Chicago's goofy goremongers Macabre have spent over twenty-five years putting the fun back into murder with their twisted tales of serial killers and human monsters. Following an agonizing eight-year gap, Grim Scary Tales sees Corporate Death, Nefarious and Dennis The Menace jumping back into their blood-filled pool with a resounding splash! This is the best sounding and most epic Macabre yet!

Describing the jovial ghouls' music is a difficult task. They take the heaviest of metal but throw in a menagerie of the most unlikely sounds. Singer Corporate Death can break up his assault of pain-filled shrieks with perfectly rendered nursery rhymes featuring a murderous twist. Songs can feature hillbilly country twang or sprightly polka frills before slamming back into churning grindcore. On Grim Scary Tales, you'll hear the band's most sophisticated and experimental songwriting yet while managing to lose none of their maniacal metal fury.

And of course, their fascination with serial killers remains. This album sees them dealing with killers both notorious (Nero, Lizzy Borden) and obscure (Joseph Vache, Mary Ann Cotton) with their usual combination of historical fidelity and tongue-in-cheek humor. For those with a passion for the sinister, Grim Scary Tales is a ghastly delight!

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011  Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Locusta was the first recorded serial killer in history and still one of the few female members of that exclusive club. Macabre plays tribute to her with a bruising, brutal metal track based on a creepy guitar arpeggio and featuring Corporate Death's vocals at their most extreme and shrieky. It's obvious right from the start the band has got their best production ever, which shows their ultra-tight musicianship to great advantage.