I’ve always associated Cycobilly with Europe. It was in the Old World that I had the most of my favorites, but lately I’ve been discovering more and more purely American names. Today we will listen to the band’s most recent album from the small homeland of Robocop, the city of Detroit. And let’s all get together: A coffin! The coffin! The coffin! Coffin Cats!
This trio came together in 2003 from permanent double bassist and vocalist Vic Victor and guitarist Tommy Coffin. The third member was drummer Eric Walls, nicknamed E-Ball, which sounds piquantly to Russian ears. This is a school friend of Vic’s, with whom they first tried themselves in the musical field. Although guitarists and drummers have changed over the course of more than twenty years, from 2016 to the present, the band has an original line-up with which it all began. I am always pleased with such stories with strong lineups. There’s something about real male friendship in them.
Cats describe themselves as Gothabilly. But do not deceive your inner alter ego! Koffin Kats are not mawkish at all, and the Gothic rather refers to the standard sepulchral sicker theme: cemeteries, vampires and other horror films. And there is no melancholy here. Everything is very cheerful and lively.
If you describe the music of the Coffins in one word, it is the word “speed”. The band is monstrously assertive and fans of more traditional billy music can be frankly hurt. Well, the main thing here is to be warned! As for me, the balance between wildness and melodiousness is well maintained, but with a bias towards wildness.
The previous discography, so far, has as many as nine full-length releases. Given the fecundity of Cats, their creativity can be taken with you to the uninhabited island of the substation mode of Russian streaming. Are you missing Necromantix and Batmobile? Try Koffin Kats!
And embracing such an extensive discography is not an easy task, so I will mention a few selected tracks presented in the playlist below. Excellent fighting March of the Waynos/Splatterhouse from the album Straying From The Pack in 2006, the V8 Nightmare film from the debut album and the real horror franchise Graveyard Tree.
Stylistically, the trio almost always kept to the same sound, having moderated their ardor a little in the last decade. It added a little more Gothic romance, reminiscent of Rezurex. But with the return of the original line-up in 2016, all the compromise snot finally ended. Ya Can’t Take It With Ya‘s previous studio work from 2021 is as frenzied as the early albums. Except that it sounds a little cleaner and more diverse. The same applies to a fresh record.
So, let’s look at what the tenth anniversary feline life after death looks like!
Happy Hour is quite a standard action movie for the band, moderately insane and with Coffin’s guitar already quite combed. The capital Higher Lows is both more mobile and more sepulchral. It is very interesting how sometimes a straight almost “disc” part of the drums is inserted into this song.
From the Light has a very interesting performance and a bridge with a “mitolically” muted guitar, which pleasantly dilutes the standard action story. Well, the studio trash at the end is very funny. I love this.
Black Box pleases with a great measured groove and a pleasant chorus that you want to sing along to. Well, returning to the high-speed slap madness here is very invigorating.
Tuning In plays a similar joke: starting stealthily, it then goes to standard cruising speed.
Way Out There is not particularly remarkable against the general background, but Wildfire is much more interesting: starting from silence, this mid-tempo Gothic rock finally gives a break from the insane speed of all previously heard roads. The drums sound very cool and majestic here, turning into disco in the chorus. This is probably the most memorable track from the album.
And the high-speed action movie Ride Like Hell completes the record again. Musically, it’s difficult to single it out, but stating the fact that “All my Friends are Freaks and Weirdos!” allows you to draw on a life-affirming rebellious spirit.
To summarize the above, Higher Lows is simply the excellent work of an excellent team that continues to bend its line in a rapidly changing world. Uncluttered, simple, and combative. With this record, the Coffin Cats declare that they do not intend to give up. Their claws are still sharp. It’s the same good old saika, wild but cute.
