Welcome to my first music review here at the Coffin. It is a
well deserved one too because if you like spooky rock, sludgy bass and general
monster rock with a touch of undead groovy then you are in for a treat!
A few years ago, maybe 3 or 4, while attending Monster Fest,
the annual horror convention that rises from the grave every October in my back
yard of Chesapeake, Virginia. I came across a spooky little band called The
Cemetery Boys. As I walked through the parking lot of the convention could hear
the band playing and I thought that it was cool there was a band. At the
entrance to the library (where the convention is held) I was greeted by a foam
headstones, rubber bats and various other Halloween items adorning the
microphone stand and drum kit. The members of the band were simply adorned in
all black to complete the grunge look that fit well with the dirge that was emanating
from the PA speakers. The song was “Country Cemetery” and it has remained a
favorite of mine. |
| Getting the creep on at Monster Fest |
The boys have just released a 9 song macabre disc that comes
straight from the tombs of Transylvania. “At Midnight” opens up the disc with
at a good pace. A nicely written riff that, to my ears at least, has a bit of a
Black Sabbath-esque quality to it. The tempo picks up on “Nitemare Queen” with
a full blast of bass distortion and a rockabilly style beat. “Styrofoam
Gravestone” conjures up memories of Halloweens past, present and future for
this monsterkid. “Corpse” is a nice homage to the man made creature of the
silver screen plus helps us with our spelling of the song title which is a cool
plus. Some nice bass licks in this tune as well. “Crypts, Coffins and Corpses”
kicks off with a sound bite from Night of the Living Dead and is my favorite
new track from the boys. I totally dig the chorus. “Cemetery Mortuary” is up
next and is one of the first songs I ever heard from the band on that fateful
day at Monster Fest. It’s got a great intro and heads into a very industrial
feel. “Headstone Hotel” is a great
little dirge that takes me down to the foggy little village of Whitewood. “Headstone Hotel….weekend in hell” love that
chorus! “Country Cemetery” picks the tempo back up and reminds why I like this
band. Simple but catchy with a riff that makes me want to fire up the hearse
and head out to my local haunt. “Transylvania” rounds out the disc with its
stomping main riff before heading into a more haunting song structure. I am
totally digging this disc!
 | |
| Live from the crypt! |
What gets me about The Cemetery Boys is that fact that they
are a duo! When I first spotted them at Monster Fest I thought they were a trio
but quickly realized there was no third member. Bassist/singer Edgar Von Graves
holds down coffin lid with just four strings and raw distortion and gain. He
somehow straddles that line of clean, clanky bass with fuzz and razor sharp
guitar you would expect from a six string. I will have to inquire about the
drums on this cd because Seth Von Graves is credited for drums but “live”. Im
not sure if it was Seth that I saw at the last Monster Fest or not but the
drummer can hold his own. I sorely need to invest a night and catch the boys
live in their natural habitat of a dank mausoleum gig.
The cd is a good one! I totally dig the feel of the songs
and each track will open up your memory banks to every Halloween you have had
since your were knee high to a zombie. You can catch up with The Cemetery Boys
through their Facebook page and Reverb Nation site! Don't forget to ask for you copy of their cd!
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