“Come. Dance with the devil.”

As one might expect, horror punk sounds different from band to band of course. Likewise, there are distinct similarities based on country of origin. German horror bands have a generally more operatic sound than their US, Mexican and even fellow European counterparts. The typical German release always sounds very clean, production-wise, with respect especially to the vocals. 

Having grown up listening to bands like Dio, Iron Maiden and Germany’s own Helloween, I truly appreciate this attribute. Dead United hits that very switch. Coming in, I had heard only one Dead United album, The Chainsaw Chronicles. I look forward to re-visiting that one often. As Autumn rolls in on a bed of dead leves I’m very pleased now to experience their latest release, Fiend No 1.

In the tradition of such great horror punk milestones as Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe and Wednesday 13’s Necrophage, Fiend blasts off with a spooky nursery rhyme…

“They give me Shock treatment, I´m wetting my pants,  

Five star Hotel Sanatorium.  

And with needles and pills they will break my will 

 I will never leave that bloody Hilll”

…exploding into “The Old Spook Sanatorium on Kill Hill.

…cries the song’s protagonist, as voiced by lyricist/vocalist Buzz, with the barest hint of Lemmy in his voice, accompanied by a chorus of ghostly woooos. The imagery of a tormented stay in a sketchy mental institution is scary, sure, but Buzz and the boys make it seem fun. 

“All flesh is erotic flesh” 

Taking back the crossed-arms stance from all the radio-friendly squares.

“Green Glowing Skulls” (troublingly subtitled “Space Rape: A Very Long Distance Relationship”) Once again has Buzz portraying a man completely under the power of a greater force, that being aliens. The word “rape” is cringey to American ears of course, but there’s no denying that both lyrics and scenario ares hilarious, as Buzz’s character is clearly enjoying what is happening to him.

It was here that I noted Buzz bears a passing resemblance to the unnamed antagonist of Slumber House Massacre II, a leather-clad fellow armed with a drill guitar who, before and after killings, gleefully performs a catchy spookabilly ditty called – what else? – “Let’s Buzz.”

Everything hits at once with the opening of “Mr. Reptile,” and it feels like the proper beginning of the album. It’s a fast and funny tribute to The Creature of The Black Lagoon; very welcome to the jaded ears of this old monster movie geek. 

“You cannot tame  This elemental brain,  

Natural drives,  Will take your lives…”

If that doesn’t sum up our boy Gill Man, I don’t know what does. It’s a simple and brutal tune that instantly owns your brain. I hope some creative youtuber will compose a Black Lagoon trilogy highlight reel with this track because that would be fucking perfect.

We come to “Zombie Shake ’83” which even gets its own high-production narrative video. Reflecting that retro VHS love that is all the rage right now, it gives us a brief glimpse at how Buzz and the boys look when performing, and it’s clear they love what they do. During the chorus especially, they seem particularly tight. In the vid, the normie aerobics girls show their disdain for the class’s sole punker — until the zombies come. Those dead sumbitches always seem to even the social playing field, don’t they? So this is another one for my masterfully-curated Halloween narrative video playlist. Now if I can just dig up a few friends to drag over for a viewing party. 

“Can you transform into Daryl” asks Buzz. “or will you fail? 

Are you able to hack, slash, cut and nail?”

We all appreciate these little rotten Easter eggs, don’t we? 

Time for a meta anthem! “Fuck The Fiends” is definitely the hardest-rocking track. Lyrics-wise, it’s neither lament nor celebration. Just some notes about winding up in “the punk rock scene.” Not  much horror content here but as brutal a punk rock song as you could ask for. Then there’s this perfect slice of insiderverbiage:

“I don´t sound like Glen! (or alternately, “Rod” and “Gools”) I don´t look like Glens!  Fuck! I am not Glen! 

“Dawn at Red Rock” purports to be based in true events. The sound of nighttime bugsong brings to mind 70s clas-sick shocker The Down That Dreaded Sundown, also inspired by true events so that’s appropriate. We soon learn there is an unsolved murder at its heart. 

“She vanished, make some telephone calls, 

What happened late in the concert hall? 

Just wait some hours, maybe she will call! 

Which role does her drunk friend play ? 

Who is the strange goat bearded man? 

Who are the people in the coppice and where are they now?”

Backing vocals and gritty chords bring to mind an Argyle Goolsby (Gools) tune, but without all that pesky wistfulness. Catchy yet morbid, it’s another winner.

Horror punk draws inspiration from 50s era rockabilly and doo-wop, which is only natural, given the flood of great B monster movies from the era. “Scream! Oh Baby Scream!” is the most fifties-esque song on this release, referring perhaps to a particular film or just tellings its own tale. Hard to tell. English, as written, spoken or sung by Germans, is a little different from how we natives mutilate it, but in a charming way, a manner that Americans or British would never think to use. It usually makes sense and often rings poetic

—  but…

“Pink trips calmed down the tigress, captivated by that shiny curl, 

Bearing little Beasts, the witch in the mirror will vanish someday”

…You tell me.

“Nancy” is given as the title online but according to the lyrics sheet the full title is “Nancy IX (NDE)” meaning “near death experience.” I expected something about either Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of deceased Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious, or Nightmare On Elm Street‘s Nancy Thompson, a Final Girl who undeniably deserves more online fanboy love. You’d expect this one to veer into more introspective territory musically speaking, but it’s a hard-driving and heavy as anything on the album.

“It Came From Above,” as its title suggests, has more of that same great B movie feel. Another track that seems connected to a specific film but it’s not familiar to me. It’s a moody (but still fun) number that suggests planet earth is a mere playground for reptilian space beings — and who am I to argue? Short and sweet.

One could be forgiven for mishearing the chorus of “Aaaaaahhhhh! Some Bees!” as “zombies” which might actually have worked better. No telling just how intentional the humor is in this tune, but it’s largely a fuck you to the corporations currently obliterating our bee populations; as much a pure punk number as horror punk.

“Monster Sting Mutant Bees,
Turning the kids into Zombies,
Wipin´ out old, white and angry flesh!”

“Waltz of the Damned”

It’s weird to hear harpsichordy notes introducing a sci-fi song – I picture Addams’ Family butler Lurch laying down this track in the studio, late at night, while the boys watch and get high- but — I aint hating. Buzz is not hitting a big range here but something about his vocals are so endearing and, I don’t know, sincere. The lament of a tortured soul, “Waltz” has a less whimsical tone than the rest, almost a ballad, if not for the heavy guitars. Might just be my favorite of the bunch. 

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