Jinetes Fantasmas "King Kong Stomp"

(Crazy Love Records 2017)

King Kong Stomp

Botas De Cuero Negro

 Jekyl Y Hyde

Frankenstein En Mi Casa

Pombero

Transilvania

Botas De Cuero Negro (Rare Version)

Jinetes Fantasmas (Ghost Riders) have been treading the psychobilly boards since 2009. Hailing from Argentina (the first Argentinian psychobilly band), the quartet are musically straight-up psychobilly but with a more aggresive punk(abilly) vocal style. This album was mixed and mastered by our Doyley of Diablo Records fame. Released on Guido's Crazy Love Records (the label that has an aversion to releasing shite), it's a 7-dittied delight. Sure, I can't understand a fuckin' word they're singing but there's enough reverb-laden guitar and frenetic slap bass and drums to cancel out the language barrier. Besides, the songs are melodic as fuck too. I just wish I paid more attention in Spanish class...but then again I didn't have a Spanish class so that fucks that! This album is sure to please the mental menagerie that inhabit planet psychobilly with its wreckin'-friendly stomping beats though they do ease off the gas on the alternate version of  Botas De Cuero Negro (Black Leather Boots) which incidentally is my favourite song on the album. So stick this in your CD player, open Google Translate in your web browser then sit back and attempt to stay still. No easy task.
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Cult Of The Psychic Fetus "Cult Of The Psychic Fetus"

(Killjoy Records 2017)

The Morgue

Night In The Life

Out From The Grave

I Live With The Dead

I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of all things horror punk (though horror punk is only a part of what Cult Of The Psychic Fetus are). You'd probably imagine I would given its close relationship to psychobilly, So why don't I then? Simple. Slap bass. I just love that instrument. It's not the be-all and end-all in horror punk though so it's not my go-to music on a regular basis. With that said though, I do have a smattering of bands in my collection that I turn to when I get psychobilly burnout. The Spookshow, Calabrese, Blitzkid, The Rosedales...and yes, Cult Of The Psychic Fetus. When it comes to the macabre though, and making the macabre into something audible, Cult Of The Psychic Fetus are in a league of their own. Often hailed as the originators of gothabilly, they effortlessly transport the listener to the dark side of life. I'm talking 19th century Whitechapel, foggy, cold menacing surroundings, the Universal horror films of the 1930s. Lyrically they're morbidly poetic. Musically they're monstrously melodic. With undertones of a garage rockabilly beat, with surf guitar on top and an unhealthy dash of theatre bizarre. This EP has it all. Incredibly this is their first outing on vinyl in their 25 year history. 500 copies as is the norm with Killjoy. The 50 clear are sold out but there are still some of the black to be had. Links below...

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Wigsville Spliffs "Born To Ride"

(Killjoy Records 2017)

Born To Ride

Eyes On My Baby

 My God have you ever seen such attractive men? Form an orderly queue ladies...for the emergency exit. Hmmm, maybe that photo was just taken at a bad angle (facing them in this case). But enough insults and on with the plaudits. I first heard the Wigsville Spliffs back in 1984 I think it was on the Lost Moment Records "Dance To It" compilation. They stood out for me back then with their infectious neo rockabilly sound. Next time I heard em was on one of the Stomping At The Klub Foot compilations and on The James Deans Of The Dole Queue compilation with their absolute gem of a song "If I Tell You I'm Lonely" and then saw em via the gift of Jettisoundz and their good auld VHS releases which captured the cream of the crop of the scene forever on celluloid. The neo rockabilly scene produced some excellent bands in the 80s...The Caravans, Fractured, Restless, Sgt. Bilko's Krazy Combo, Get Smart...and of course the Wigsville Spliffs. Like all the aforementioned bands they had a sound unique to them. The Spliffs have lost none of this uniqueness over the years and this new slab of vinyl is testament to that. They do sound more powerful though, but not in a rock sense, more in a not resting on their laurels sense. You'll see what I mean when you buy this 7" and compare the 1984 version to the 2017 version of Eyes On My Baby (a neo rockabilly classic). The title track is typical catchy-as-fuck Wigsville Spliffs. I'm glad these boys didn't just fade into obscurity and came back to the scene as they have excellent songs to unleash on us still. 2011's Fat 41 more than proved that point too. As usual with Killjoy releases, this is a strictly limited release of 500 copies. The 50 grey ones are gone already, the red (50 also) might still be available from the band but you can still pick up the black. Links below as always. Anyway, pick this up before it's gone and the boys over on Psychoholic start adding it to their wantlist over on Discogs because they missed the boat.

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The Brainiax "Rock'n'Roll Lobotomy"

(Self released 2017)

Cape Fear

Brainiax Boogie

The House On The Hill

The Bastard Sun

Straitjacket Stomp

Galactic Mystery

Devil Doll

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, The Brainiax are relative newcomers to the psychobilly scene. The lads have been together a year but Collin O'Brainiac tells me the lads have been acting the bollix in various bands for several years. You'd know it too. This is some quality stuff. They love the cream of the crop of musical genres which shows in their sound. Taking influences from psychobilly, punk, country and rockabilly, you just know these boys have good taste. Their début show was opening for Canadian sexpots The Gutter Demons and they've just released their first album...all by themselves I might add. It makes me so proud *sniff*. But seriously though, when a band goes down the self-release road I think they deserve as much support as they can get. They do it for the love of the music. Let's face it, there's fuck all profit in psychobilly and any money made goes straight back in to the band (well, maybe a small portion goes to the pub). Anyway, what struck me straight away about The Brainiax is that their sound is somewhat reminiscent of Hayride To Hell and to a certain degree The Hellbillys. They're very much of that tough American psychobilly ilk as opposed to the more "fun" for want of a better expression European psychobilly sound. There's a nice bit of echo chamber on the vocals which gives a sexy rockabilly twist but the music is not for rockabilly aficionados with their heads planted firmly up their arses. It's for rockabilly aficionados like me with my head planted firmly between two arse cheeks...with rockabilly tattooed on one and psychobilly on the other. It's not in-your-face psychobilly either. By psycho standards it's mid-paced. Groovy! I'll tell ya what. I fuckin' love The Brainiax me. If you like your psychobilly with a glint of a flick knife and a knuckle duster to the man-spuds this'll be right up your street. You can grab it directly from the band (and pick up some merch while you're at it...seemingly if you wear one of their shirts, sew a couple of their patches over your nipples and apply a sticker (or 10 in my case) over your shlong, it's guaranteed to result in panty evaporation). It's available now on CD and digital download...links to purchase below.

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Big Black Wolf "Rock'n Roll Trash"

(Self Released 2017)

Bad Blues

Sacrifice

Tonight

Wrecked Roll

Big Black Wolf from France are a genre-defying quartet (I'm guessing the drummer was holding the camera in the photo I used here). With the classic rockabilly instrumentation but played in a more trashy rock'n'roll style with a big dollop of angry punk rock vocals on top. In keeping with the underground aesthetic, the EP is 100% home made but to my ears sounds every bit as good as anything mixed and mastered in a professional studio. Big Black Wolf are the kind of outfit that will appeal to both psychobillies and punks in equal measure. Rockabillies will be holding their 1950s crucifixes aloft! If you like your psychobilly and all it's related offshoots and relations to sound violent and threatening then look no further than Big Black Wolf. The EP is available directly from the band's Facebook page (though there mightn't be many left). Another reason to like Big Black Wolf is their initials also equate to that most alluring of woman!

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