Forums of Filth

I know the favorite flavor around here is typically metal, and I can certainly appreciate that, but I've tapped into something completely unknown to me recently and I think it's certainly share worthy with the rest of you.

Death rock, horror punk, this is my latest obsession and I've discovered a lot of shit that I think kicks ass on most everything in the universe. Everyone around here is probably familiar with The Misfits, and if you like them, then you'll probably really dig a lot of these bands. Most of them have a heavy base in gothic music, but drop all preconceived notions about that genre. These bands seriously kick ass. My recent acquisitions are the following:

Antidote Records is home to a lot of really awesome horror rock bands. They seem to be a central label to the American horror rock movement. If you look around their site, they have a sampler called Rock Is Undead that is freely distributed. You can download the whole thing and listen to it to your heart's content to get a feel for the other bands on the label.

Calabrese are my current favorite band on the Antidote label. Their harmonies are ripped straight off of a Misfits album and their songs don't feature many more than three chords, but they present it all with a shitload of energy that is tough to resist. Their song Midnight Spookshow is featured on the Antidote sampler and is really cool.

Antiworld are a shameless robbery of 45 Grave, but that's really not such a bad thing. They're from Portland, OR.

Rock City Morgue is the latest project of Sean Yseult, formerly of White Zombie and Famous Monsters. The music is really cocky and trashy and manages to stay out of the typical cliches (misfits ripoffs, 45 Grave ripoffs, rockabilly) that a lot of these deathrock bands slip into sometimes.

Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 are the band that preceeded the Roadrunner band Murderdolls. As a matter of fact, a lot of the Murderdolls songs were Drag Queens songs first. It's loud, rude and extremely trashy. They're a lot glammier than most of the bands in the deathrock scene and some of their songs even bring to mind Motley Crue with a shitload more raunch.

The Brides/The Brickbats/Rock And Roll Star Destroyer is the band of a thousand sideprojects. I think The Brickbats came first and they mutated from there. I'm still trying to figure out what makes The Brides different from The Brickbats since both bands feature the same mebers and they both sound the same. Maybe the addition of a keyboardist for The Brides is the difference. RnR Star Destroyer is a concept band where everyone is an Ace Frehley knock off and all their songs sound like Kiss and are about destroying the Earth. My personal favorite of the bunch is The Brickbats. They're awesome.

The Coffinshakers are a vampire country band. They write songs about being a vampire, drinking blood, sleeping during the day and seeking victims. Their sound is a very old style country in the vein of Cash or Williams Sr. - the vocals go from Bela Lugosi to Eddie Spaghetti in the same song often. They're a class act and I have yet to hear anything like them. Ghoultown doesn't count because they suck.

Zombina & The Skeletones - I have NEVER heard anything like this band. They aren't agressive like many of these other bands can be. Not in the slightest. They're actually a pop group with extremely syruppy sweet songs about being a zombie, marrying a giant ape and being unable to get rid of a radioactive meteorite. Despite the complete lack of balls on this album, I find myself compelled to listen to it and I can't stop. Neither can anyone else. The deathrock chat on Soulseek is constantly swamped with requests for their album Taste the Blood of Zombina and The Skeletones. I can't explain it. It's beyond catchy. I hear the song Nobody Likes You in my sleep.

Thanks for putting the time in the post Latte, sounds like some interesting stuff..

Well, since you say Ghoultown sucks, at least I know you have some taste. Some of those sound interesting, I shall look into it. Thanks.

Cool, can you make some recommendations of albums to start with. Maybe your personal faves. I am especially interested int he coffinshakers and zombina

Why does Ghoultown suck? I've liked most of what I've heard from them. What gives?

I've heard some Rock City Morgue and can vouch for some of their tunes. Other than that, this scene is news to me.

Originally posted by Lila Moss
Cool, can you make some recommendations of albums to start with. Maybe your personal faves. I am especially interested int he coffinshakers and zombina

Most of these bands have released only EPs and 7"s. However, some do have full lengths.

The Coffinshakers only have a couple of things still in print. You can still get their album We Are The Undead from their website, but distribution on them is a little wonky. They release their stuff in very small quantities so it goes quickly. On the flip side, if you order from them, the album will only cost you $10 American.

Zombina have one full length out called Taste The Blood Of... and it's really awesome. You can order it from their website. The entire album is a little inconsistent, as the first few tracks are great, it hits a slump in the middle and then ends with a great song (Horror High School).

Calabrese have an EP called Midnight Spookshow on Antidote. You can order it from Interpunk. It's a steal for only $6 and it's a seriously cool disc. Coming soon, the band has a full length on the way. I know nothing about it only that it'll probably feature a couple of the Midnight Spookshow tracks and a cover of the Misfits' 'Night of the Living Dead'.

Rock City Morgue also only has a six song EP out on Antidote. You can buy it from the label.

Frankenstein Drag Queens you can get at their site. But be warned, for reasons unknown, their albums cost a fucking arm and a leg. You might as well send them your soul plus shipping for what they're charging. If you do decide to drop the heavy change on their stuff, I recommend Night of the Living Drag Queens.

A good place to start with Antiworld is their full length, The Horror Of It All. Then try 45 Grave's 'Sleep In Safety'. The similarities are shocking. I'd die laughing if Antiworld ever did a cover of Party Time.

The Brickbats are, unfortunately, tough to hook up with. I've looked all over the place and can't seem to find any of their stuff online. Look in used bins or ebay. If you happen upon these, Monster Party and Creepy Crawly are both awesome. The Brides can be ordered from their website. I recommend Here Come The Brides Part One. Rock and Roll Star Destroyer only have one album out and it's available at the Brides website.

I'd also like to add a couple of other mentions to the list. Penis Flytrap, whose website is still under development. If you have a cool record store nearby, you can probably order their album Dismemberment. Otherwise, wait for the site to come online. I'm sure you'll be able to order it from them. Penis Flytrap is Dinah Cancer (who was the singer for 80's deathrock band 45 Grave. If you're not familiar with them, put on Return of the Living Dead. Their song Party Time is played in it over and over.

Also great are The Independents. They're a little on the silly side and have an older punk sound with some ska influences, but they're really good. Their album Back From The Grave is great and has a few entertaining covers on it, including the Circle Jerks' 'American Heavy Metal Weekend' and 'Sword of Damocles' from Rocky Horror. You can order it from Interpunk.

Originally posted by DylanDog
Why does Ghoultown suck? I've liked most of what I've heard from them. What gives?

Sorry, man. I discovered them back when I first found The Coffinshakers and thought horror country would be cool but I just couldn't stand them. They really didn't seem to grasp what made a good country song.

Now, I'm not condoning file sharing, but I am saying that Soulseek is a really good sharing application and that the Deathrock chat room is very friendly. I hang out there. I also have these albums ripped into mp3s.

penis flytrap kick ass...

Figured I'd add another group to the list:

This time it's Lee Press On & The Nails. They have a terrible name, but their music is some of the best I've ever heard. Unlike the above horrorpunk bands, Lee Press On takes a vastly different route. They're a swing band with a seriously sinister tilt. Most of the set is comprised of old big band songs, but they do throw in their own originals and their original songs are always horror themed. They never seem to play outside of California, as I'm sure many of them have day jobs and such that make it tough to tour, so I'll never get to see them, but if you're near San Diego, you can catch them regularly at various clubs.

Lee also makes electronic music on the side, but I don't know if his solo stuff has ever been released. He does techno songs that sound like Carl Stalling dropped acid and played with a Roland 303. He also makes industrial music that avoids the serious, menacing side of the genre and features tons of B movie samples and such.

They're very, very good. Check them out.

I'm way too lazy to take the time to look into all of this, but perhaps you might be able to riddle me this. Who did that song "Watching Monster Movies"? I seem to recall the chorus going something to the effect of:


"Nobody told me not to be afraid
I never knew there was any other way
I didn't question, I never wondered why
I like ugly monsters and seeing people die..."

I used to have that song on a tape of a punk show I recorded about 12 years ago but never knew who sang it. And I'm only assuming that is the actual name of the song. It might be something different. "No prize" to the first person who can tell me!

I'm stumped on that one. Maybe the Necros or the Undead?

how about balzac...japenese horror punk...

http://www.balzac308.com

Balzac is pretty good, even if most of their songs (at least on the one CD I have, "Beyond the Darkness") sound the same.

Two others I have a soft spot for are The Electric Hellfire Club and The Groovie Ghoulies. I'll admit to having more than one goth cd in my collection too. And let's not forget Mercyful Fate! Guilty pleasures all.

And the band I was looking for earlier was "Yard Trauma".

I've only heard one Balzac song on a Misfits tribute, I think they did Night of the Living Dead, and I really didn't like it. But it was just a cover song, so I think they deserve a second shot with some original material.

There's a band from Portland, ME called The Horror. They're like Mr. Bungle in a lot of ways. Their newest album is weird as hell, but it does have a great cover, speaking of Mercyful Fate. Maybe you'll recognize it.

Originally posted by DylanDog
Balzac is pretty good, even if most of their songs (at least on the one CD I have, "Beyond the Darkness") sound the same.

yeah...each song has the bassist doint that yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh...thing...but...theyre fun...


the day the earth caught on fire...hehehe...

Haha! That cover is awesome! Thanks for posting it!

Balzac's Beyond the Darkness is a best off CD, I believe with some tracks re-recorded. Their cover of The Misfits' "The Haunting" (I think) is pretty funny. I thought the guy couldn't speak ANY english, and even knowing the lyrics to the song I couldn't make out what he was saying. I figured on original material it would be different. It's not, really. He's a mumbler. Even when singing in Japanese. I enjoy Balzac, but they're certainly not setting the Earth on fire, as it were. The Beyond The Darkness CD comes with a DVD with some videos/live clips which are pretty cool.

Another, indie, horror rock band to check out is Eerie Lincoln. They sent me all sorts of shit for free for months after ordering one CD, plus I used to get an annual Halloween card.

http://www.eerieln.net/index1.htm

Their song Sex or the Saw is awesome! I have one album of theirs.

Ok, it really has nothing to do with horror, but this was finally released a couple weeks back. I can't wait to get mine. It's available at mchawking.com

thats fucking awesome...

i gotta hear that!!!