The Rocketz Rise Of The Undead (2005) Hairball 8

So, when zombies come into play, at least for me, I'm expecting something pretty rad. I mean, they're undead! It should be fun, fast, heavy, loud. Instead, the Rocketz give us psychobilly that's a tad bit easy on the psycho. Instead of wailing snarls, I'm given surf guitar reject riffs and 3-part vocal harmonies. Though, to be honest, it's more Stray Cats than Tiger Army, and that's a good thing in my book. There's a barroom swagger to it. In fact, I'd be a lot more comfortable calling them plain ol' rockabilly if we were just addressing the music.

The production is raw and sloppy, ready to rock and sometimes roll. But that problem is the poppy, upbeat rockabilly chord progression with the blood 'n guts imagery. "I love to see you bleed" just doesn't work with whimsical pop vocals over a 12-bar blues.

There's not too much more that can be said. If you're a fan of psychobilly, chances are you already know what you like. It's a fairly black and white, cut and dry musical world. You either like it or you don't. That being said, this isn't a phenomenal release, but it's not anything that makes me want to cringe, curl up, and die. Here's a band doing what they want to do. They're technically adept. They probably have a fanbase, but it's probably not anything huge since they're not riding a wave. If this is your thing, you'll probably find something you really like on this release. If this isn't your thing, you probably won't like it.

(Jesse)