REVIEW: Dr. Hell – Drunken Zombies

Yikes! I would not want to run into this ghastly bunch in a dark alley.

Dr Hell's 11-track offering Drunken Zombies is a catchy, fast-paced and, above all else, angry collection of monstrous punk rock genius. Scoffing at the idea of ripping off Danzig vocally and spitting on the idea of radio-friendly melodies, Dr Hell instead let rip with eleven songs of visceral, ruthless aggression that sounds like a group of pissed off monsters have somehow found themselves at an open mic night.

Even if we ignore the music, which is admittedly difficult considering this is the musical equivalent of having a Werewolf snarling in your face, the song's titles alone are just...awesome! Charming little titles like 'I Won't Pay For Sex With Rotten Bitches' and 'Carl The Metro-sexual Werewolf' should give you some sort of clue as to what's on offer here.

Drunken Zombies is one of the most exciting horror-themed releases I've heard in a long time. It is angry, audibly vicious and downright awesome. It's a shame that more horror-themed bands don't sound as punk rock as these guys do. I'd love to see these guys in a live setting, though part of me does worry I wouldn't come out alive!

If there is a demon festering away inside you just screaming to come out, this is the release for you. I hope they get their name out there because they've been hiding under the bed for far, far too long!

8 out of 10 skulls


Available from:
http://bloodypunkrock.bandcamp.com

Reviewed by Ben Smith

REVIEW: The Newton Brothers - Proxy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Prior to this release, I was not familiar with The Newton Brothers. Doing a little research, it seems they've been composing for films for nearly 10 years. The biggest horror release they've done, from what I can tell, is the newly released Oculus. Proxy is set to be released soon and is billed as a Hitchcockian film. The synopsis sounds to be much more psychological than most horror/thriller movies of late. This is very welcome by me. Something that makes you think a little is good once in awhile.

When I first played this album, it was apparent that the movie, itself, is not the only thing Hitchcockian here. The Newton Brothers have put together a score that could have been in just about any Alfred Hitchcock movie. These guys really pulled off something great.

From the beginning of the first track, "Prelude for Proxy", I was transported to a time when the screen was black, white and shades of grey. Back to a time when you actually had to think when watching a horror/thriller movie. As do most of the songs in this score, this one feels very much like it could be a lost track from Psycho.

I'd go so far as to say that you could throw any of the first nine songs in with a remastered Psycho score and ninety-five percent of the people who heard it wouldn't even notice. That is how remarkably similar this is to the Hitchcock scores. I, also, can't stress enough that it's not just similar, but very well done.
The tenth track, "Group Counciling" is a bit more sorrowful. It feels different than the rest. There isn't much of a Hitchcock vibe to it but the strings bring it home as one that sticks out from the soundtrack but still stands out as a great one.

Towards the end of the score, there's a little more of The Newton Brothers, themselves (I'm guessing), mixed in with the songs. It still sounds like it could be from a Hitchcock movie, but there's something a little different and updated going on.

"End Titles" is another great piece. It starts with the strings swelling in a "newer horror" sort of way with the crescendo dropping out to a very "Hitchcockian" solo, low note. After this, it takes a trip into a Danny Elfman-ish world with a slightly deeper tone than what they had done before this for the score. The tensions builds again to a Hitchcock-like finish to end the score brilliantly.

The Newton Brothers didn't reinvent the wheel here. They didn't even make a score that was completely different than anything that has been done before. However, they put something together that, because it's different than anything in any current movie, is a standout score overall. It's not a new sound, but it's a refreshing sound and it was done so well. I'm definitely thinking it's time to seek out more of their work.

8 out of 10 skulls


Available from:

http://moviescoremedia.com/screamworks/2014/04/15/proxy-the-newton-brothers/

Reviewed by Chris Cavoretto