THE COFFINSHAKERS
THE COFFINSHAKERS “Graves, Release Your Dead”
By Octopi Mills
Opening up with a track titled by the album of the same name, the music swirls through the speakers in mists of rockabilly twang, slow and steady.
It seems these folk have been around since at least 1998, and must have escaped me through these years. Self described as campy, it doesn't fall from that mark. Songs about undead are a pretty big theme here. A song like "Wretches" has a country feel, like someone wiped their arse with the flag of Texas, however. "The Sirens Call" boasts the generic title of something out of an old horror comic, and that is the point, anyhow. There's a twang of guitar and a jingle of percussion that sounds like spurs and red dusks bleeding out from some horror spaghetti western and sounding recorded in one setting, as most albums do, with a clean, crisp sound production that is somewhat remarkable here. "Prince of Darkness" is not an ALICE COOPER cover but sounds closer to JOHNNY CASH with the train track sound, that old ride on a lost track.
There is a good dose of humor here all through the music; a fun loving theme that doesn't get too serious in subject matter. At times there's a touch of southern gothic sensibility, moments of country, rockabilly and old school crooner stuff. For added effect they employ the use of some female harmonies on choral things adding an old diner or drive in feel. Not quite the sort of energy of THE CRAMPS is had here, it is more of a mellow sort thing. Not a bad affair, it has something of an old American feel with horror themes that fans of THE MISFITS, REVEREND HORTON HEAT or even UNKNOWN HENSON might like.