Search - Blitzkid :: Five Cellars Below

Seriously One Of The Best Horror Punk Albums Ever

EerieVonEvil | The Rabbit Hole | 09/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think most fans of horror-themed punks will agree that The Misfits pretty much defined the genre. However, The Misfits are gone forever(both incarnations) and I think its up to the present-day bands to carry the torch and make the genre fresh again. Blitzkid IS the Misfits of the new generation. They make their influences obvious, but still retain their own originality. Let Flowers Die, Trace Of A Stranger, and even Terrifying Tales are fantastic albums and rival bands like the 90's Misfits incarnation and AFI and so on. Those albums have a great classic feel, being that the production was very stripped down and raw. Then we have Five Cellars Below. WOW. The production level on this album is unbelievable. The bass, guitar and drums are so LOUD and clear and when you crank this record it has a wall-of-sound like you wouldnt believe. Obviously the vocals are stellar as usual. One of the things Blitzkid is known for is great vocals from a certain T.B. Monstrosity, who has an amazing melodic range without sounding whiny. Goolsby has a diverse range on this album as well and sings the bulk of the songs. He has seriously improved on his singing and it shows on this record. Musically the record is all over the place, like their previous albums. It goes from down-tuned punk/metal songs(Demon Machine), to 50's style rock N roll with saxaphone(Starlight Decay), and the usual fast, fun punk numbers(Genus Unknown, Dementia). There are some hints of rockabilly(Terror In The Haunted House), and melodic Balladry(Carve Out A Heart). The cover of Concrete Blonde's Bloodletting is amazing and is almost better than the original, and totally fits on this album. There is scattered atmospheric sounds on this album like wispy winds/thunder, as well as some synths/string instruments. The lyrics are straight out of a horror movie as usual, which is awesome. They do expand their lyrical content on this album though, adding some epic fantasy themes(Lady In The Lake/Vanishing Riders) which makes the albums larger than life and more in-depth. There is a bonus song(track 16) which is Five Cellars Below, and the album clocks in at 54 minutes making it the longest and most epic Blitzkid album. Basically, this is an album for everyone because it doesnt pigeon-hole its self into a single genre. I'd take Blitzkid over Mister Monster,Nim Vind, AFI, Tiger Army, or Michale Graves any day. This is the future of horror-punk, and I'm glad that this band is doing it so well. ANY fan of horror-punk will really dig this. I totally recommend it and it is worth repeated listens. Stellar album."