Run for Your Life

Album review

Is there any musical genre more fun than horrorbilly? Blending elements of punk, country, B-movie gore, and classic rockabilly, the Creepshow are one of the finest exponents of this hellish genre currently working the circuit, and the quartet's sophomore effort (released just in time for Halloween 2008) shows no signs of flagging energy and even less of any creeping introspection or moral scruple. Run for Your Life is aptly named, and the song titles really say it all: "Rue Morgue Radio," "Dearly Departed," "Demon Lover," "Buried Alive." Even the ones that look on paper like they might be a bit more tender are deceptive: "Take My Hand" (awww) features the couplet "Don't be afraid, my love/It's just a little bit of blood" (eek). The Creepshow's secret weapon is juxtaposition: the combination of whipsaw guitar; pummeling upright bass; spookhouse Hammond organ; and Sarah Sin's clear, sweet voice, a voice that can spin from sexy croon to snarl without missing a beat. But the songs themselves are the real stars. Short, sharp, tuneful, and gleefully gory, they're almost uniformly great. The album is nothing but good, rollicking, blood-soaked fun. Highly recommended.
© Rick Anderson /TiVo