Hewhocannotbenamed Sunday School Massacre Review by Gary Hill
I first heard of this guy when I was doing my book The Strange Sound of Cthulhu: Music Inspired by the Writings of H. P. Lovecraft. I didn’t know much about him except that he was the guitarist for The Dwarves and his name. Well, now that I’ve heard this CD, I’m game to learn more. The album is a scorcher that combines horror punk with other genres. The closest comparison would be The Ramones, but there are plenty of other references in there.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Happy Suicide
This reminds me of the Ramones, but with more of an edge. It’s quite energized and has a cool guitar solo.
Machine Boy The Ramones are alive here, but this has more of a modern (not quite emo) punk rock element. I love the Saturday morning cartoon theme song sort of feel to this.
Medication More melodic, this starts like a ballad, but then powers out into a rocker. It’s quite a cool tune. While it’s still punky, it is more classic rock in nature.
Superhero This reminds me a lot of “Machine Boy,” but there’s more of a vintage rock and roll element here.
Duct Tape Love It would be very easy to be convinced that this is the Ramones. That’s a big compliment. It’s got some especially tasty guitar work, too.
Hate Song This one earns a parental advisory. Beyond that, it’s another killer track with a lot of Ramones influence on board.
Toxine Mellower and more melodic, this is like a punk rock ballad.
Sinister Sal Slower, but very heavy, this seems to be about a serial killer. It’s got some definite metal in the mix. I’d equate this piece to The Dead Boys doing The Ramones. It’s a real screamer.
Wake Up Metal meets punk and hip hop on this track. It is probably the most unique piece on show here.
Daddy Is Dead Here’s another screaming punk rock song. The vocals are more in keeping with standard punk, but the music has the ferocity of hardcore.
Billy Vs. the Gnomes There’s a great punk rock meets classic rock groove to this tune. It’s one of my favorites on the set. It has some Misfits and some Ramones.
Motorboating This combines a retro 1950’s rock groove with Ramones style punk in a great way.
