Music Review: The Rabies – Night Terror
The Rabies – Night Terror (2008, Vodka Distillery Records)
Review by Tony – Hell Feels Like Home
The Rabies have a goth-meets-punk sound with a cacophony of eerie keyboards and small injections of infectious pop. Vocalist Lexi Lawsuit has beautiful voice that has the power and attitude of Dinah Cancer (45 Grave) and sweet songbird qualities of Debbie Harry (Blondie). The guitars have a dark, hard tone that work nicely with the creepy swirling keyboards found throughout this album. The keyboards not only have that haunted house sound but also a light psychedelic soundscape that adds depth and flavor to the songs. The bass and drums are tight but have a loose, flowing feel to them that moves with the song but also holds it together.
“Ghosts in the Graveyard” starts off with a brooding bass line and swiftly jumps into a heavy and hard goth punk blast. The music has a huge swirling landscape and Lexi absolutely wails. Her voice rips and tears with attitude. “Suffocate Twist” is what Lux Interior and Poison Ivy (The Cramps, but you should know that!) would do if they decided to sit down and write some twisted bubblegum music. This song is a total riot and has some nice crunchy garage rock guitar mixed with an upbeat bouncy sugary sweet keyboard line. Beautifully sick lyrics about a dance that involves suffocating your partner. “Vampryre’s Kiss” changes up the pace with a slower Spanish influenced strummed acoustic intro. The verse has a slow haunting guitar riff that weaves between romantic keyboard and soulful vocals. Awesome crystal sounding guitar solo here that really peaks the forlorn forbidden love feel this song has. “Whiplash Love” is my favorite song on this album. The guitars start off heavy and crunchy with great tone but turn into a breaking rhythmic walk for the verses. Lexi’s vocals are swaggering, sultry and just plain smoking hot. “Formalde Heidi” has an up tempo new wave feel where the music sounds so sweet and happy but the lyrics contrast that feel greatly with dark lyrics. The chorus is very catchy and there are some excellent spaced out guitar breaks. “Disease” closes this album with some experimental goth. This song starts with maniacal laughing over crazed talking and whispers. Lexi’s wails over scratchy guitars and unnerving keyboards. About midway this song breaks into a frantic punk stomp that is bathed in blackness and seethes with terrifying anger and bubbles with snotty attitude when Lexi convincingly croons “I don’t need you, I don’t need you.”
Horror Punks, Death Rockers and Goths should all be able to agree that this is a fabulously twisted album. Night Terror is full of twists and turns with plenty of darkness and glimpses of sly sarcasm and humor. If you are into 45 Grave and the first wave of Death Rock this is a must buy.
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