Cavaverman – James Dead
It will be no secret that I am a big horrorpunk fan. I was excited to see a new band in this genre. There’s vivid scenes in the states, Germany and to a lesser extend in Sweden and Russia so I was a bit surprised to find out Cavaverman hails from Italy. Not a country where I’d expect this kind of music. This appears to be Cavavermans debut, so I’m not ashamed to say this is the first time I hear from this band. And I must say it’s good to meet ‘m! Let’s start by saying that if you’re not into horrorpunk, this is not the place to start and see if this album will change your mind on this style. This band is not trying to break new ground. Not at all, I might add. This is pretty conservative music, imagery included. Is that a bad thing? Not really if you ask me…
Imagery is important for horrorpunk bands, so let’s have a look at the band. A doctor (we’ve seen that before, and it’s pretty much ok), a guy with a wrestling mask on (well, not really my style, but it will do) and a cowboy. A cowboy? Really? Let’s say I think that’s a horror in the wrong way. After listening to James Dead I forgive the man his sins though. As musicwise everything works out just fine. There’s enough intros taken from horror movies to make you think “yeah, I know this, but what movie is it from again?”. I dig that! Of course this is one big Misfits worship. Graves-era Misfits that is. Add to this some influences of The Rosedales and The Other (especially debut album They’re Alive) and you’ve got the picture. The lead singer sounds a bit like the singer of (again) The Rosedales, which is really a good thing in my book. Of course you’ll find a lot of whohoho’s on here as well as lyrics dealing with zombies, werewolves, crazy doctors etc etc.
Important thing for me is that the production good enough to keep everything together. I really can’t listen to horrorpunk with a too thin guitar sound for example. Lucky for me the production is just perfect for the genre. With fourteen songs this album is one song too long if you ask me. I would have advised the band to get rid of I Am The One. This song is the only stinker on the album in my opinion. It’s too slow and just drags on and on. Other than that you can clearly hear the thick accent of the singer.
You should have a clear picture of what to expect by now. This will not win you over for the genre, but if you’re into horrorpunk you need to listen to this. Now, I’ll go listen to this gem another time. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Evil, malice, death, decay, just another working day…
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