Tonight on Crimewatch… We are seeking information on a bizarre crime that happened in the small hours last Wednesday morning. There were reports of a disturbance in a graveyard, and as the police approached what appeared to be several men cavorting with corpses, the culprits scarpered. Several graves have been dug up, and detectives are still searching for any clues left at the scene of the crime. It is thought that one corpse is missing, presumed stolen. Anyone with information should contact the number at the end of the show.
I guess the PD wouldn’t even think to bust the local Sunday school, but you know, the Lord doth work in mysterious ways. What better cover for a corpse-copulating grave robber of the night than a bible-reading, god-fearing church goer by day? As much as I try to avoid Christian metal, it has to be said that there is no clear-cut message of light in these lyrics…well, unless they have snuck in some backward-masked subliminal messages in which case I can see the court trial right now “The music made him do it…go to church, that is!” But anyway, in all seriousness…well, that’s just it! There is no seriousness here and if you’re after technical brilliance and intellectual fulfilment then do yourself a favour and look elsewhere. This is all put together with tongues firmly in cheek, and it may not be the best thing I’ve heard all year but it’s good fun.
The only worship that’s evident here is to The Misfits in their blending of punk with metal overtones. This is full of bouncy, rollicking grooves and simplified riffage while the songs tend to be short and snappy. ‘Detonation A.D.’ blasts away with a fast, furious thrashed-up chorus which has a nice heaviness behind it, while ‘I’m Possessed’ is equally thrashy and twinned with its slack bassline makes a suitable choice to get down to some serious moshing. I don’t know how many Whoa’s it’s possible to fit on a CD, but there is an absolute abundance of them on this one. Perhaps it’s a bit much after a while, but on the other hand it adds character and suits the music quite well.
There’s something misleading about the opening passage of ‘Fear No Evil’ which to these ears sounds like it should burst into a cover of ‘Killing In The Name Of’ but shocks me somewhat when it takes a left turn down the valley of the shadow of death with a massive, meaty vocal line which is potent with stadium metal bravado and fearlessness. With its swaggering rhythm and rather dark and creepy slapstick overtones this is one of the stand-out tracks here, while ‘The Night Has Eyes’ has quite a dark slant to it and a real rock’n’roll good time vibe. It’s hard to resist the urge to dance to some of these numbers, which have a hell of a groove to them. ‘Tell Tale Heart’ is an obvious nod to Edgar Allen Poe, and musically sounds like it walked straight out of the 50’s as an Elvis tribute. Apparently these are a blast live as well, with theatrical GWAResque costumes and general silliness. There’s nothing original about this album, but it’s good fun…and just in time for Halloween!
http://www.myspace.com/graverobberpunk
