya howlin' at the moon. And if you wonder will there be a lack of musicianship due to the Punk element – HELL NO! Blazing leads, barn-burning riffs and back-breaking rhythms flow through this album like blood.
If I had to pinpoint a certain sound/feeling I get from The Golden Age Of Sin, it'd be a cross between The Dead Boys, The Ramones and The Misfits – Graves Era. And that my friends, is a good thing. Search high and low all you want, but any band with some Dead Boys influence kicks major ass in my book! The other influences are good, but let's face it, The Dead Boys RULED! Hit the band's myspace page up to preview a few of the new tunes and pick up a disc while you're there.
His Infernal Majesty, Robbie Quine, has just released another disc with The Barbarellatones. The latest is entitled Temple Of Shiva and it picks right up where the band last left off. Expect tons of fun-in-the-sun surfin' tunes and some seriously deranged sing-alongs.
"Nina Hagen" is one of the first stand outs thanks to the kookiness of the lyrics and the whipping guitar riffs - very acceptable and very expected from Mr, Quine and his band of lovely miscreants. Next on my list of not to miss tunes is the Cuntry flavored "Dopesick Dolly". If you're familiar with any of Quine's previous works think "Kentucky Fried Drag Queen" and you'll get an idea of just where this track can and will lead you to. "I.B.T.C." (Itty Bitty Titty Committee) is another whacked out ditty complete with cheerleaders in the chorus. Being the manly, man that I think am, I can't help but chuckle and hum along with this track. The tune stays along the mid-tempo range until the breakdown and then all hell breaks loose – fairly brutal for one of the Queens of Glam Rock!
Temple Of Shiva also has a few other tunes that'll soon be crowd favorites - "Verk The Catwalk", "Temple Of Shiva" and "Glitter Beach II". The latter being a remake of Quine's ever popular Glam anthem "Glitter Bitch". If you're a fan of T. Rex, Bowie, The Beach Boys, Jayne County and various other good-timin' bands, I highly recommend checking The Barbarellatones and Temple Of Shiva out!!
