The Creepshow
Sell Your Soul

Behind a questionable look of first-class jerks, unpresentable covers, and trash-oriented attitudes, the Canadians The Creepshow, when it comes to making records, don't prove to be that bad. Characterized by a sound halfway between '50s rockabilly and the more classic melodic punk rock (although less present than the prior leading influence), they can be classified within the genre known as punkabilly, which, in addition to this sonic fusion, also presents clear and continuous references to horror punk (references that certainly do not lack in the concept and songwriting of our band, starting from the cover and the pseudonym itself). Let's say they are sort of a more intense and decidedly less syrupy version of the Horrorpops.

In 2006, they released their first album "Sell Your Soul." This work surely stands out for its good mix between classical instrumentation (double bass, piano, Hammond organ), combined with the usual punk rock combo (drums, guitar, etc.), tight rhythms, often above-average speed, and atmospheres sometimes dark, sometimes ridiculous. The success of the platter is contributed to by the good work done by the keyboardist "The Reverend McGinty," and the energetic voice (fully unleashed on "Psycho Ball And Chain"), with clear retro connotations of the charismatic blonde (and quite the bombshell) leader Jen "Hellcat" Blackwood, who alternates with the choruses and backing of Sean "Sickboy" McNab (who, unlike the former, has a decidedly irritating voice). Amidst the ramblings of Hellcat and Sickboy, there are no shortages of catchy tunes and incisive choruses, which often vaguely remind us of the sound of more known and serious melodic hc bands like Bad Religion, Face To Face, NoFX (well oh God, not exactly "serious" themselves), such as in the excellent "Creatures Of The Night", (the best of the bunch) with its valid horror-friendly arrangement, complete with a Hammond played by McGinty (present multiple times on the album), and the very good "Cherry Hill" and "Candy Kiss", which despite the terrible title isn’t the usual tearjerKER ballad, but a great messy piece with catchy choruses that will stick in the listener's head. "Doghouse" winks at a slightly stoned Elvis. Also noteworthy is the fast duet "Grave Diggers", and the almost country-paced "The Garden", another piece to jot down (remarkable is the main melody, and the presence of the harmonica played for the occasion by Mike Blackwood). Special mention also for the curious sermon-style spoken introduction "The Sermon".

In short, theirs is a definitely unique and well-executed mix, with Elvis's ghost lurking on several occasions, in others with carefree melodies like the Beach Boys, yet The Creepshow, although they are the first not to take themselves seriously, and have not yet made any big break, also due to the lack of popularity of the genre, they are widely appreciated for a good dose of personality and the presence of decent ideas. Certainly a bit too on-the-nose in the long run, but assessable and worthy of a listen by those passionate about such sounds and eager for a record that is easy but at the same time neither trivial nor commercial. 3.5