Friday, May 4, 2007
Life Is A Grave And I Dig It | Nekromantix
Hellcat | April 10th
Review by Maria Swrydan
Website
Hellcat Records
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Sounds like … the Cramps if they took a lot speed and forgot about melody.
I wanted to like this album, really I did. A not-very-original but nonetheless-fun graveyard psychobilly riot? Even with the dodgy title walking the fine line between emo-satire and My Chemical Romance sincerity, I was sure I could learn to dig it. This boring, overproduced excuse for an album, however, is unforgivable, lacking as it does even one song I wouldn’t chuck straight into the bargain bin at Sanity.
I listened to the album in its entirety several times and nearly drove myself mad in the process. Life is a Grave and I Dig It goes for an excruciating 50 minutes. That someone thought this musically sterilised mish-mash of trite lyrics and charisma-less vocals would succeed borders on delusion. To multiply the formula 14 times is just sadism.
It’s even more tortuous because there are glimpses of something more than try-hard horror here. Some of the psycho country riffs and beats are cool, despite not being dirty enough for my taste. But without fail, just when a song wasn’t numbing my will to live, vocalist Kim Nekroman pipes up.
Amazingly, Nekroman’s back catalogue isn’t as bad as this record suggests. But here, Nekroman lacks even the vaguest smack of charm or originality. And when you’re singing mostly incoherent lyrics along the lines of “My girl, ooo ooo ooo, my girl, ooo ooo ooo” or “I hope you rot in hell ooo ooo ooo” you really can’t afford to sound strained and monotonous.
The main problem is that there are just no good hooks or interesting melodies. This is Nekromantix’ seventh studio album. I know their schtick is cemetery dead girl jokes but their first studio album came out in 1989. Maybe it’s time they moved on.
2 out of 10
2 things other people have said:
This is the first review i've read on this album that wasn't by some hellcat-fan boy, and is also the only review that wasn't a pile of shit. i agree completely, and only wish to add that it is ALL PATRICIA DAY'S FAULT. THIS IS A HORRORPOPS ALBUM. ok, here is the evidence. the sandorff bros.leave the band. (patricia)kim nekroman goes on tour with the horrorpops for an extended period of time.(patricia) returns with a new lineup, and this is the result. (patricia) coincidence? i think not.
This review is pure bullshit. It is a great "comeback" from the greatest psykobilly band. Their last album was total crap,but life's a grave is their best offering to date.Long live the Nekromantix!
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