'Of Ghouls and Men' - Album Review

Formed in 2010 by Liv Decay and Oly 'Sinnister' Sinn, Raizing Hell (whose line-up is completed by Mr. Zombie on guitar and Demented Vlash on bass) are finally ready to unleash their first full-length album to the world. Titled 'Of Ghouls and Men', it is a worthy addition to the new wave of horror punk, and something very different.

The album goes for the jugular right from the off. There are no lengthy guitar solos or moments of deep introspection here. This is straight-up, pounding shock'n'roll, with the spirit of old-school punk and a vocalist who could almost be described as an evil Dolly Parton!

'We Are Raizing Hell' opens the album, and is a great self-referential tune in the style of Motorhead's 'We Are Motorhead'. Kicking off with some seriously frantic drumming, the song explodes with Mr. Zombie's razor-sharp riffage and the thundering bass of Demented Vlash in a way that the 'Head would most certainly be proud of. Liv Decay rasps through the song like she's channelling Lemmy Kilmister himself, although her trademark hollar is present and correct.

'(Do It) All The Way' is next, a vicious edge to the riffs here that is reminiscent of the Murderdolls. Liv too, manages here to sound like a female Wednesday 13, although she switches to the softer melodies with ease, lending the tune a welcome depth. This is another instant of the band taking their influences, and bending them to suit their own style, instead of just copying and imitating.

'Love To Hate' is a schizophrenic combination of bluesy beats and insane speed. The juxtaposition emphasises the heavier moments as well as the softer, more haunting parts of the song, threading the elements together rather beautifully.

It is at this point that I started to consider the bands' name – 'Raizing Hell'. 'Of Ghouls and Men' is just one huge party, and the band really do live up to their name. 'Thing For Murder' is a case-in point. A modern pop-punk guitar riff and Decay's country-and-western style singing make impossible NOT to dance, especially during the chorus!

'Shining' – a special song for the band – is altogether heavier, almost metal, to begin with. Demented Vlash's shark-attack bass intro leads into some serious axe-work (look at the song title-pun intended!), before progressing into a haunting, yet catchy, tune that could easily have appeared on the Misfits' 'Famous Monsters' album! 'Shining' yet again shows the band bending their influences, shaping them around their own music, and the beautiful chorus and lyrics are an absolute must for all the horror fanatics out there! A stand-out track!

'One Way Road' is a proper highway punk anthem something to blast out when your speeding off into the sunset (or dreaming about speeding off into the sunset), while 'Terror Television's' cry of “Kill or be killed!” is a call-to arms to maniacs everywhere.

'Invasion of the Infrasluts' switches from horror to cheesy sci-fi – a foul-mouthed tyraid of lunacy with an uber-fast chorus, and terrifically old-school guitar riffs. Think the Misfits' 'Teenagers From Mars', but a hell of a lot more insane, and you're halfway there.

Call it dark-pop, anti-pop, or whatever, but 'Cemetary Bash' is a weird mix of creepy lyrics and a beautifully sung chorus that is almost Shania Twain in it's essence (not a bad thing)! Liv Decay isn't afraid to show off every facet of her amazing voice, and Oly, Mr. Zombie, and Vlash all rise to the occasion with murderous ease.

And speaking of murderous ease, just when you think the band have exhausted their potential for any more epic horror punk anthems, they give us 'Rock'n'roll For The Dead'. Essentially a country-and-western-meets-hard-rock riot, this stand-out track transcends genres in a way that horror punk has never really dared to before, and will likely have the fans in the audience jiving and grooving more than just headbanging! An absolute corker of a song!

'Of Ghouls and Men', like all parties, has to end sometime, and this album closes with flair. Not, as expected, a homage to 'Dawn of The Dead', 'Zombie Nation' is actually an attack on the mindless sheep of society, glued to reality television and following the crowd. It's about the need to be individual, to make your own way in life, and with the intense riffage, rumbling bass, rolling drums, and a big, singalong chorus, 'Zombie Nation' summarises the whole of 'Of Ghouls and Men' in three and a half minutes, and leaves you craving more!

'Of Ghouls and Men' is one hell of a debut album! Each musician approaches their instrument with confidence and skill, and Liv Decay stands apart from all the other female vocalists out there by daring to be different. Raizing Hell have a fantastic core sound, and yet they aren't afraid to experiment, and think outside the box.

'Of Ghouls and Men' wasn't made to be analysed and dissected. It was made to blow your balls off. Buy it, turn it up to 11, and have the best horror party this side of Halloween. If you like horror punk, you will LOVE this!

RAIZING HELL ARE:

Liv Decay – Vocals

Mr. Zombie – Guitar, backing vocals

Demented Vlash – Bass, backing vocals

Oly 'Sinnister' Sinn – Drums

'Of Ghouls and Men' Stand-Out Tracks:

• Thing For Murder
• Shining
• Rock'n'roll For the Dead
• Zombie Nation

Also check out:

• Thirteen Shots – Tales That Start With A Whisper
• The Misfits – The Devil's Rain

For more information, visit Raizing Hell's Official Facebook Page: Raizing Hell

Cory Eadson, 2013

'Tales That Start With A Whisper' - A Review

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