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Nekromantix
By Megan Carneal
mcarneal@mscd.edu

I vant to suck your blood. Nekromantix are, from left: Troydestroy, Kim Nekroman and Wasted James.

Being trapped in a submarine, below hundreds of feet of water for weeks at a time can do dangerous things to a person’s mind. It could possibly lead to an abnormal obsession with necrophilia, murder and monster movies.

Kim Nekroman spent eight years serving the Royal Danish Navy. When he finally emerged from his watery prison in 1989, he formed Nekromantix, one of the most comical and sinister psychobilly bands to date.

Since 1989 Nekromantix have released seven albums and one reissue of their classic Brought Back to Life. In 2002 they signed with Hellcat Records, releasing Return of the Loving Dead. They are currently working on an album slated for release later this year.

With songs such as “Demons are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “Murder for Breakfast” and “Jack the Stripper,” it is obvious this band is not for the easily frightened. However, they bring as much humor as a band can bring while singing about making love to dead bodies.

The downtempo track “Haunted Cathouse” brings to mind ‘50s teenage dreamboats performing at a beach party. Bluesy bass riffs, barbershop backup vocals and simple, surf-style guitar reinforce the dreamboat notion—until the lyrics go on to describe the happenings at a bewitched brothel.

Over the years Nekroman’s signature coffin bass has seen many incarnations. The first version was an upright bass he fashioned out of a child’s coffin. Of course children’s coffins do not provide the acoustics needed for an upright slap bass, so through trial and error he now has a coffin bass even Dracula would envy.

Some Nekromantix tracks can sound more like thrash punk or black metal, occasionally placing themselves at the outer limits of psychobilly. However, even though the drums and guitar sometimes change the tone of their tracks, Nekroman’s convoluted bass holds the band firmly in the genre of psychobilly.

Necromantix will perform their voodoo June 13 at the Bluebird Theater. Tickets are $10 advance and $12 at the door. The show is at 8 p.m., doors open at 7. Valid adult identification is
required.