Nekromantix

Item: Return of the Loving Dead
Rating: 8
Author: Marcus

Return of the Loving Dead (2002)

Marcus

Nekromantix.. A band I hold dear to my heart. For those who are not quite sure who the Nekromantix are, They are a 3 piece psychobilly band that has been around since the late 80's (1989 I believe) and hail from Denmark. Since their debut, they have released quite a few albums, most of which are imports.

The band is fronted by Kim Nekroman (who spent 8 years as a submarine operator in the Danish Navy) who plays his own custom-built upright coffin bass and does the majority of vocals. Also in the band are the brothers Kristian (Drums) and Peter (guitar) Sandroff.

This dynamic trio so to speak forms one of the best (in my opinion at least) psychobilly bands out there today.

Onto the album.

Return of the Loving Dead marks the bands first release on one of their biggest fans Record Labels (Tim Armstrong for those who don't know) and it is a damn good one.

The CD opens with "Nice Day For A Resurrection" which is a moderately paced psychobilly song with good vocals by Nekroman and great "whoa's" by Peter.

The second track is my favorite on the album, "Who Killed The Cheerleader". Its a fast paced song with a great bassline (for those who can hear it..), humorous vocals and a good sing along chorus.

Other notable tracks on this album include "Gargoyles Over Copenhagen" (I think they shot a video for this song.. Not too sure on that one), "Rubber Monks & Leather Nuns", "Nekronauts" (they have a free MP3 of this track on their website I believe) and their humorous homage to the older psychobilly bands, "Haunted Cathouse", which has to be heard to be appreciated.

Overall, its a solid Nekromantix album with a few minor flaws in songs like "Subcultural Girl" and the decent but a bit too long title track, "Return of the Loving Dead".

Please do yourself a favor and see them if they are in your area, they tour the U.S. every now and then, but when they do, its an event to behold and I speak from the experience of having seen them before. If you are a fan of psycho-billy, pick this CD up.