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August 6, 2012

Music Review: Calabrese: Dayglo Necros (2012)

It's always amazing to me that the psychobilly genre took so long to exist. Based on the Glenn Danzig fronted The Misfits, it's something that started decades after the band originally hit. It could have something to do with the resurgence of the band with new front man Michale Graves, or it could just be something that needed time, but here it is, and Calabrese seems to be near the front of the pack.

I had originally heard of them from their album 13 Halloweens, and I also got to see the video for Voices of the Dead, which was directed by Brian Pulido (Chaos! Comics) and featured our own David Hayes as Tor Johnson. I definitely saw growth from 13 to Voices, and I see continued growth in Dayglo Necros.



The Calabrese brothers aren't the only band in horror rock. Blitzkid and The Death Riders are two bands that immediately come to mind. The difference with Calabrese is the family aspect. It has to help them when it comes to reading each other. Everything on Dayglo is played and integrated flawlessly. I listened to it four times before really noticing how smooth it was. I guess when it works that well, it's easy to just roll with it.

The one thing I kept looking for was a standout track. The Dead Don't Rise was a solid start. Ghostwolves, She Hasn't Been Herself in Years and Damned to the Night also caught my attention, but no track stood above the rest. After awhile, I realized that it was a good thing. Every song is just as good as the last. One thing I really liked is that none of it was forced down my throat. I could turn this album up loud or just have it on as background music. If you're looking for something fun to put you in a good mood, Dayglo Necros would definitely be for you.

2 comments:

  1. Calabrese is a horrorpunk band, and a damn good one at that. I don't know why people sometimes make the mistake of classifying them as psychobilly. They're not even remotely close. Check out The Nekromantix, The Creepshow, or Mad Sin for a good example of the difference between horrorpunk and psychobilly.

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    1. Is it that vastly different? It reminds me of this documentary I watched about metal bands and the dozens of mini-genres, when they're all still metal. I'm not a genre purist, so I guess I don't get you're aggravation. To say they're not even remotely close is a stretch.

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