After 10 years and 161 reviews I've decided to stop. The Facebook page will go but I'll keep this one online just for archival purposes or if for nothing else that scathing review of the Stray Cats' 40 album hahaha. I enjoyed it for many years and tried to inject humour into most of the stuff I wrote but my heart's not in it anymore. What was once enjoyable had become a chore. Thanks to everyone who ever read any of my reviews and to Mad Music For Bad People who brought my words of wisdom and mirth to a wider audience through their magazine. To the record companies and bands who sent me stuff for review - a lot of which wasn't on my radar and I would never have heard only for them. I hope my ramblings encouraged some of you to buy music and support thee most underground and excellent scene. Maybe I'll be like Restless and announce I'm heading off into the ether and then come back 5 minutes later hahaha... but I doubt it! So with that said - slán agus beannacht.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
Bringing the curtain down...
Sunday, May 29, 2022
DeadBeatz "Meet Us At Dawn"
(SBÄM Records 2021)
Riding To The Dawn
Motorcycle Crew
Cold Nose Bleeds
Black Mountain Roll
Sunday Morning Blues
Oh, Evening
Everybody's Dog Blues
Too Late
Runnin' Shoes
Cold Hearted Woman
Do You Dig It
Three Legged Horse
Motorcycle Crew
Cold Nose Bleeds
Black Mountain Roll
Sunday Morning Blues
Oh, Evening
Everybody's Dog Blues
Too Late
Runnin' Shoes
Cold Hearted Woman
Do You Dig It
Three Legged Horse
The O'Prez
Thursday, April 21, 2022
The Diggerz "The Diggerz Are Mad"
(Sick Taste Records 2022)
- Your Loving
- Set Me Free
- Killer In White
- Drunken Sailor
It's a fuller figured Diggerz. A BBW of rockin' beats! Psychobilly with curves! Our Mo can sing and shies away from hiding behind the usual sore throat fare employed by the legion of DAG knock-offs. The backing vocals are on point too which adds to the sonic diversity of this EP. The musicality is pristine which makes me think I should just sell all my instruments and stick to what I'm good at - never being as good as these boys. The highlight for me is their version of Drunken Sailor. A stomping rendition which unexpectedly turns dark towards the end before a bit of ska is unleashed and then kicks us up the arse again before the finale. You can get your greasy digits on the EP from Sick Taste Records. It's a limited edition of 200 so stop looking at Pornhub and buy it. No wonder your digits are greasy!
The O'Prez
Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
The Hellbound Hitmen "Dial M For Murder"
(Wolverine Records 2020)
Dial M For Murder
Drag Strip Hero
Zombie Hitman
Bye Bye
The Emperor's Decree
Hello Mary Lunatic
World Of Sin
Bopalena
Hellbound
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Wasted Youth Crew
In Paradise
My Right
Drag Strip Hero
Zombie Hitman
Bye Bye
The Emperor's Decree
Hello Mary Lunatic
World Of Sin
Bopalena
Hellbound
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Wasted Youth Crew
In Paradise
My Right
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Saint Dom And The Sinful "Bopperella"
(Slaphouse Records 2019)
Boogie Out The Back Door
Pretty Cut Up
Wild Cats Of Carlisle
Delaval Hall
Rather Be With You Tonight
Feel A Going Out Coming On
Rockabilly Riot Wagon
Bopperella
Life Goes On
Angel From Hell
Red Hot Cheeks
You Never Looked When I Walked By Today
Life Goes On (Solo)
What a class act! I have the side of me leg slapped to a pulp playing the imaginary bass to every boppin' little ditty. It's actually just dawned on me after saying that that the album title is perfect for the sounds within. We all get to take a breather on Life Goes on though. A lyrical masterpiece. Actually, as I've come to expect from Dom, lyrics are not something this man takes lightly. He's quite the wordsmith. A melodious troubadour par excellence. Of course they're no 1950s throwback ensemble. They play their brand of rockabilly with blatant disregard for any kind of formulaic authenticism. Of course, I love that! I've always preferred a more neo approach and these boys bring that approach to the fore. It's a slap happy twangaton with hairy bollocks-drumming! Oh yes, the entire thing is one big melodious, feel good, feral onslaught on the auricular cavities. (The boys can sort you out with a physical CD of the album and below are links to all the download/streaming sites. For a physical copy contact em either through Facebook or email em here!).
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Tasteless "Rotten To The Core"
(Self-released 2020)
Rotten To The Core
Morning Mist
Working On The Rig
Love Really Hurts Without You
I barely had time to recover from the priapism-inducing first slab of wax from these boys than they go and unleash their second EP of neo rockin' resplendency. In a relatively short space of time they've risen through the ranks of their neo rockabilly cohorts to become thee numero uno ensemble within their chosen genre. Seriously lads, you couldn't make it up! This is just more quality from the quartet of adroit artistes. Finely honed musical skill with a dollop of contemplative lyrics make for a listening experience second to none. I'm just wondering if guitarist Loz Hawkins has 10 fingers on each hand! And yes, the final track is a neo rockabillyocean cover. But it's those originals where the boys shine. I'm just gagging for a full length (ooooh matron!) release. I've had enough of the tantalising teasers! In the meantime, use those sausage fingers and head on over to their bandcamp page and snap this one up before it disappears into the ether. Because it will!
Left Hand Black "Left Hand Black"
(Wolverine Records 2020)
Dead Heat
28 Days Later
Deep Rising
Let's Scare Jessica To Death
Children Of The Night
Behind The Green Door
Long Live The New Flesh
Army Of Darkness
Walking Dead
Jaws
Murder On My Mind
Your Vice Is A Locked Room
Devil In Miss Jones
From the remnants of The Dead Next Door, come Gothenburg's Left Hand Black with their début self titled album on Wolverine Records. Available as digital download, digipak CD or LP. The LP version is sexed-up with the inclusion of the CD, poster and lyric sheet. Now that that's whetted your appetite, what do the quartet sound like? Well, with a track listing which reads like the video nasty section of your local video store from days of yore, you pretty much know what to expect lyrically anyway. But then again, this is horror punk we're taking about so quelle surprise. My press release blurb states the members having a liking for outfits such as The Misfits, Bad Religion and The Ramones. They've been plying their wares since Spring 2019 so wasted no time in unleashing this beast of an album. What I've always liked about horror punk is the songs are usually short sharp shocks. There's only one song here over the 3 minute mark. They're the kind of songs that in essence leave you wanting more. So instead, to satiate your appetite you just listen to em over and over again. Whether this was a deliberate tactic or not I don't know but the formula works. Melodic singalong verses and choruses abound throughout. You know, thinking back to the aforementioned musical influences, you can definitely hear em. The boys have concocted a selection of songs that become immediate ear worms. Think the catchiness of some of the best work by The Spookshow with the vocal stylings of Blag Dahlia and you're half way there.
X-Ray Cat Trio "Love, Blood & Monsters"
(Buzzards Claw Records 2020)
Terrordactyl
Morticia
Deathrace 2000
When You Gonna Do It
The Devil's Cum Rag Part 2
Reincaranation
Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Night
Getalong Gang
Ah C'mon!
Oh Baby Why Don't You Come Home
The Fiji Mermaid
Demiurge
Goodnight Little Vampire
Nina Noelle
I remember reviewing the lads' 2017 7" 'I Lied' and calling it "a funsize Rockabilly Psychosis And The Garage Disease". Well this is the party pack and should be shared with all your mates. No, wait. Lure your mates in and let them buy their own copies the miserly shower of shites! So, the everythingthatyoucouldimagine 'n' roll trio and more besides are back with 14 songs with more variety than a box of Roses...only there are none of those coffee flavours that nobody likes. Nay, this is Caramel Kegs, or Golden Barrels as they're now known for everyone! Now I have a very organised music collection. I'm a bit pedantic in that respect. Musing over what the fuck to add in the genre field in my metadata was a head scratcher so I finally decided on "Garage/Rockabilly/Surf/Sleazy Rock'n'Roll". That still doesn't cut it though. Suffice to say I love this band in all their musical guises and love this album. If The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Hasil Adkins, The Sonics, Charlie Feathers, The Ramones and Duane Eddy all indulged in a massive gangbang with a groupie, the resulting triplets would be the X-Ray Cat Trio.
Buy the album
X-Ray Cat Trio Official
X-Ray Cat Trio on Facebook
X-Ray Cat Trio bandcamp
Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook
Buy the album
X-Ray Cat Trio Official
X-Ray Cat Trio on Facebook
X-Ray Cat Trio bandcamp
Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Beat Devils "Andy The Frog"
If there's one thing I love more than crisps, it's Moscow's Beat Devils. Always a class act and never afraid to push the boundaries. Indeed they say fuck boundaries and scene traditions. That's one of the things I love about em. That and the fact they know how to write a catchy ditty and mix it with just the right amount of polish so as it stands out from the usual banal stuff littering the scene. Some bands add so much gloss that it tries to cover up the inadequacies beneath. These boys have no inadequacies. Au contraire, the talent is dripping off em like an egg sandwich. So last month they released an accompanying video for their song Andy The Frog and there's not a zombie or ghoul to be seen. HOORAH! See? Fuck scene traditions. Directed by Katya Merzlyakova and produced by Svetlana Shabaeva-Markina, it's a 3 minute movie-ette par excellence. Have a gander below and check out their Facebook page while you're at it. I love the Beat Devils me!
Sunday, December 29, 2019
The Red Lights Gang "Songs About Sin"
(Crazy Love Records 2019)
She Put A Spell On Me (My Baby)
Trail Of A Broken Heart
Mark
I Ain't Playing God
Sin Is My Good Brother
I Am The Rat
Brazil. Not a country that immediately springs to mind when you think of a honky-tonkin' rockabilly good time! Unless of course you happened across The Red Lights Gang playing a show in their home country. The boys have been treading the boards since 2009 and this, to the best of my knowledge, is only their second release. At least it's the second album by them to enter my bulging collection of bop-tinged beauties. If you haven't checked out their first release, 2013's 13 then do so. You're missing out. You're equally missing out if you don't snap up this 12 incher of black throbbing gristle (PC disclaimer: other colours are available). Rootsy twang sits astride some finely slapped rockabilly bass. Add to this Américo's drawling vocals and you have an outfit that mix the darker side of roots music with the knee-slapping beat of rockabilly but don't do so in a throwback way. No siree! The quintet make these classic influences sound current. Maybe it's the lyrical content, maybe it's the chord structures. Whatever it is, I like it! Crazy Love Records have gone ballistic again and released this album, as alluded to earlier, on a multitude of colours on big ol' heavy slabs of vinyl. Fans of roots music in all its guises will lap this up; but The Red Lights Gang play in such a way that those dwelling in the underworld of rockabilly, neo rockabilly and psychobilly (at least those who appreciate where the latter stems from) will also have erect nipples poking through their shirts!
Saturday, December 28, 2019
The Minestompers "Porno Mags & Body Bags"
(Crazy Love Records 2019)
Shellac Smile
Bone Breaking Beat
Vinyl Wonderland
Whirlwind
Attack Of The Space Sluts From Planet C.U.N.T. 6
Porno Mags
Pogo The Clown
Unleashed
Cop Killer
Demon Up My Arse
Suburban Savages
For A Fistful Of Shlonz
One Last Record
The Minestompers. One of the very few bands in psychobilly that don't rely on a slapped upright bass to sound...psychobilly. It's actually quite refreshing to hear a bass guitar for a change. It suits their sound much better anyway. Once again, vocalist Dave is in full-on hiccup mode and how these lads are not on some kind of register for sexual deviants is beyond me. It's all fairly mid-tempo by psychobilly's standards too which also works for the band. The album basically takes up from where their first self-titled release ended. The trademark Minestompers sound is stamped all over it. I can certainly detect an Ein Bier Bitte-era Coffin Nails influence but with the vocal stylings of '83 Guana Batz only harder. And yes, that is a cover of Body Count's Cop Killer! Sometimes second albums can sound the death knell for a band as they "progress" from their initial sound. This isn't the case here. The quartet of quasi-sex offenders have quite simply continued along the same path, but having garnered more studio experience, this album sounds better than the first....which I loved.
The album has been released on a multitude of colours on vinyl and good auld CD. Now for the big pain in the arse of linking everything up for all you lazy shites so all you have to do is click and spend. The things I do for you, and I get no thanks for it. Tut.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
The Devil 'n' Us "Still Devil's Music"
(Wolverine Records 2019)
Graveyard Of My Dreams
Burning Holes
Wolfhowl
The Shovel
Shake Some Dust
Dragged Down To Hell
Get Off The Road
My Little Sister
Man In The Shadow
Sell Your Shit
Puttin' On The Ritz
This Party Sucks
The Devil 'n' Us are very much a super-group. With members spanning Mad Sin, to Blue Rockin', straight through to Sunny Domestosz, it certainly adds up to an ensemble of the highest calibre. Since their inception in Berlin in 2012 the quartet may have been somewhat sparse in the releases department but sometimes it's quality over quantity. This release marks their third outing after their initial self-titled/self-released EP in 2012 and the 2013 follow-up album The Devil's Music also on Wolverine Records. The lads certainly like to mix things up musically. I suppose that's the way of things when you have such a diverse line up. On this album the boys can go from straight-up psychobilly to neo rockabilly right through to a big dollop of Kings Of Nuthin'-esque rockin' rhythm 'n' blues. Actually on The Shovel you'd be forgiven for thinking it was Torr Skoog and not Hellvis on vocals. But that's where the comparisons end. The Devil 'n' Us are very much their own machine and have carved out a nice little niche within the psychobilly realm with a sound that has a crossover appeal in that it gathers all the sub-genres within it and packs it all nicely into one unit. So if you're not sure what kind of musical mood you're in, listen to this album. It's sure to satiate all tastes.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
King Moroi "Story Of Dino And Fairy/Me And My Cat"
(Self-released 2019)
Story Of Dino And Fairy
Me And My Cat
King Moroi on Facebook
King Moroi Official
King Moroi on Spotify
King Moroi on Soundcloud
King Moroi on YouTube
Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook
Sunday, October 13, 2019
The Raygun Cowboys "Bloodied But Unbroken"
(Stomp Records 2019)
Limbo
Fast Machine
Truth
Jonesin'
YEG
The Only One
Ain't Got Time
Bloodied But Unbroken - Live My Life For Rock'n'Roll
Bring It Home Tonight
Walk Of Life
The Raygun Cowboys are a band that have been around for 19 years yet their recorded output is relatively sparse. It wasn't until 2006 that the boys released their debut album Underground Boogie. Back then they had the traditional rockabilly three-piece line up but by the time the self-titled 2008 release saw the light of day the boys had beefed up their sound with the addition of a horn section. Now then, I do not like horn sections. It's nothing to do with being closed-minded. I just know what I like and don't like. It generally turns a raw rockin' sound into a more saccharin rock'n'roll one. Some exclusions are, of course, King Kurt, Ghoultown and The Highliners. Therefore, I pretty much ignored The Raygun Cowboys without actually ever listening to em. What a gobshite I was. But then in 2017 the lads included a cover of the SNFU song Painful Reminder on their The Cowboy Code album. The video showed up on social media, I clicked on it, and it became an instant all-time favourite of mine. I'm very much a vocals kinda guy. They can either make a band shite, mediocre or in a league of their own. Well when the first few lines of the song emanated from my headphones I immediately sat up and took notice. Jön Christopherson is a vocalist par excellence. Bordering on operatic, he's a big man with a big voice ranging from baritone to tenor. So on the strength of that one song I went and sourced the entire Raygun Cowboys back catalogue and bought the lot. Two years after my epiphany the boys are back with their new album Bloodied But Unbroken. No bollixing around this time. An order was placed straight away. No waiting around for Postman Pat either or release dates as being the special boy that I am, Mike from Stomp Records sent me on the files for this very review. The Raygun Cowboys are the kind of outfit that leave you thinking, well they can't surpass their last record. That's the kind of quality they exude on each release. Yet, on each release, they do just that and this one is no exception. The slap bass and drums rockabilly backbeat is souped-up with a cowpunk guitar and rock'n'roll brass section. Sitting on top of that is Jön Christopherson's vocals which are equal parts velvet and aggression. Half way through listening to this album I thought to myself "I wonder what he'd sound like on a ballad with just an acoustic guitar?"...well lo and behold for the first couple of minutes on Bring It Home Tonight that's exactly what I got. So far this album had everything. But then, the final song awaited. I absolutely can not stand Dire Straits. If they just shortened their name to Dire it would be more apt. Their quasi-rock'n'roll song Walk Of Life is tedious. So, was this last song a cover of that song? Yes. Yes it was. But fuck me the boys breathe new life into it. Maybe it's Knopfler's vocals I find tedious about this song. Christopherson's vocals are the...anti-tedious! I still won't listen to it on repeat though. Sorry lads. You can thank Mark Knopfler for that. I will listen to the other 9 on repeat though until I figure out which is the standout track. As it stands that's a tough task. The album is due for release on October 25th in a whole variety of sexy packages from the boys' bandcamp page. They have a Canadian tour from late October to December to coincide with the release. Linkorama for all the info below.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
The Lucky Devils "News From Earth"
(Self-released 2019)
Ride For My Life
We're All Gonna Die
Banzai
Greensleeves
Zombie Kids
Cryin' In My Head
Bongos Sound
Grendizer Surf
Welcome To Hell
Psychos
Rasputin
Celebrating their 20th anniversary, the trio of Lille Lotharios bring forth their 11-dittied disc o' delights "News From Earth". The Lucky Devils have always been that band that bridge the gap perfectly between neo rockabilly and old school psychobilly. They've also always been that band that give a two-fingered salute to your common or garden array of cover versions. Actually, when ever they release an album I always perk up with glee when I see what they've chosen to cover. More often than not they're songs I like that don't "belong" in the rockin' rule book. Fuck rule books I say. A couple of years ago they did an astounding version of Matt Bianco's More Than I Can Bear on their Under Cover And Still Alive double album. This time they've taken Boney M.'s Rasputin and turned it into a cossackabilly stomper! There are a couple of other covers here too but they're not just a cover band so enough dwelling on that side of the band. The boys know how to pen a melodic original too. Melody is something that can get left behind in psychobilly when bands try to outdo themselves in the speed department....and those awful fucking shouty sore throat vocals with no air whatsoever. Conversely, Phil Lucky can hold a vocal note and then some. Add some dangerous-sounding, twangy, reverb-drenched guitar, a bass that seems to slap off the four walls, drumming that is for the fit and not the fat and that pretty much sums up News From Earth. All wrapped up in the excellent art of David Vicente, it really is a quality package! (I have one of those, in my trousers). It's available directly from the band on both CD and vinyl.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
The Hyperjax "Bringing The Bad Back Home"
(Wolverine Records 2019)
Bringing The Bad Back Home
I Persevere
Roaming The Dead End Streets
Shadow Brawler
Chasing The Night Down (To The Screaming End)
The Blind Leading The Blind
Cannon Fodder Blues
Age Of The Addictive Personality
Wayward Son
The Crowning Of A Fool
Going Down Smilin'
The Hyperjax. They're everything I like about punk and I'm picky as fuck about punk. With that said though, they're no punk band. They're very much the anti-pigeonhole outfit. They just have the elements I like about some punk bands. Catchy melodies and intelligent lyrics dealing with social issues, and observations about our current generation and life in general. Of course they also have the rockin' ingredient of a big ol' slap bass. They are not the much maligned "punk with a slap bass" combo though. They're way beyond that and are very much their own machine. They always have been since their inception in the mid 90s. But years of honing their craft and sound must make the guy down the record shop sigh with dismay as he tries to slot their records into the genre-specific sections of his music emporium. I have a press release here which states "Like The Jam meets Stray Cats meets The Living End". The Jam comparison I can see as Sam Woods' lyrics are comparable to those of Paul Weller. The Stray Cats...not so much and they're everything The Living End are not. That's one band that started out good and became something else altogether. Conversely The Hyperjax started out good and became something great. They didn't "progress" in such a way as to completely alienate their original audience. Sam Woods really has a way with words and together with Dan Clark and Neil Holden the trio have created an album that has none of the grating annoyance of 99% of punk and none of the tired run-of-the-mill blood and gore of 99% of psychobilly. What we have here is simplistic yet cleverly created, finely executed, punk rockin' parables for the denizens of many's the underground scene.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Night Nurse "The Antidote"
(Wolverine Records 2019)
Tell Me How
Baby Blue
Lost In Us
Who's The Fool
Ugh
Nurse U2 To Death
Self Esteem
Get Even
Bed Bug
Ding A Ling
First Steps
Finland seems to spit out talent without even trying. Bands from that neck of the woods bring a certain crossover rock appeal to things with the "billy" moniker stuck on the end. Night Nurse are no exception. Their latest offering "The Antidote" is oozing with slap bass driven sounds deserving of a bigger audience than just those of us hidden away yet in-the-know in the undergrowth of psychobilly's netherworld. Fronted by the sultry Nurse Camy, the quintet, as the album title alludes to, at least to my mind, offer up an antidote to the barrage of unimaginative, forgettable three-chord merchants clogging up the arteries of the scene. In their sonic syringe are equal measures of rock, punk'n'roll, indie-pop and an intravenous drip administering a steady flow of rockin' psychobilly. The production is on the money and sounds like it costed a fair bit of money to produce! This is no low budget affair. The mixing really is pristine. I will say however, the final track, First Steps, is quite a departure from the songs on the rest of the album. Stylistically I mean. It has that rock opus thing going on as opposed to the in-your-face onslaught of the others. Anyway, this album is filled with melodic, blood-romantic ditties that sound good on first listen and grow better and better with each subsequent listen. It's available on both LP and CD directly from Wolverine Records. Now I must dash as I have to ogle Nurse Camy once more in the video for Baby Blue...
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Degenerated "Downfall Of Humanity"
(Killjoy Records 2019)
Downfall Of Humanity
I Hate It
Ah yes, good auld Degenerated. The trio of Berlin-bollixes are back with their second outing on vinyl. The boundary-bending blackguards certainly take no prisoners with what can only be described as a cacophony of chaos. Starting out with some mellow folky acoustic guitar it's not long until the whole thing descends into punked-out rockabilly psychosis of the lo-fi variety. Sonically they certainly capture the bleakness of the lyrics but with a memorable catchy chorus. Madman tells me the 7" was very much a DIY project and the forthcoming album is already mixed and has better production values. But I kinda like the DIY sound of this release so stick that up your f-hole.
Flipping her over, the fuzzabilly sound is replaced by somewhat of a psychotic hoedown ditty that appeals to my cowpunk sensitivities. I like the no-nonsense lyrical content too. Look at me there liking the new Degenerated record when Madman thought I would think it was shite! As is the norm for Killjoy, the little round slab is available in a range of colours...70 blue (band edition), 50 orange (Killjoy edition) and all the rest in black.
Flipping her over, the fuzzabilly sound is replaced by somewhat of a psychotic hoedown ditty that appeals to my cowpunk sensitivities. I like the no-nonsense lyrical content too. Look at me there liking the new Degenerated record when Madman thought I would think it was shite! As is the norm for Killjoy, the little round slab is available in a range of colours...70 blue (band edition), 50 orange (Killjoy edition) and all the rest in black.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Tasteless "Bad Taste! EP"
(Self-released 2019)
Bad Taste
Panic & Confusion
Imposter
If She's Square
I don't excite easily (ask my ex-girlfriends), but when the star-studded quartet Tasteless started dropping teasers of their upcoming EP, there was a volcanic eruption in me trousers! Back when I first started to move from rockabilly to psychobilly, I always had a preference for the bands that lay somewhere in between. Neo Rockabilly has always been where it's at for me musically. But, the ratio of psychobilly bands to that of neo rockabilly in the new millennium is 100:1. I'm talking the proper stuff. When I envisage in my mind what neo rockabilly sounds like, Tasteless are 100% on the money. The quartet came together in 2018 featuring four stalwarts of all things rockin' and psycho. So who's who then? Kevin Haynes of Torment fame is on sticks duty, dirty slapper Bruno Malo from the Moonshine Stalkers is giving the bass a good rogering, Ray Waters of the boundary-pushing Zipheads is on vocals (and what pipes he has) whilst former Mad Dog Cole/Devils Wrays twangster Loz Hawkins has that neo guitar sound down to a tee. Right from the get-go, the clean-sounding catchytastic guitar intro of Bad Taste sets you up for a riotous trip through neo rockabilly brilliance. The eight-second wait for the bass and drums backbeat to kick in almost psyches you up for what's to come. Perfect track placement for an EP that exudes class. Think Fractured crossed with the all-too-short-lived Cellmates and you're half way there. Holy Jaysus I love this record. I thought I'd never come across another new band who play this particular style of rockin' the right way again. What a welcome addition to the scene they are. Both vocally and musically (that guitar!) the lads are in a league of their own. They look the part, they sound the part, they are the part! The EP will be released at the end of August and you can preorder it now (link below). They're playing the Psychobilly Meeting in July and will have some units for sale there. If, like me, you're averse to sun, do yourself a favour and preorder this slab of neo-finesse without hesitation.
Monday, June 10, 2019
The Bloodstrings "Born Sick"
(Wolverine Records 2017)
Intro
Born Sick
Ready For The Storm
Kiss Goodbye
Mondsüchtig (Featuring Kitty Casket)
Cutthroat Love
Damaged
Best Of Me
My Heart Is Like An Engine (Featuring Mo Diggerz)
Last Call
Confession
Tonight We Dine In Hell (Bonus Track)
Hold The Line (Bonus Track)
The Bloodstrings from Aachen first came to my attention back in 2014 when they released their début album Coal-Black Heart. My initial impression of the band was that they were like a kind of psychobilly version of The Spookshow. It's an excellent record. Their new album though takes the sound of the first album and adds a lot more aggression. It's as if the band have carved out their own niche over the past 5 years and put their own stamp on what is loosely termed punkabilly. There's a lot more to The Bloodstrings than can be summed up by using that particular term. The band is a melting pot of influences and it's that diversity which somehow blends perfectly together that make the band stand head and shoulders above their competition. People ask me how can I only listen to one type of music? I don't. Take this album, it's not "one type of music". It's filled with aural delicacies ranging from punked-out new school psychobilly to horror punk and ballads filled with dark romance. The latter of which I absolutely love and really showcases Celina's excellent vocal chords. Speaking of vocalists, there are a couple of guest spots on the album in the guises of Kitty Casket from Kitty In A Casket and Mo Diggerz from The Diggerz. If chanting punk rock backing vocals, finely executed instrumentation, lyrics that deal with societal woes and heartbreak told through the medium of horror topped off with an expertly slapped bass appeal to you then snap this one up before it disappears into the ether like their first album.
The Bloodstrings on Facebook
Buy the album on vinyl or CD
Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook
The Bloodstrings on Facebook
Buy the album on vinyl or CD
Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook
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