8-Ball Shifter
Flesh Eating Frenzy
Curve of the Earth
A great creepy-crawly album of fun B-movie horror punk rivaling the early 1980s Misfits with some crazy Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Hasil Adkins swamp sensibility thrown in. I was immediately drawn to this album by its freaky, zombies-from-another planet neo-Wolverton cover art. Opening up the liner for further examination revealed a CD full of lo-fi supernatural horror and mind-control sci-fi. It looked like Misfits City!
Then I put the thing on and, man, it’s right in the horror-punk Teenagers From Mars “zone.” Just dig these lyrics from “Black Milk”: “Drink black milk/ Got green blood/ Got No Soul… I saw the red light/ and I went right through… “ Brrrr! Man, it’s like some evil, intergalactic Stooges! “Up From the Slime” is just full of punk ichor! “Evil Eye” and “The Slithis” – dude, these folks a) known their horror films and b) look out! If you’re into the kind of punk this is, you won’t be able to get enough. Great guitar-driven punk, with gritty, unremorseful vocals. One of 1998’s best without a doubt!
Probably hard-to-find, except where healthy punk “scenes” (and thus “good” record stores) thrive, this one is the sleeper of the year. Curve of the Earth, 1312 Boylston St.., Boston, MA 02215