Genki Genki Panic – The Munge

Your favorite Chattanooga-based surf punk trio is back! Truth be told, they didn’t actually go anywhere. But they have been festering in a pit of DNA-covered broken guitar strings, bloody drumsticks, and mostly inedible mutant bat meat. Their new three song EP entitled The Munge is the best horror surf movie soundtrack for a film that doesn’t exist you’ll hear anytime soon. I’ve been following this band for quite a while now and every time they have something new, it’s better than their previous efforts. So if you crave twisting creepazoid guitars, eerie ghoul keyboards, creeping deceased basslines, and bombastic zombified drums (and really who doesn’t?), then I urge you to check out The Munge. At the time of this review, you can get The Munge on green splatter vinyl. Get ‘em while they’re hot and stinky.

Check out the EP here.

Music video for “Gas Human Being No.1 / The Human Vapor”.

Music video for “The Munge”.

The Prople – Why Even Ask?

For their second full length album, The Prople have returned with their trademark frenetic energy and outlandish lyrics. Why Even Ask? is an improvement over both their first album Revenge and their previous Monorail Girl EP in both production quality and intricacy. A key ingredient to this album is the pummeling drums by Kari Frankenstein. The band is now a two-piece with Miss Frankenstein moving to drums while still playing bass, keyboards, and singing vocals thanks to her six arms and approximately four brains. Markky Karloff’s constantly evolving guitars are as resolute and as gigantic as usual and his vocals have been known to open vortexes in concrete all over the city.

Before I continue, I have to mention a pair of truly bizarre songs on Why Even Ask? and I mean bizarre even by The Prople’s standards. As if multiple songs about Disney World and Epcot Center (“Spaceship Death”, “Escape from the Utilidors”, and “Murder at Club 33” respectively) on the same album wasn’t strange enough. First up is the brilliantly broken “Amazing Grace ‘78” which fans of a certain sequel in the Halloween franchise should recognize immediately. Next is “Son of Blattella”, a stylistic departure for the band that goes through so many changes and styles in the same song that it’s reminiscent of the ultimate schizophrenic rock band, Mr. Bungle. This song also has a cameo by the ghost of our good friend, Nafa Fa’alogo!

In order to appear as a completely objective and professional music reviewer, I’d be remiss not to mention my involvement with Why Even Ask?. Recently, Markky Karloff forced me into a little room and left me there for days with only a pile of horror movies to keep me company. It wasn’t long before I completely lost my mind. As I descended into a gibbering mass on the floor, he surreptitiously recorded my ramblings and mixed them into a new version of the classic Prople song called “Doomed Moviethon”. It’s about watching too many movies and completely losing your mind! Sound familiar? I would be lying if I said that this wasn’t my favorite song on the album so I won’t bother.

If songs about video games (references I frankly just don’t get because of my chosen religion), the Planet of the Apes franchise, Dragonball Z, horror films like Hereditary and It, and a Wal-Mart in hell sound like something you’d be into- ew, bro! I’m not into that stuff. But if you are into that stuff then peel all of your skin off. Another option? Simply pick up a copy of Why Even Ask? because this is one hell of an epic album. From the blistering opening bassline of “Fireworks” to the apocalyptically phantasmagorical conclusion of “Vermin”, this is quite a journey for listener. This is such an overall improvement over what I’ve heard from The Prople so far that I can’t wait to hear what they come up with next. Not that I’m into that stuff.

The Prople

And even more The Prople

Genki Genki Panic – SURF CVLT

Genki Genki Panic is a three-piece horror and science fiction-themed surf rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Their sound is what gets pumped into the speakers of the graves of skeletons who still remember how to shake their bony asses. The production on this bright green flexi disc perfectly suits their otherworldly, reverb-drenched style. Listen to this band and you might just start a surf cult of your own.

“Ghouls on Film” explosively kicks off this three song flexi disc. It will have your synapses all twisted up into knots. Next, “Sexy Harambe Frankenstein” is a wild excursion into a little known genre called Mary (was a punk rocker) Shelley. The synthesizer on this track will melt your face off. “Radon Chong” sounds like if Agent Orange got into a knife fight with Brian Setzer. This release from Goblinhaus Records just blows me away. The disc comes with a download code with three more kickass songs with ridiculous puns in the titles.

Goblinhaus Records

Genki Genki Panic

The Prople – Monorail Girl

They’re not The People, The Purple, or The Propel Fitness Water. They’re The Prople and they’re back with a new EP even though their full length album Revenge is still pretty hot and covered in the blood of carnivores. As much as I enjoyed Revenge, Monorail Girl is an overwhelming piece or slice of punk. Should I call it a chunk of punk? I don’t know what the kids are calling it these days. Anyway, the guitars on this album are punishing in the best way possible and this all too short collection of songs (two of them are less than 50 seconds!) have left me wanting more.

As I’ve come to expect from The Prople, the songs on Monorail Girl are a mix of horror, deranged Disney World nostalgia, and other left field topics. The horror begins with the opening track called “David” which is about Alien: Covenant, naturally. Another horror track is called “Fruit Cellar” and the Psycho-inspired TV series“Bates Motel” is where it draws its inspiration. Bassist and backup vocalist Kari Frankenstein takes the lead on this one and it’s a catchy and incredibly depressing song, lyrically speaking.

Vocalist, guitarist, drummer, and general overachiever, Markky Karloff, gives the listener the most horrifying vision of all with “Muscle of Love”. It’s an Alice Cooper cover and even though it’s probably not about the shock rocker’s penis, my mind immediately goes there. Since it’s Markky singing those lyrics on this EP, it might be about his penis. But I suspect that Markky might not be into that stuff.

Last but certainly not least are the title track of this EP and a cover of “(There’s A) Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow” to fulfill the required Disney quotient. “Beautiful Tomorrow” is a song that plays at the Carousel of Progress at the theme park. Lyrically, this is full of hope and promise but things quickly mutate into madness and despair, just like Walt Disney! Wait, what? “Monorail Girl” is probably the strangest song on there. I hope the sexual lyrics are a metaphor for something that isn’t sex, just like Walt Disney! Wait, what?

More Prople.

Even more Prople.

The Prople – Revenge

I like to take risks. My whole life is dictated by the unknown and I thrive on adventure. Of course, I’m lying. I’ve never been outside and now I never have to again. My favorite album of the year came out and there’s enough excitement packed into its fifteen songs that feed both my soul and my body. My brain isn’t being fed, it’s being harvested by the Prople and used to power their future vehicle which is a Lamborghini dune buggy made of skeletons.

The Prople’s album Revenge begins with “Grim Grinning Ghosts”, a cover of the jaunty music from the Haunted Mansion ride at Walt Disney World. It opens spookily, is very energetic, and is overall, a lovingly crafted ode to the best ride at the park. And that’s not the only song on this album about a ride at Disney! If that seems odd, you’re right. The people behind this music have many strange obsessions and very specific lyrics like “Broly is an Overrated Pussy” which-according to my research- is about a Dragonball Z character.

Another standout track is the insanely catchy “Don’t Breathe” about the 2016 film of the same name. But that’s not the only cinematic tribute on Revenge, the album is full of film-centric songs about Terminator 2: Judgment Day, American Psycho. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Rogue One, and even the short film The Punisher: Dirty Laundry gets its own song! Is that too pop culture-y for you? Don’t worry, the title track is about cows. The accompanying Revenge comic book can explain everything (available right here).

Overall, Revenge is a loud and spastic album but as I listened to it the first time, something strange happened. I was innocently rocking out to “Uncle Bob” and my sleeve got caught on the Prople rollercoaster as it whizzed by me. I managed to climb into the front car but the safety bar wouldn’t come down. It was a good time but tinged with imminent danger. It was an exhilarating experience and I know I had a choice. I could either fight it and die or I could just leave the album on repeat forever. Let me tell you what I did.

More Prople.

Even more Prople.

Murderock – Splatter Generation

murderock-splattergen

Hey gorefiends, here is the horror metal album you’ve been waiting for. Hailing from the desert wasteland of Nevada, Murderock wears their film fandom on their gore-soaked sleeve with songs inspired by Italian horror fare like Dellamorte Dellamore, The Beyond, and The New York Ripper. Any band with a track about Dr. Freudstein of The House by the Cemetery gets serious points with me right out of the gate. Plus, you can see the sexy doc’s face on the cover. And to keep things nice and sleazy, they also reference grindhouse flicks like Thriller: A Cruel Picture and Last House on Dead End Street.

My favorite song is “Cut You To Pieces” about, what else? Pieces! They even incorporate that splatter classic’s very memorable tagline, “You don’t have to go to Texas for a chainsaw massacre”, into the chorus. Just calling them metal does the band a disservice as the influences of punk and fuzzed out rock and roll are all over their sound making Splatter Generation fun, scary, catchy, and heavy as fuck. All of the musicianship is great from everyone involved and the lyrics make a great case for the benefits of necrophilia.

http://murderock.net/

https://murderock.bandcamp.com/

Whip Bats – Coventi E Catacombe

whipbats-ep

Whip Bats is a relentless synth and drum machine assault from the bowels of horror movie soundtrack hell. This demonically fun 7 song CD has so many catchy hooks and hypnotic moments that it’ll make you a Whip Bats fan for life. The packaging is done up in the style of a long lost VHS tape and there’s even a plot for the film starring legendary actors Veronica D’Amour and Alberto Ambrogio on the back. Imaginary horror movies are near and dear to my heart and that touch of detail lends even more atmosphere to this already eerie collection of songs. Get your copy from Goblinhaus Records.