A brilliant show called
Metal Evolution did an interview with Dave Mustaine, asking the
Megadeth guitarist and vocalist if he still considered his band to be
a 'thrash metal' band. Mustaine's reply was in the affirmative.
Megadeth are a thrash metal band, he said, but we're also so much
more.
The
Thirteen Shots are a horror punk band. But they are so much more.
Rising from the darkness to give the ancient genre of horror punk a
kick up the skeletal backside, their début album, Vaudeville,
gained rave reviews from all corners of the alternative music scene,
including the legend that is Michale Graves (and if you don't know
who he is, leave the hall. Now!).
A
year later, The Thirteen Shots have released their follow-up to the
8-track attack that was Vaudeville,
beautifully titled Tales That Start With a
Whisper.
It's a brilliant album. It's a horror punk album. And it's so much
more...
The
opening track, 'Death Jam 2000', kicks off with hoards of cheering
fans and a grand announcement, before the music kicks off. It's a
seriously catchy song, combining horror punk with 1960's rock and
roll, and dare I say it, the tiniest hint of heavy metal. A
fast-paced rocker that is short in length and directly acknowledges
the band itself – We could be talking 'Death Jam 2000' or 'We Are
Motorhead' here. Izzy's guitar really powers this tune, with a
delicious driving riff. The Thirteen Shots grab you by the balls from
track 1, and they don't let go!
'Zombies
From The USSR' is a bonkers tune, the catchy garage-rock music backed
up with some splendidly silly lyrics. It was a good choice as the
album's big single, and the music video that accompanies it is
brilliant too. Let's face it, we all love zombies, don't we?
'Bewitched'
is a straight-up horror punk song, with a heavy bass sound courtesy
of 'GMT', and frantic drumming from the ever-brilliant Chelsea. The
riff, the chorus, and Johnny Rose's howling vocals invoke classic
Blitzkid, with a nice Thirteen Shots twist, and a haunting dose of
Gothic. 'Bewitched' is definitely a stand-out song for me, and
belongs in any essential horror punk play-list.
'Psycho
Jukebox' kicks things up a notch, returning to the cheeky,
tongue-in-cheek swinging grooves of some of the Thirteen Shots'
earlier work, combing swinging garage-rock, rock and roll, and even a
dose of indie! This song should be played in every horror-punk and
Goth club, at every Halloween party and event, so catchy and upbeat
is it. This is the sound of a band who are having a blast, and you're
invited along to their insane shenanigans! A song to dance to, and
maybe kill to, as well!
'Get
In My Crypt' has a heavy main riff that instantly brings to mine
Graves-era Misfits...and then it all goes crazy. Just when you think
you have a handle on the record, it throws you in a totally different
direction. Heavier than 'Psycho Jukebox', but less melancholy than
'Bewitched', 'Get In My Crypt' is an ode to living it up on the dark
side. Paying tribute to Zombina, Dracula, Zombies and all things that
go bump in the night, this is a battle-cry for Horror Punks
everywhere. The song also has a KILLER guitar solo, and delightful
backing-vocals, and it's a wonder how any band could pack so much
into two minutes and thirty-four seconds. But they pull it off
admirably. Another stand-out track, another one for that 'Essential
Horror Punk Play-List' I was talking about earlier.
'Nekro-Sexual'
is groovy, groovy song. The lyrics are hilarious, and Johnny Rose is
once again on fire here. Riffs, solos, pounding drums, and
bone-shaking bass, 'Nekro-Sexual's cry of “Stomp on my balls!”
will lodge itself into your head, and you will humming the tune for
weeks. This album really does lay it on heavy, all killer, no filler.
Fast songs, slower songs, heavy songs, softer songs, but the variety
really brings it to life. Or un-life. Or [INSERT UN-DEAD PUN HERE].
You know what I mean.
I
have been reviewing this album in track-list order. The final studio
track of the album, 'Tales That Start With A Whisper', is more than
just a beautiful title. The catchy riff (this album is chock-full of
them), the Wednesday 13-esque tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the
fist-pumping chorus...As you listen to the album, you choose a
favourite song. And then you hear another, and you change your mind.
And then you reach the end of the record and hear the title track,
and you realise that the awesomeness never ends. A glorious song
about the state of Vampires today, a serious issue for us proper
horror fans, 'Tales That Start With A Whisper' is simply incredible.
As mentioned earlier, Johnny Rose is letting out his inner Wednesday
13 where the lyrics are concerned (“They're horny old men searching
for a fuck!”), but although the Thirteen Shots' influences are
clear, they have their own identity, an identity that has evolved
through the course of two brilliant albums and endless touring.
'Tales That Start With A Whisper', the song and the album, is a clear
statement of who the Thirteen Shots are. Talented, original, and full
of surprises, and more than capable of creating a record that never
disappoints.
'Tales
The Start With A Whisper' is a must-buy for any serious horror-punk
fan, any metalhead with a love for horror, anyone really who is
looking for a good time. Lyrically fantastic, musically flawless, and
vocally deranged, this is one record you will want to take with you
to the grave. In an age where horror punk has become rather stale and
predictable, the Thirteen Shots have injected new life into this
Frankenstein Monster of a genre.
The
Thirteen Shots are a horror punk band. But my God, they are so much
more!
STANDOUT TRACKS:
- Death Jam 2000
- Bewitched
- Get In My Crypt
- Nekro-Sexual
-Tales That Start With A Whisper
THE BAND:
Johnny Rose – Vocals
Izzy – Guitar/Backing Vocals
GMT – Bass
Chelsea - Drums
FOR FANS OF:
Raizing Hell, The Misfits, Wednesday 13, Astrovamps, Blitzkid, The Creepshow
For more from the Thirteen Shots:
www.thirteenshots.co.uk
http://horror-punks.com/profile/ThirteenShots
www.twitter.com/thirteenshotsuk
