No longer content with hanging out in graveyards with their horror punk, Grave Robber are inhabiting our cellars, invading songs that we thought were beyond their reach. The “Cellar Sessions” was over ten years in the making, with many of the covers previously released as free downloads back in 2014. Thumper Punk Records reached out about doing a Grave Robber release, which they stitched this cover album together with a healthy dose of formaldehyde to keep it from stinking. I mean, a proper mix and mastering of the entire collection.
The Fort Wayne Indiana band has made a name for themselves since their formation in 2005 for their monster character theatrics on stage, channeling early Misfits vibe in their brand of horror punk that has a darker and heavier vibe compared to other punk genres. All band members are known by their grotesque stage names that they channel in their performances behind Halloween masks.
The songs here are a good mixture of the expected and unexpected songs that are done with Grave Robber’s signature energetic punk style. Although I can’t find a lyrical thread to connect this disparate collection of songs, the true cement that keeps this mausoleum together is the infectious fun the band had making it, where you can’t help but smile the whole way through.
The album starts off with a salute to their genre forerunners in Misfits’ “Earth A.D.” that shows a bit more pep than the original. Next is a cover of Metallica‘s “Escape,” which is stripped of the original long-developed intro, launching right into the first verse. I don’t say this lightly as I am a longtime ‘tallica fan, but I prefer GR’s version. It goes at a faster pace and makes clearer the punk roots in the original and has a solo that shows more teeth than the original making this the first standout track.
We get a cool down with a cover of Ramones “I Just Wanna Have Something to Do” that follows the same modus operandi as “Earth A.D.” in paying tribute to the godfathers of punk with a little added spunk. The next song sounds like some angry British band only to realize this is a cover of…Cyndi Lauper?! GR takes the rather insipid “Time After Time” and turns the thing on its head with great angsty punk energy. Instead of a nice slow dance, this song will spawn spontaneous moshing. It is a super fun song!
The graveyard tour continues with a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” Like “Escape,” they dispense of the drawn out musical developments and launch right into the good parts with a shot of adrenaline, replacing the acoustic original with a full on zombie punk band. “Spirit in the Sky” is the only song on the album where I strongly preferred the original. I appreciate how they re-imagined this song as an angry punk song, but some of the original melody and bluesy character got lost in translation, which I was yearning for. The cover for Nirvana‘s “Sliver” follows form of the original replete with the bass opening. I did not listen to much Nirvana, but this channels the vibe well through these musical zombies.
Then comes the next banger in “The Rose.” That’s right, a Bette Midler cover! This track brings a softer side to these ghouls while still keeping the energy high, pulling on your heart strings with sweet melody and solid solo guitar work. “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” is another throw back cover that channels the storytelling of Jim Croce, making great use of backing vocals and retaining the machismo in the chorus. The album closes with none other than “Children of the Grave,” an apropos ending for these horror rockers. The doomy original song is given a peppier metal treatment while retaining the darker vibe of Black Sabbath nicely.
This album is an absolute hoot, but it isn’t just novelty. I can play this thing on repeat and not get tired. At least not yet. There are a couple of weak parts about the release such as slight inconsistencies in the tracking over the course of the album, but I think that adds to the charm of this release, particularly for this genre. The formaldehyde, I mean post production, stitched these songs together nicely. Aside from a couple of tracks not hitting the full marks for me, this is a super fun release that everyone should check out. Unless your brains have been eaten by zombies…in that case, this won’t help.
Rating: 9.5/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – Earth A.D. (Misfits)
2 – Escape (Metallica)
3 – I Just Wanna Have Something to Do (Ramones)
4 – Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)
5 – Space Oddity (David Bowie)
6 – Spirit in the Sky (Norm Greenbaum)
7 – Sliver (Nirvana)
8 – The Rose (Bette Midler)
9 – You Don’t Mess Around With Jim (Jim Croce)
10 – Children of the Grave (Black Sabbath)
Grave Robber is:
Wretched – vokills
Carcass – bass and vokills
Viral – guitar and vokills
Plague – smash doom tubs
Release Date: July 19, 2024
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records
Discography:
Love Hurts – EP (2006)
Be Afraid (2008)
Inner Sanctum (2009)
Exhumed (2010)
You’re All Gonna Die! (2011)
Straight to Hell – EP (2014) [review]
Escaping the Grave (2018) [review]
Dry Bones (2019)
Untote Leichen – EP (2019)
Scary Christmas to You (2019) [review]
Xmas Is The Worst – EP (2022)
Social Media: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify | Twitter
Video (audio) for Earth A.D.
Video (audio) for Time After Time
Video (audio) for Sliver