Everyone’s favorite goons are back! Of course, that’s meant in the best possible way. The skeleton Grave Robber crew have put together a four song ep for release in electronic and even vinyl formats. Coincidentally, this is another release during the month of October and it’s been roughly three years since their last release You’re All Gonna Die came out. Of course, in the meantime they’ve been busy playing shows, gaining/losing band members, and in the last year have released a number of free cover tunes as part of their “Cellar Sessions”, covering everyone from Cindy Lauper to Nirvana to David Bowie and others.
For those not in the know, Grave Robber have been around since 2005, playing a mix of horror punk, punk, and metal and are most often compared to bands like the Misfits. On the stage, the band is fronted by Wretched who handles the lead vocals and random chatting with the audience, often sounding like a mix of Glenn Danzig and Elvis. Bass, guitars, and drums have been handled by the likes of Carcass, Plague, Grim, Rot, and Lamentor. From an appearance standpoint the band is suitably theatrical, resembling the undead in complete skeleton regalia. Fast, furious punk rock with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and song titles that on the surface may be concerning, like “Bloodbath” but have lyrics that deal with the topics of sin and redemption is what you can expect. The band has a number of releases including three full length albums of original songs, Be Afraid, Inner Sanctum, and You’re All Gonna Die, and some other releases including Exhumed which is a combination of new songs, cover tunes, and demos.
The ep kicks off with “Straight to Hell” which starts out instantly recognizable as a Grave Robber track with the ever-present Whoah……sections and driving rhythms, but then the song veers into a bit more of a darker metal vein than expected. Wretched’s vocals are shouted with authority and more forceful than in many other Grave Robber songs. The darker, heavier, more metal guitar tone and the chugging riffs are a bit out of the norm for them but do work very well. From an album catalog standpoint, this sounds more like a progression from Inner Sanctum rather than You’re All Gonna Die.
If you don’t quite understand what I mean about “Straight to Hell”, the second track “Hunger Haunts” should make it clear as that is more along the lines of the sound from Be Afraid and You’re All Gonna Die. A bit slower and a bit brighter in tone and feel, but still punk rock with a spooky vibe and dealing with a serious issue, in this case hunger. The song will be the theme song in a Canadian Feed the Children campaign for radio and tv. Still showing as coming soon, the campaign can be viewed here: https://www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca/landing-pages/hunger-haunts. For those interested in helping out, you can check the other pages from that landing page.
Continuing in their theme of spooky and the unexplained is “Beast of Busco”, which relates the legend from their home state of Indiana about an enormous snapping turtle in a lake in Churubusco, Indiana that was a media sensation in 1949 and best of all was never found, despite even attempts to drain the lake. The ep closes with “Mummator” which is a punk rock take on what a theme song for the comic Mummator and the Conquerors of the Cosmos would sound like.
Combined with the Cellar Sessions, Straight to Hell, serves as a fun continuance for old fans and should bring in some new ones, who will be waiting for another full length. As a final note, the song “Mummator” is the theme song for the comic book Mummator and the Conquerors of the Cosmos available here: https://www.timbaron.com/store.html
Rating: 8/10
Written by: John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Straight to Hell
2. Hunger Haunts
3. Beast of Busco
4. Mummator
Band Members:
Wretched – Vocals
Carcass – Bass
Rot – Drums
Record Label: Rottweiler Records, Oct. 2014
Weblinks: Myspace / Facebook / Twitter / Reverbnation
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Lyric video ‘Straight To Hell’
Lyric video ‘Hunger Haunts’