What happens when you take the best of the ‘90s Epi-Fat era sound and mix it together with Misfits-esque horror punk? I’ll tell you what happens, you get Los Angeles’s Murderland, a five-piece, horror pop-punk band. The way this band has mixed together these two sections of punk rock is that it has taken the instrumentation and vocals of fast-paced melodic punk (even melodic hardcore at some points) and unapologetically incorporating lyrics that are creepy, disturbing, terrifying, satanic, and at some points, pretty funny.

Of the thirteen tracks Prelude To a Kill, one of the more notable songs on the album is called “Headcase.” The intro for this song is a perfect representation of Murderland’s dark and sick sense of humor. It is a classic line from the movie American Psycho. If you have seen the movie, you’ll know that this is a great introduction to this song because it is about a serial killer who murders women. So it sets the vibe just right. Musically, heavily distorted and heavily palm-muted guitars and very fast and noticeably hard-slamming drums dominate this song. Though the instrumentation comes off pretty loud and rockin’, lead vocalist Mike Murder’s voice contrasts with it, in that he sings very melodically and very attentively, hitting every note precisely with lyrics like “The cops won’t hear you scream/ As I slice your pretty face from ear to ear/ Methodically removing fingers and nipples/ With rusty pruning shears.”

One of the best songs on Prelude To a Kill, perhaps one of best in Murderland’s entire catalogue has to be “Scum and Villainy.” Again, there is a lot of heavy palm muting from the guitars with nicely added fills, and very detailed singing from the lead vocalist. But in the case, Murderland did such an especially great job with the melody. It is just so catchy and flows so well. The verses flawlessly lead up to where the lead vocalist’s voice gets a bit angrier and meets the back up vocalists to seamlessly transition into this big, anthemic chorus. This song’s arrangement is so tight and well put together. The lyrics such as “My friends and cohorts/The villains by my side/A motely crew of scallywags and I/ Too tough to die/And so we drink another night “ are also pretty cleverly written.

I only have one issue with this record and it’s that I think at certain points it tends to be too reserved and a little bit too safe. I didn’t get that sense of confrontational anger and aggression that you typically get from a punk rock record. Murderland could have pushed that aspect of the album a bit further. Or perhaps that’s that just the band’s style, regardless if that is the case then that is where the record lost me at times, but don’t let that deter you from giving Prelude To a Kill a listen.

That being said, Prelude To a Kill is a very fun record. It’s an easy listening record that really doesn’t take itself too seriously. Again, if you like that ‘90s Epi-Fat sound or The Misfits or both you’ll probably get a kick out this album.