First song ‘Teenage Nosferatu Pussy‘ is a straight up pounding intro track, treading familiar ground with the combined pulse of the guitar & drums beckoning you to chant along with the mad ringmaster. I can easily see this becoming a show opener with the crowd marching along like an army of demented followers. Oh, and that organ does add a certain something.

Next up is the first single from the album, ‘Dead Radio & The New Gods Of Supertown‘, a stomping pop-metal romp through the brain of Zombie, casting himself as the conductor of the reanimated corpse of radio. As a fan of RZ’s music I’ve got to say that I loved the rhythm of this track and instantly wanted to listen again. It definitely sounds different but also somewhat the same. The next track could have come straight from ‘The Sinister Urge’ with a thick wall of guitar riffery and loud brash drums, topped with Zombies old-school twang, I loved it. If you are a fan who yearns for a throwback to the dirtier, punkier days of White Zombie’s ‘Revolution Revelation‘ is it. Next is the now customary instrumental interlude.

Then we get to possibly the most interestingly titled track on the record, ‘Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga‘, the cheerleading cry of Peter Pan Pentagram! A bombastic tune interspersed with movie quotes and eerie sound effects. ‘Rock And Roll (In A Black Hole)‘ then slows things down for the first time since the start of the album, but this is slowed down in a purely Zombie way. The song erupting with its chorus of ‘We’re all dancing in a black hole, when all we wanna do is rock and roll‘ is another chant for the mutated masses.

Track 7, ‘Behold, Pretty Filthy Creatures‘ possesses an awesome organ solo that everyone should love and a chorus that may contain a little bit of social commentary if you look into it far enough. Next we have a call to arms for ‘White Trash Freaks‘ everywhere. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your boogaloo dolls, just listen and it will make sense, maybe.

Onto the next song and we get to retain some sanity with a straight forward Zombified cover of Grand Funk Railroad‘s ‘We’re An American Band‘. After that forked road back to the village we find ourselves back in the familiar cannibal-infested woods of Rob Zombie’s world with a song dedicated to the dark lords rising. ‘Lucifer Rising‘ is a perfect display of a band who know exactly how they want to sound and have a damn good time doing it.

As we start to get to the close of the album we are greeted by one of the best tracks in my opinion and a strong contender for the next video, ‘The Girl Who Loved The Monsters‘, a story about a girl who wishes to be one of creatures she loves. Now we reach the final track ‘Trade In Your Guns For A Coffin‘. Sounds like an acoustic western song? Haha, Hell no! Rob Zombie puts in what could be one of his punkier songs of recent times, with a fast delivery and the familiar twang of John 5′s guitar, this is no album closer, this is a warning that Zombie is enjoying his music more than ever and he shows no intention of slowing down. Haters gonna hate, but myself? I enjoyed this album and I’m sure with a few beers I’d only enjoy it more.

Calabrese formed in 2003 and consists of brothers Jimmy, Bobby and Davey. Their distinctive horror-punk sound has earned them comparisons to some of the genres biggest groups and an adoring legion of hardcore fans. Bridging the gap between The Misfits and Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, the boys have just released their 3rd album ‘They Call Us Death’ to typically positive reviews.

In addition to their already jam-packed resume, they appeared in one of this years Horrorfests’ 8 Films To Die For titles The Graves. Dipping their toes into the vast arena of horror is nothing new for Calabrese though, it was always a natural progression for the siblings. In his own words, Jimmy says “Why do you think we chose this genre? I don’t think we really had a choice. We just followed the bands we loved and grew up with. Since we are brothers we all ended up liking the same music and movies and video games.”

It would only require a cursory glance at any of the bands stylised and stylish music videos to see the abundance of horror movie influences present. For decades, bands within the genre have presented an amalgamation of classic horror and traditional punk rock but few have managed it so successfully as Calabrese. Possessing a sound that they’ve made their own and an intimidating presence between them, the horizon looks very bright (or should that be dark) for the current kings of the scene.

Brian Pulido; writer and director of The Graves says “Quite simply, Calabrese is the world’s greatest horror punk band and they’re coming to get you.” Never a truer word was spoken.

‘On set’ photograph courtesy of Jimmy Calabrese.

Calabrese on MySpace

Calabrese Official Website

Look out for The Graves, coming soon to DVD!

Hailing from Leeds and signed to Brew Records, These Monsters are about to unleash their particular brand of darkly atmospheric punk-rock on the unsuspecting UK public. The four piece have already garnered much praise and have acquired quite the positive reputation for their memorable, orchestral live shows. Their first single, titled ‘Call Me Dragon’, is now available online. The video, directed by drummer Tommy Davidson with cinematography by Adam Conlon, has echoes of many classic and modern horror movies and seemingly takes its cues from Brit favourites such as 28 Days Later with its heavy use of filters and bleached-out imagery. Summoning a mounting sense of madness and blending rich surrealism with frenetic lunacy, it complements the track perfectly.

The album is released on 1st March 2010 but if you can’t wait until then, check out the video for ‘Call Me Dragon’ right here…

Chickenhawk was born in 2004. They recorded three songs in 2005 and released a demo before recording two more songs in 2006 for a split EP released on Millipede Records, alongside tracks from ‘I Breathe Spears’ and ‘With Scissors’. They then recorded 12 songs from April to December 2007 and released their album in 2008 on Sound Devastation Records. Their latest single; ’I Hate This, Do You Like It?’ is due for release next month courtesy of Brew Records and to accompany it, they decided to rope in over 200 zombie extras and create a gore-fueled promo which has been described as “Arguably the biggest zombie music video since ‘Thriller’”

Shot in four days over a three week period, the Chickenhawk zombie epic pulled together hundreds of people and created a community based blood-fest that Leeds had never seen the like of before. Completed with a meagre budget of just £1000, the project was intended to not only be produced on a vast scale, but living (dead) proof that a high level of film production could be attained with a small budget as long as you keep your hanging eyeballs on the cash and have plenty of ambition at the ready.

Written and directed by NME photographer Danny North and developed by Roach Productions, the video spent three months in pre-production. This involved creating a story that could be loyal to influences such as Snyder’s Dawn Of The Dead, 30 Days of Night and 28 Days Later, but still remaining within the confines of a music video. Modern zombie horror cinema saw a change in pace and this had a massive influence on the styling of the film.

Danny North says; “I always wanted to make a zombie video”.

The origins of the final piece came from an idea that North had. Band, Chickenhawk contacted Danny to photograph them, and production grimesters Roach to film the shoot.

Bright spark North then put an idea forward whereby they could combine both mediums to create a feature length music video to accompany Chickenhawks new single ‘I Hate This, Do You Like It?’ from their EP ‘A. Or Not’. The conception of a horror themed video came from the previous experience both parties had had in that arena and the idea of fast-paced horror was widely felt to be very much suited to the equally fast-paced tempo of Chickenhawks music. North, and low-fi Leeds-based production and creative team Roach worked together to turn this small idea into a workable narrative.

The special effects make-up was realised by Samantha Myers who was involved in development from the beginning of the production; bringing with her years of industry experience. Having previously worked on short horror ‘Cadaver’ together, Danny North, was well aware of Myers abilities in gore and horror makeup. She turned out to be the perfect candidate for the project.

“She sculpted the look we were trying to achieve perfectly” said director, North.

The entire film was shot in Leeds, West Yorkshire, with locations including the huge open space in Hyde Park and the Brundnell Social Club. The places selected all suited the grittiness and bleakly apocalyptic feel of the lo-fi style, whilst maintaining the easy accessibility needed between sets. Forsaking the use of constructed sets, opting for natural locations instead, contributed to the feeling of threat and terror overlapping into the ordinary and everyday life.

Chickenhawk’s zombie music video masterpiece is released on 7/09/09 so be sure to check it out. In the meantime, here’s the trailer to satiate your bloodlust.

www.myspace.com/chickenhawk

www.brewrecords.net

www.dannynorth.co.uk

www.roachproductions.com