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Nevrotix (the)

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Nevrotix (the) – Light & Shade

Crazy Love Records CLCD 64493 [2023]
Bone Rattle Beat – Blue Again – Creature – She’s My Baby – Cast A Spell – Out Of Sight – All That Was – Midnight Boogie – Distance – Parallel World – Aviophobia

Nevrotix Light & Shades

The Nevrotix are Axel Wennerlund on guitars & vocals, Cecil Kriisin on drums, and Henrik Hellberg Lizama on double bass. They come from Sweden and, may I add, wear lovely jumpers. They play Psychobilly. By that, I mean real Psychobilly (we’ll debate elsewhere if it’s pure Psychobilly), not Punk or Heavy Metal with a double bass. They play with the codes of the genre: a powerful double bass, a light guitar with a clear sound and pounding drums that do not hesitate to slip into tribal rhythms on occasion.
Above all, the Nevrotix has two strong points. First, although they are excellent musicians, what is striking about this trio is its cohesion. We do not have the impression of hearing three individuals or a rhythm section accompanying a singer. On the contrary, the band sounds like a whole, giving the group a unique dynamic. Of course, that doesn’t preclude guitar solos (the album is peppered with brilliant guitar parts) or double bass breaks. And all this is for what? This is where we come to the group’s second and main strength: their songs and arrangements. The Nevrotix compositions are never content to be simply sped-up Rockabilly with a few zombie-themed lyrics thrown in for good measure. Their Psychobilly is highly melodic, and the seemingly simple songs always move into unexpected territories. Each piece has a slight variation or subtle change that will make all the difference. Take songs like Out Of Sight or the Distance, for example. What could be, for the former, a fast track with muffled chords, à la What The Hell (Frantic Flintstones), is quickly transformed into something new by a subtle melodic variation.
The group also manages to brilliantly translate the lyrics’ atmosphere into music. Again, we feel that it has been thought of as a whole. For example, Blue Again is a fast track with a catchy riff that accompanies the track and enters your head like the singer’s discomfort.
Cast A Spell is another track that conveys the narrator’s fear and angst through music.
The group also excels in tracks containing rage and danger, bursting out in brief flashing moments. Thus Bone Rattle Beat is almost based on the double bass and the drums giving the track a jungle atmosphere, evoking Batmobile’s Zombie Riot or the Meteors’ Voodoo Rhythm before accelerating on the chorus. Another song that carries a high dose of danger is Midnight Boogie. Everything about this song screams “danger”, yet listening to it makes you want to roam the city with your friends in the middle of the night.
The group welcomes some guests on certain tracks. Thus we hear Terry Drybone of the Magnetix on Creature bringing his mean voice to this strange alien story. All That Was is a superb dark country/country noir ballad featuring Gunnar Frick on pedal steel guitar, on which Axel duets with Hanna Wennerlund (any link?). The feel is close to the duets recorded between Sparky and Emmanuella of the Hillbilly Moon Explosion. The album closes with Aviophobia, a fast instrumental featuring Anton Eriksson (the Test Pilots) on guitar and, surprisingly, but a good surprise, a saxophone played by Oskar Bäcklin.
One last word to tell you that the production is faultless from start to finish and that the famous Oskar Hertin drew the cover.
Don’t think twice, and grab a copy of this terrific album right now! I said NOW!

Available on CD and LP at Crazy Love Records
https://www.facebook.com/thenevrotix

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Nevrotix

Minestompers (the)

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The Minestompers vs Psycho Tendencies

Get stomped Rec GSR 004 [2022]
Minestompers: Satisfier 2.0 – Rim Fire / Psycho Tendencies: Feel the Rop – Run Out Of Weed

I have already had the opportunity to write all the good things I think about these two groups. So imagine my joy when I received this split-Ep from Get Stomped records. The Minestompers and Psycho Tendencies are two different groups, but this difference works particularly well because the two groups are complementary. And if we have to find a common point between the two groups, apart from the fact that they play a first-rate Psychobilly, it is bad taste, but good bad taste. Who doesn’t want to buy a record that says, “unsuited for small-minded dickheads” as a warning?
The Minestompers, from Cologne, play a traditional Psychobilly with an electric bass, which could bring them closer to the Meteors (Wreckin’ Crew period) and the first Coffin Nails. Sastifier 2.0 is mid-tempo with a solid drive and benefits from the presence of Boney (from the Rockabilly band Boney & the Shakers) on the backing vocals. Rim Fire is faster. The track alternates purely Psychobilly parts with Rockabilly guitar and darker Garage, almost metal, moments.
Psycho Tendencies are from Barcelona and are also in the old-school vein. After a slow and superb slap bass intro, Feel The Rope alternates jungle drums with fast parts and magnificent guitar work throughout. Run Out Of Weed (these guys know to write about essential subjects) is already, at least for me, a classic. Led by a high-pitched and mean vocal, this wild track takes no prisoner. Clocking at 1’37“, you barely have time to realize what is happening to you.
It’s been released in Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Black but don’t wait too long; there are only 300 copies available.

https://theminestompers.bandcamp.com/album/the-minestompers-vs-psycho-tendencies-split-ep

Minestompers (the) – Porno Mags and Body Bags

minestompers

Crazy Love CLCD64410 [2019]
Shellack Smile – Bone Breaking Beat – Vinyl Wonderland – Whirlwind – Attack of the Space Sluts from Planet C.U.N.T. 6 – Porno Mags – Pogo the Clown – Unleashed – Cop Killer – Demon up my Arse – Suburban Savages – For a Fistful of Schlonz – One Last Record

The Minestompers, my favorite Psychobilly poets, are back with their second album on Crazy Love records. And with songs like Space Sluts from Planet C.U.N.T.S 6 and Porno Mags, how could they fail?

The album kicks off with a powerful instrumental part Batmobile’s Dynamite, part Meteors. After that hot introduction, the band takes you into a wild psychobilly rollercoaster. The Minestompers are among those bands who favor the electric bass rather than the near mandatory slap bass. It gives them a sound somewhere between the very early Guana Batz (before Sam joined the band), the “Ein Bier Bitte” era of the Coffin Nails, and the Mad Pig period of the Meteors.
Max, the guitar man, always keeps a clean sound that works very well and is complimentary with the fat electric bass sound.
Their melodies are original and varied. It ranges from the strolling Whirlwind to the title track – a rewriting of “Brand New Cadillac” with new lyrics – with a cover of Body Count in between and the Diddley beat of “Suburban Savages.”
The whole album is very well balanced, and all songs are great. However, I particularly enjoyed the blues-inspired “Demon Up My Arse” (with harmonica), “Pogo the Clown” which alternates paces and reminds me of the Griswalds’ “Night Hawk” (on Psychobilly Tendencies) and the second instrumental of the album, the Morricone meets Surf “For a Fistful of Schlonz.”
The Besides the cd version and the usual black vinyl, Porno Mags & Body Bags is also available on pink, orange, yellow, and red vinyl, and the superb cover really deserves the vinyl format. Grab it, you know you can’t resist!
The Radioactive Kid

Minestompers (the) – Minestompers (the)

Minestompers
Minestompers (CLCD64354)

Crazy Love CLCD64354
Minestomp – Mama’s Clit – Invasion – Toxic Avenger – Drive By Cumshot – Possessed To Skate – Surfride To Hell – Bukkake Blues – Demon Twist – Leprechaun Boogie – Place To Go – Bad Dreams – Stomp Around The Swamp – Tohuwabohu

The Minestompers are a German quartet founded in 2008 with Daniel Gotsche on bass, David Naumann on lead vocals, Martin Grobe on drums, and Max Jakuschew on guitar. This is their debut album.
They play wild and frantic Psychobilly with an electric bass. Soundwise one could compare them to the early Coffin Nails, the Termites, the Frantic Flintstones (“the Nightmare continues” era,) and of course the Meteors.
The singer has a raw and raspy voice, sounding more like Sparky or Koefte than Steve Whitehouse if you want, but their guitar player, while mean and aggressive, keeps the Rockabilly element to the band.
All songs are originals, except for Possessed to Skate, a cover of Suicidal Tendencies, which is introduced by none other than Chuck Flintstones.
The songs deal with the usual horror themes (Toxic Avenger, Surfride to hell, Leprechaun Boogie) but the Minestompers also prove they’re no stranger to poetry with songs like Mama’s Clit, Drive by Cumshot, or Bukkake Blues.
If you dig the heavier side of Psychobilly, jump on this album.

The Radioactive Kid

The Scannerz

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The Scannerz started in late 1985/ early 1986. Sebastian Glenz aka Semmel (guitar) met Uwe Klein through his older brother. Uwe had started to play doublebass and was looking for a guitar player to form a neo-rockabilly / psychobilly band. They were very young (Glenz was 16!) and that was the first band for both of them. Klein and Glenz were soon joined by Murphy (singer/second guitar) and Pennmütz on drums (both from Bonn). Semmel quotes Restless, The Sharks as well as Gene Vincent and Johnny Burnette as influences while the others were more into the 80’s Psycho scene and a bit of Punk too.

Murphy stayed with the band for less than a year then left leading Semmel to take over the vocals duties and the band carried on as a trio. Then Pennmütz left and Gonzo took the drums. Finally Klaudia Menzel joined the band sharing the vocals with Semmel.

They eventually got a contract with the newly created Maybe Crazy records (later home of Mad Sin, Scallywags) but Gonzo left before the recording because he had to go to the army.The Lp was recorded with Johannes Bokskopf who Semmel knew from another musical project.The album is quite good and has aged rather well. It features 10 originals and one cover. It’s solid neo-rockabilly with a touch of psychobilly featuring an excellent lead guitar and a powerful slap bass with a sound very close to Restless (Vanish Without A trace/Girl Invisible era). The songs are well done, with a will to make melodic and original tunes. Klaudia’s voice is a real plus. She sings b-vox on a couple of tracks and lead on two, including the cover of The Ricochets’ Night Ship and the ska/new wave/psychobilly Change Myself. Sadly this is the sole release of the band (with the exception of one demo).

The band kept on with another drummer (Johannes Bokskopf wasn’t able to join the band full time, which maybe explains why you can’t see the face of the drummer on the cover of the album) called Gammel but the musical direction changed and Semmel left the band. The Scannerz continued a bit with a new guitar player (Michael) and Gonzo back on drums, playing more in a 60’s beat style but it didn’t last and by the end of the decade the band was no longer in activity.

scannerz
scannerz

Since then Sebastian has played with the Hot-Riffs, The Paralysers and today his “Mark Harman meets Cliff Gallup” guitar style can be heard in The Tin Cans.

Discography

1987 -S/T – Maybe Crazy LP 001 (black vinyl and 433 copies in clear vinyl)
Later reissued on cd in 2003 by Crazy Love Records – CLCD 64200

A big “Thank You!” to Semmel for the infos.

the Scannerz - s/t
the Scannerz – s/t

The Scannerz – s/t

Maybe Crazy / Crazy Love Records CLCD64200
I’m A Victim Of Your Love – Tell Me – Night Ship – He’s A Murderer – Crime – Fun On The Fretz – Stupid Informations – Want A New Life – Station Girl – You’ve Left Me – Change Myself

The Scannerz were a German quartet. They only had one release in 1987 on Maybe Crazy records. They played neo-rockabilly with a touch of psychobilly featuring an excellent lead guitar and a powerful slap bass with a sound very close to Restless (Vanish Without A trace/Girl Invisible era). The songs are well done, with a will to make melodic and original tunes but the real plus of the band comes from Klaudia. She sings b-vox on a couple of tracks and lead on two, including a superb cover of The Ricochets’ Night Ship and the ska/new wave/psychobilly Change Myself. If you dig 80’s neo-rockabilly/psychobilly this one is for you.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis