If you look up ‘sucker’ on Wikipedia there’s probably a disambiguation page that says “See: Gizmo, always trying horror punk and always being disappointed .” Well halle-fucking-luja you can for once ignore that page: Deathwood nail it with a coffin lid on.
Despite a five year history Deathwood are new to me and appear to be Italian, and the Italians should know a good schlock-horror tale when they hear one if anyone does. And what do I like in a horror punk band? Well firstly I want a bloodthirsty sense of glee; dark ‘n’ gruesome but kinda fun not goregrind ‘how low can we go? ‘ lyrics. I want good b-movies and mad energy. I want catchy songs and maybe the odd “woooaaaah woah woooaaah” thrown in. I love classic Misfits, but also love ‘Famous Monsters’ Misfits (I know, I know – sue me). I want melodies with more hooks than the original Hellraiser trilogy. I want it to make me bounce like a space hopper. From the first film clip intro Deathwood do that.
With a sound that draws from later Misfits, the edgy and urgent sound AFI had around ‘Black Sails In The Sunset’, Tiger Army and maybe a little of that Ghoultown western vibe, Deathwood launch their rockabilly tinged punk sound on a wave of jangly guitars, clicking drumstics and driving riffs. ‘Horror Movie, Why?’ is an instant earworm, so full of conviction you can practically hear them turning up the collars on their leather jackets and combing their quiffs (well I think one has a quiff anyway…). It’s just kinda joyous really. ‘Loving Hands’ is more of the same if a little less jangly and then they give us the more brooding ‘The Legend Is True’ which had me singing the refrain in moments (trust me, not good on commuter transport….).
The PR hopefully jokingly claim semi-autobiographical inspiration with this stuff, which with ‘Freak Family’ and ‘Lake Of The Undead’ would kind of worry me. There’s the nostalgic reek of the love of old straight-to-vhs film’s and older drive-in madness in here though, a sprinkling of Rodriguez’s bloodthirsty sense of fun too right up until the great sing-along ‘Straightjacket’ and closer ‘The Day Is Over’. Deathwood make me grin, sing along badly and jerk, jig and jangle like a good old ghoul with its fingers jammed into the mains.
Short, sharp and full of undeath. Oh yeah and you get a free boardgame with the album. Just what the mad surgeon ordered.
(8.5/10 Gizmo)
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