REVIEW: Demoni - Day of Demoni/Night of Demoni

Demoni is a psychobilly/horror surf band from Boise, Idaho... where there are a lot of psycho hillbillies and no beaches to surf. Don't let this deter you from checking them out, though. These guys do a lot right.

I'm, personally, not a big psychobilly fan. However, there's something different about Demoni. Their knack for throwing in instrumental surf, along with actually knowing how to play their instruments, rather than learning tricks for live shows helps set them apart from the droves of similar bands.

Rather than having an overly-raspy vocal approach, singer Andy Agenbroad has a somewhat soothing voice for the genre. This invites you in and makes you feel comfortable. Just when you're feeling at ease, the lyrics catch you for the slaughter. With every song being horror-based, those smooth vocals are only masking the killer hidden in the lyrics.

The choruses in Demoni's songs are so straight forward and catchy that you're singing along the second time they comes around. It really doesn't matter if you've seen the movie the song is about or not, the lyrics roll off your tongue without thinking.

The band tours somewhat regularly and, having seen them live, I highly suggest you see them if given the chance. They've played multiple dates with the reigning kings of horror rock, Calabrese, and slayed the crowds.

First, I'll touch on Day of Demoni.

This album was the second full length released from the band (initially released in 2011), but the first with a steady lineup. While the band was still in it's early stages, the members have played for a long time and know how to put a song together. It's evident from beginning to end that this band is up there with some of the premier horror rock bands out there.

This album was initially a vinyl-only release out on P.I.G. Records, but thanks to the UK's Graveyard Calling Records, it will see a cassette release in August, as well. This should be a great introduction to a new audience who will most-likely welcome Demoni with open arms.

At first, the guitar seems maybe a little low or "small" in the mix. With every listen, this is what I think at the beginning. However, as the album goes on, it feels just right. All those killer surf riffs are really perfect for defining the overall sound of Demoni. The standup bass has that clicky sound that is predominant in rockabilly/psychobilly stuff. However, the bass, itself, is heard rather than just those clicks. It really helps bring out the quality of Evil Ethan's bass playing. And let's not forget Cody Casket's drumming. It's right on the whole way. Elements of punk rock in the surf songs and those of surf in the psychobilly stuff really puts these guys on a pedestal. It's hard to find stand out tracks since every song is great. I will say that I'm a sucker for an Ed Gein song, though. So, when "No Pain No Gein" came on, I was definitely excited. Great storytelling in the lyrics coupled with Agenbroad's vocal style really bring it all together.

"They Crawl" and "Night of the Creeps" are fun tracks that will have you chanting along in no time. They're just so damn catchy. I, also, can't skip on mentioning the lead guitar work in "Laid to Rest". It's the perfect compliment to the song. It's not overly complicated at all but something about it is like a slap in the face saying, "this is what it's all about!"

"Beware the Moon" is a great tribute to one of the best werewolf movies of all time, An American Werewolf in London. The pace is steady and the lyrics urging to "stay on the track and don't turn your back" are engrained in the brain as soon as it's heard.

"Black Lagoon" is a surf masterpiece. The fact that it's obviously an ode my all time favorite creature feature, Creature from the Black Lagoon, doesn't hurt, but this song really does show the influence of The Ventures and Los Straitjackets so well. Everything in this song comes together perfectly.

With songs about A Nightmare on Elm Street, House of 1000 Corpses and a barrage of horror, slasher and creature feature films, there's no reason for any horror fiend to pass on giving this album a fair shot. The surf intertwined really helps break any monotony that you may be feeling when listening, though every song really is just a blast to listen to.

7.5 out of 10 skulls

Now, on to Night of Demoni...

This album doesn't have a release date yet. The band is currently in talks with a handful of labels you've probably heard of for it's release, though.

From a recording standpoint, this album is just about flawless. The overly-clicky sound that comes standard with rockabilly/psychobilly recordings is more subtle on this album. This is a welcome change of pace to me. It also makes it even easier to hear just how good Evil Ethan really is at playing this standup bass.

The lead off track, "Are You Scared?", is a great way to open this album. It's also the single that you may here on some of the better independent horror and rock radio stations and podcasts out there. The blistering guitar and smooth vocals cut like a knife in this one.

Overall, this album is deeper than the others. Not like "sellout" deeper. It just shows off different sides of the band. Case in point, "Martyrs". This song is a slower, brooding, moody song. And it's awesome. One of the best songs Demoni has ever put out. If you're not singing "what did I do wrong?" when you listen to this and think you might want to hit the back button to listen again, there might be something wrong with you... and not in a good way.

Something else that stands out here is "They Live", aptly named after the movie. To my recollection, I haven't heard a song based on the movie before. More horror themed bands should follow suit. This is a rockin' surf song about one of the most kick ass movies ever. The only lyrics are "Eat, Consume, Obey!" What more does it need? Nothing at all. That says it all.

I know what you're thinking; "...but do they have a song about Halloween?" Well, of course, they do. "The Beast Within" is a killer rockabilly song that sort of stalks then bursts with musical fury, much like Michael Myers with his beloved blade.

The bite of the guitar in the main riff of "Black Nails", the brilliance of the chorus on "Girl in the Bathroom", the sludgy surf stylings of "He Never Came Back"... this really is just the top of the iceberg but I can't just go on forever here. Day of Demoni put the band on par with The Koffin Kats, The Nekromantix and Mad Sin, but Night of Demoni is a work that surpasses anything I've heard from similar bands.

8.5 out of 10 skulls


Day of Demoni is available from:
http://demoni.bandcamp.com/album/day-of-demoni

Reviewed by Chris Cavoretto

REVIEW: Michael Wandmacher - 13 Sins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Since 1986, Michael Wandmacher has been scoring films. His résumé includes some somewhat bigger movies such as Legend of the Drunken Master and 2005's Cry Wolf. Over the last 10 years, though, he's really started picking up steam with movies like Train, My Bloody Valentine, Piranha 3D and Drive Angry.

There are elements in this score that remind me of Christopher Young's Sinister score. It's not quite there for me on the overall creep and awesome factor, but it's reminiscent. That is also no slight on this score, as Sinister is one of my absolute favorites ever.

The opening track, "13 Sins (Opening)", is a great setup for what's to come. All the elements in the score are on display in this song. It's over quickly but it's got a strong gothic industrial vibe and hits on the levels of atmosphere that are further elaborated on throughout this entire work.

The second track, "Kill the Fly", starts off frantic with huge drums. After this section it mellows to an atmospheric section that builds nicely to a close.

The next several tracks are very atmospheric. Nice melody with big drums mixed in gives it all a sense of worth. Tension, beauty and an overall sense of panic are brought together very well throughout the score.

When "Pervert" hits, it hits like a ton of bricks. It's very tense action sequence music but it sounds huge. After the initial take off, it slips back into the atmospheric vibe.

"Amputee" is another standout track. More great gothic industrial type vibes in this one. The only problem is that as soon as it starts drawing you in, it's over.

"Amputee" sets us up perfectly for the highs and lows in the next song, "Surrender" (no, not a Cheap Trick cover). This one is very drum driven. It's packed with rhythm and tension.

These rhythmic drums and tense atmospheres keep up with "Hostage Situation", "The Opponent", "Only One Winner", "Just an Employee" and, finally, "13 Sins (Reprise)". These songs are all fantastic with phenomenal ups, downs, twists and turns. They also get the blood flowing.

The first half of the score dwells a little more on the vulnerable feel with intensity slipped in while the second half hits sort of the opposite. Each time I listen, I think it's really good but wonder what really grabbed me about it. When that second half pops in, it's obvious. Wandmacher knows what he's doing and it comes across in this collection.

There are songs that, if simply listening to the score, seem like they're just there, but they add the right dynamic to the film. This is what great score composers do. It may be a bit forgettable but the drums and noises throughout make this an enjoyable listen for anyone who loves horror scores. Eerie, melancholy and a whole lot of rhythm are all on display and Wandmacher blends them all seamlessly.

7.5 out of 10 skulls


Available from:
http://moviescoremedia.com/screamworks/2014/04/15/13-sins-michael-wandmacher/

Reviewed by Chris Cavoretto

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

INTERVIEW: 13 Questions with Michael Daniel

Michael Daniel is a composer who recently won an award for his score for the feature film, Blood Rush. Here he answers 13 questions for us on his experience in music and horror!

1. What was your first experience of watching a horror film?

The first horror movie I ever saw was Jaws. I was in the third or fourth grade and it remains, to this day, one of my favorite movies, horror or otherwise, of all time - and one of the best film scores to boot.

2. What can you tell us about your musical upbringing?

My mother was a piano teacher, so music was an inevitability in my household. I was playing the piano as far back as I can remember. Mom didn’t teach me herself, but she had one of her other piano teacher friends take me under her wing, starting around the age of five or six. I continued to take piano lessons until I was fifteen, at which point my parents let me trade out piano lessons for music composition lessons. I started writing musicals pretty much instantly. I started writing my first rock opera, an adaptation of Frankenstein, around sixteen.

3. How did you come up with the idea of doing a musical about Victor Frankenstein and his monster?

This one started in high school when I just started composing music. I wanted to write a musical ever since I saw a Phantom of the Opera and my passion was re-ignited when I saw a local state college production of Sweeney Todd. This inspired me to do something horror-themed and I considered stories like Jekyll and Hyde or The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Dracula was a close second, but I finally chose Frankenstein because I always preferred science-fiction horror.

4. Your other genre musical is Sleepy Hollow which was done a few years later. What did you learn in the time that passed?

Frankenstein took me two years to write because when I started writing I had no idea how to go about formatting the score for a musical. This was mainly because I always had to go back and redo things I've already done - now I knew better. My compositional style also changed greatly, Sleepy Hollow is a lot more experimental - I discarded all the harmonic rules and played with the notes until I got something nice in the end.

5. Were these musicals ever produced / recorded. If yes, how can we hear them?

So far the only musicals of mine that have been produced are three of my comedies, The Show Must Go On, Alone and Miserable Lesbians (a parody of Les Miserables). I recorded Frankenstein as a demo with me singing all the parts (badly) - some of it is available on my homepage, but it's not something I would make readily available. If I ever had all the time and money necessary, I'd love to have good quality recordings of both Frankenstein and Sleepy Hollow.

6. Let's talk about your new score, Blood Rush, a cool zombie flick whose soundtrack was issued by MovieScore Media. What's your favorite zombie film/story?

I will probably outrage the readers by admitting this, but my favorite zombie flicks are the more comedic ones: Shaun of the Dead, Fido, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and so on. I enjoy the “serious” zombie horror films, too, but personally I’ve always kinda found zombies more comedic than scary, so I really enjoy it when other people show that I’m not alone in that. That’s one reason why I enjoyed working on Blood Rush.

7. How does Blood Rush compare with/differ from other zombie films from the last few years?

One thing I really liked about the concept of Blood Rush (and in the recent trend of zombie flicks) is that the zombies can actually MOVE. They aren’t those drooling, sluggish zombies that we usually think about when we hear the term movie zombie - these zombies can run, they can think and they can tear your head off!

8. How did you get involved with scoring Blood Rush?

I met filmmaker Kerry Marlowe(at the time, Kerry Finlayson) at the Toscars, a fun short film competition that poked fun at each year’s nominees with brief parody videos. We kept in touch and a few months later I saw Kerry posting that she was looking for actors for a new zombie film. I replied that she probably didn’t want me acting, but that if they needed some music, they could give me a call. Few more months down the road, she and Evan sent me a clip of the scene with the cat (no spoilers!), they had me write a mock-up for that and this got me the gig!

9. How did working on this film differ from your previous experiences?

I only had one more “professional” experience before to Blood Rush and that project was somewhat frustrating. The director was like all the student directors I had know - he didn’t know what he wanted, but he didn’t want to admit that. We had a lot of discussions, but then ended up with a two hour film with less than 20 minutes of music! Kerry and Evan are the exact opposite of this; they understand the importance of music and that it intensifies the experience and doesn't detract from it. Evan gave me interesting guidelines like like, “I want this to sound like frogs jumping in a frying pan” or something like “the sound of a dolphin being strangled to death.” Perhaps this explains a lot about the score.

10. What’s your favorite sequence from the film?

It's very hard to pick only one, but here it goes. There's a scene where an old, injured guy is lying on the ground, doing this five minute rant about he was separated from his son on his birthday and so on. While he's going on and on, there's this zombie just standing there, looking hungrily at him and our hero Danny is just shaking his head, not wanting to interrupt the guy, but he also realizes that if the he doesn’t shut up, they’d get eaten. That was great scene to score!

11. You've recently completed Horror House for the same team of filmmakers. What can you tell us about that score?

Horror House was a real blast to work on. Perhaps the most challenging thing about it is the fact that it's an anthology picture, so Evan wanted me to come up with a completely different instrumental palette for each piece. One dominant instrument from one scene couldn't appear in the others - but I enjoy a challenge!

12. What is your most recent score?

In terms of film scoring, my most recent work is a new horror/soap opera web series called Bennington Gothique. You can see the first three episodes online at www.benningtongothique.com. My score has been nominated for best original score in the 5th Annual Indie Series Awards.

13. Are you planning on doing more horror themed musicals?

Yes, I've just started working on a new musical called Dark Lord: The Musical. My co-writers and I are still only in the draft stages right now, we aren’t putting out too much information plot-wise, but I would describe this musical as if the Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog was about a fantasy super villain (think Sauron or Voldemort) instead of a comic book super villain. The website should be up later this year, but you can already follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/darklordthemusical

The score to Blood Rush is available now from Screamworks records:

http://moviescoremedia.com/blood-rush-michael-daniel/

For more information on Michael Daniel, check out:
http://michaeldaniel.net

Chris Cavoretto - "My Top 10 Horror Soundtracks/Scores"

Coming up with a list of favorite horror scores/soundtracks is tough.  There are hundreds, maybe thousands of quality soundtracks out there.  The hard thing is trying to figure out which ones you remember the whole score to and which ones you remember one theme to.  Some almost made the list but after rethinking, maybe the movie was dark in tone or content but not necessarily horror.  Everyone single one of you who reads this list is going to be like, "how come (insert title you're appalled isn't on this list) isn't on this list?!"

  I've adjusted and readjusted and still had to leave out some greats.  This list contains soundtracks and scores I can listen to pretty much all the time not get sick of any of them.  Let's face it, this could easily be a top 20 or even 50 and I'd still end up leaving out some near-perfect selections.  So, without further ado, here are my top 10 horror soundtracks/scores:

10- Suspiria

Goblin did a phenomenal job scoring Suspiria.  It's creepy and driven.  A great combination for a horror score.  There is a lot going on here and haunting moments are everywhere.

9- Hard Rock Zombies

I'm not sure a movie has been made that makes less sense than this one and it's score is just as weird.  Paul Sabu and Holly Moses captured every sense of nonsense with this one.  The love ballad, Cassie, is just pure cheesy, hair metal gold.

8- A Nightmare on Elm Street

Such a great score.  The synths all over this one are so perfect for an 80's slasher film.  It's easy to make synths fun, not always so easy to make them creepy, but Charles Bernstein did it.

7- Zombie (aka Zombie Flesh Eaters aka Zombi 2)

Fabio Frizzi was the perfect composer to do this score.  The theme has become a cult classic but it's got so much more throughout.  Jungle rhythms as well as 70's horror synth collide to make a classic score here.

6- Halloween

Now, the theme song is probably the most recognizable horror theme out there but this whole score is great.  John Carpenter was great at setting tone with a reoccurring theme brought back throughout a movie and knowing that repetition can bring a sense of panic.  This is a masterpiece.  The tension you get from songs like The Shape Stalks is just awesome.  Nothing bad about this one at all.

5- Maniac (2012)

This is a mix of throwback 80's style horror synth and a new breed of horror synth.  Rob captures what few do (John Carpenter being the HUGE exception) by bringing back a melody throughout so many of the songs.  It adds a theme for the whole score.  Doll is automatically one of those songs that, if you dig 80's-style horror synth, you're going to love it.  The rest keeps up nicely and the song Juno somehow manages to pull you in even though you know you shouldn't like a song like it.  It's just so goddamn good.

4- City of the Living Dead (aka The Gates of Hell)

Fabio Frizzi had a hell of a score under his belt with Zombie, but his work on City of the Living Dead is just a touch better in my opinion.  The theme melody comes back more.  While the music seems to have more repetition (with some songs not being different enough from others to tell which is which), it's just amazing.  The tension is great and a few songs are sort of a throwback to Zombie while others break down walls to lead you on new paths.  For me Zombie was quite a bit better than City of the Living Dead but the scores tells a different tale.

3- Chopping Mall

I have to admit, I don't own this score.  I have the theme song and it's on several of my playlists.  I've only heard the score in the movie.  With that said, it's still good enough to have made number three on my list.  Chuck Cirino knocked the synth thing out of the park for this.  Every bit of the movie was made more awesome by his music.  The only copies I've found online for sale are a partial score with the score from Death Stalker 2.  However, Waxwork Records will be giving it a proper reissue this year.  Great news for anyone who loves horror synth.  This one is just plain fun!

2- Sinister

Christopher Young usually has big, orchestrated scores he composes.  This time he went with computers and synthesizers.  What he ended up with was some of the creepiest, most intense music I've ever heard.  To get the full effect, I suggest you do what I did and seek out the other songs used in the movie.  The score, itself, is amazing.  Adding the soundtrack songs is even more amazing.  Sure, it makes it over an hour and a half but it's well worth it.  Songs by Boards of Canada, Sunn O))), Aghast, Ulver, Judgehydrogen and Accurst are just as intense as Young's work and a huge part of the film.  The movie was pretty okay for a new horror movie but the music within is some of the best of any horror film.

1- The Fog

It seems this film has grown in popularity the last couple of years.  Rightfully so.  It's one of the true classic horror movies.  John Carpenter made it all the better with his score.  Like Halloween, everything fits perfectly.  This one is just a little better.  The recent full score reissue by Death Waltz Recording Company gives you everything.  Like much of Carpenter's work, the melody themes are present throughout the entire score and it ties the whole thing together so well.  If you need creepy music for any occasion, look no further than this score.  Pretty much any track off of this can be played over anything to give it a sense of eeriness.  I used it as walk-up music outside for trick-or-treaters last year on Halloween.  The score for The Fog is what every horror score composer should aspire to.  Period.

By Chris Cavoretto, the synth-fiend behind Werewolves in Siberia! http://werewolvesinsiberia.com

REVIEW: Zombina and the Skeletones - Charnel House Rock

Coming back from the grave (not that they weren’t still busy!) and bringing you the latest blood-drenched-bubblegum noises from their crypt; Zombina and the Skeletones had a lot to live up to since their 2008 release, Out of the Crypt and into Your Heart, and they definitely did much more than that. Featuring the usual horror punk structures and sounds, all the organs and brass/horn you could hope for, spacey-electronics and theremin to top this horror masterpiece off.

We begin our gruesome journey with “Tonight, There Will Be No Survivors” and it really kicks off the album with a bang. From the screeching, jazzy guitars and fast-paced drums that it starts with, to the country-twang feel, you get what you really crave from the Skeletones right from the beginning. One of my next favourites off of this release is “Mortuary Academy”, which has a heavier, punk sound to it, wailing organs to compliment it and such a great sing-a-long chorus that you’ll have stuck in your rotting noggin all evening!

“Walk with Me”, another solid hit on this amazing album, really hits on all the things I love about Danzig and the Misfits kind of sound, with Zombina herself sounding as though she may be Danzig's younger sister. “Don’t go into the Light” is one I must speak about, as it is such a great song with a big horn and guitar intro that leads into a dark, horrorpunk/rock n' roll sounding track that really makes you feel as though you’re in an undead jazz club. Finally, “Ginferno” really rocks this album over the top with surfy, reverb-drenched guitars and amazing sounding horns, once again polishing off the soundscapes.

Overall this album front-to-back is a killer. It doesn’t have a single weak song, with each progressing track getting more and more interesting. From the tribal sound of “How to Make a Monster”, to the upbeat, more pop-punk style of “The Negative Zone” (talk about a juxtaposition!) it just rocks and rolls its way along. It’s a must have if you dig Zombina and the Skeletones, and if you like horror-themed rock and roll or punk as well. Even if you are a rockabilly or just a country fan there’s a solid track on there for you!

Rating: 9/10 Skulls


Available on CD/digital from:
http://zombinaandtheskeletones1.bandcamp.com/album/charnel-house-rock-2

Reviewed by the Ghoul