All of us have thought about it at one time or another, but the Nekromantix put the idea right out on the table for everyone to see. Who are our neighbors, and do we know them that well? They could seem to be the nicest people around, but that could just be a façade. No one knows how possible it might be that your neighbor just brutally murdered his family and is cooking them on the grill. “It sure doesn’t smell like pork or beef to me!”
The Nekromantix started in 1989 when Kim Nekroman was just out of the Royal Danish Army. Only six months after rehearsals started, Kim had already lined up two local shows and one show at a big festival in Hamburg. The Nekromantix was quickly signed and released its first studio album, Hellbound. The band continued releasing albums in Europe until, finally, in 2002, the Nekromantix released Return of the Loving Dead in the States. The Nekromantix was an instant hit and has grown more solid with each album released. Its latest release, Dead Girls Don’t Cry, is the Nekromantix’ seventh studio album, and by far its best yet.
Dead Girls Don’t Cry opens with a song that resembles what one would hear if he or she entered a chapel in Transylvania. A spooky-sounding choir fills the presence, while solemn guitar carries the backbone. What could anyone expect other than a title like “Black Wedding”? Following the opener, the album kicks into the fast-paced “Back Stage Pass to Hell.” It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that these guys came straight from hell. The best way to classify the Nekromantix is psychobilly, a sound where rockabilly meets every famous monster from Frankenstein to Dracula and everything in between.
The coffin stand-up bass and walking bass lines that vocalist and bassist Kim Nekroman performs fall nothing short of amazing. Nekromantix shows its ability to write an album where it can tackle both slow and faster-paced songs. Kristian Sandorff shows his ability to thrash the drum set to oblivion by playing fast double-bass drums in songs like “Wrecking Ball” and “Dead By Dawn.” The guitarist shows no remorse and batters out riff after riff of eerie notes in “On Your Neighbor’s BBQ.”
On the softer side of the spectrum, Nekromantix lined up songs like “Where Do Monsters Go.” This song starts with a vocal solo by Nekroman, something that sounds a lot like a throw back to Elvis. Following “What’s on Your Neighbor’s Grill,” Nekromantix throws you back to the ground as you try to get up, and the band pounds out “Shock Star.” This song will make any psycho-punk grab the nearest person and dance on someone’s gravestone. Dead Girls Don’t Cry has a foundation in which each song builds to the next, never letting the listener fall short of satisfaction. Dead Girls Don’t Cry is loaded with songs that make you tap your foot. And if your foot isn’t tapping, you probably don’t have legs.
Grade: A/B
