Jaysus it's been so long since I reviewed a record that it's taken me the best part of an hour to remember how this thing even works. But here I am, back again, after over a year's absence with me trousers down around me ankles as I shake my fist vigorously at the screen whilst taking in the aural delights of the sexy new EP from The Diggerz. Now a quartet with the addition of a second guitarist, Mo tells me their sound is fatter. I heard him wrong at first and thought he was body shaming me again! He wasn't complaining when he was eating the almonds from betwixt my moobs though. The dirty fecker! But anyway, enough teats and nuts related jovial japes. He tells me their new album is at the pressing plant with a planned release date for June 10th this year. Now then, this new release sees a departure from their 2015 album A Psycho's Tale on Crazy Love Records. Fuck me, 7 years ago! Did you see me adding links there? The things I do for you ungrateful shower of shites. It's not a departure as-in, fuck me, they're shite now. Au contraire! The psychobilly sound and non-run of the mill melodies are still there but the sound is more powerful, more rock'n'roll if you will. 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!
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
Right then, looking at the head on Billy Moonbeam I better not say a bad word about this album. A frontman that's the epitome of pant-soiling aggression with a life story that more than fits the image. It's actually not an image! You can tell by the lyrical content that the man is writing from the heart; from either experience or stories told during his 18 year stint in the big house. The quintet hail from New England on the north east of the US of A and this is their first long player following on from their two singles "Dial M For Murder" and "Dragstrip Hero". Formed in 2018 from members of The Uglies, The Rockaholics, The Guts and Satan's Teardrops, it's quite the pedigree and melting pot of influences. So, what do they sound like then? Skim a stone across a lake and with each touchdown you get a blast of either psychobilly, manic rockabilly, punk'n'roll and everything in between. Vocally young Moonbeam reminds me of Charlie Splatterhead from Los Gatos Locos. With that said, I get a definite Los Gatos Locos influence throughout the album in that The Hellbound Hitmen are also of the same sonically and lyrically hostile, belligerent mould. Psychobilly can go either way...tongue firmly in cheek or fist firmly in jaw. This album is the latter. I approve!
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!).
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!
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.
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.
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!
