Batboner from Norway were already featured on the pages of this webzine when I reviewed their last release. Now, they are back with their brand new EP containing four songs and this is the final record with their drummer Zonetripper who left the band and it is a sort of hommage to him. On this new one Batboner continue where they left off with the previous one, delivering eerie gothic punk mixed with raw punk rock and death rock, also some horror punk influences in the song structures. I love how this band on both releases manages to create kind of eerie melodies, meaning, yes, they are melodic but somehow spooky and songs like ‘Flaccid’ could be hits in any goth club because it is a very straightforward and dancable song. ‘litch’ is a song in which those beautiful haunted vocal lines come to forefront and deliver mighty punch in the face and blackened heart. As I can hear this new EP leans more on punk side of things and music is still death rock but with more of a punk touch. ‘Light In The Void’ is a personal favorite of mine with that nice bass melody, simple and hitting through to you. Vocals are again at the forefront but chorus is at the same time more aggressive yet melancholic. ‘Skretch’ is a final song on this EP and leaves me wanting more and saying long live the horror!
Killing Innocence is a band from USA I first heard with this release, never listened to them before. This record contains 10 songs. It is interesting that I found this one when I researched horror punk but this is so much more. First, this is DIY recording, raw and unbridled without studio magic and it brings me to nostalgic days when we released tapes with rehearsal demos on it. Second, this is not horror punk. There are some horror punk and death rock influences in songs like ‘Evil Eddie’ or ‘Necrophiliac’ but there is also pure raw punk, with many Oi and street punk stuff in the song structures, but also Ramones are noticable in ‘The Wannabe Song’. This trio plays like punk is, anything goes, there are some mistakes or sloppy played parts, at least I heard it that way, but this is punk and that is why we love it isn’t it? If I must compare this band to some other bands, it would be Cancerslug, to which they reminded me in couple of songs a lot too.
We stay in far away scenes and places. DEAD EVIL are hailing from Auckland, New Zealand and this is, as the title says, album of cover songs done in horror punk, death rock and shock rock way, like this band is playing. Horror punk scene might be small but it is linked and ones of the most friendly scene people come from that scene, at least I had such experiences. Now, to the record. This one contains 13 songs, some known, some less known. There are classics like ‘Bad Moon Rising’ done in more country horror way, also classic ‘He’s Back(The Man Behind The Mask)’ – guess about whom this song is hehe. I love ‘The Buddi Song’ having that eerie 8-bit feeling hehe. Misfits cover ‘Descending Angel’ is decent, even better than that Jerry Only abomination incarnation of Misfits with his son and Goat on drums. ‘Monster Mash’ is done in a cool way too, besides my personal favorites ‘Chain Saw’, ‘My Delirium’ – THE best on this record. So, if you love your horror covers, go get this one. It is ‘name your price’ but if you download it, send a word or two of appreciation, I am sure it will mean a lot.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 