The Monsters
Youth Against Nature

This time I've really let myself go, dear de-baserian friend; it’s a really long review. So, if you’re not up for it, just skip it right away. But if you "sacrifice" yourself, let me tell you the incredible story of an unusual, special, and, for me, extraordinary guy: Reverend Beat-Man, The Swiss Rock’n’roll Preacher.
When talking about Swiss music, the Swiss alp horns and yodeling come to mind, or renowned national glories like Gotthard, a pitiful power-rock band that is also popular in Germany, or - even worse - like Dj Bobo (do you remember Chihuahua?). However, not everyone knows that Switzerland is one of the most important capitals of European rock’n’roll. And the Reverend is its most prestigious exponent.

Beat-Man’s story is rather unusual. In his early days as a musician (around the '90s), he roamed around Switzerland under the guise of "Lighting" Beat-Man, playing furious punk-rock’n’roll with a grim wrestling mask on his face. An unconventional and decidedly trash show, very popular in the European underground and garage scene. Seven long years of shows and success, during which Beat-Man began to feel obsessed by the mask, this alienating schizophrenia that suffocated and oppressed him, as if possessed by a dark entity. Suddenly, due to an accident, one day Beat-Man found himself in a coma in the hospital. The legend says that during his unconscious state, he had a vision: he saw Robert Johnson and Screamin’Jay Hawkins waiting for him at the end of a white light. In the vision, Beat-Man fell to his knees in front of the two great blues artists and begged them to let him return to Earth, to which Johnson and Screamin’Jay thundered: We have seen what you did on Earth with the rock’n’roll... but the way you played it was wrong! Now go back to Earth, and spread the music in the right way: preach the word of primitive rock’n’roll, sing and spread the blues and gospel!. Beat-Man awoke from the coma, and the first thing he did when he could get up was to burn the hated mask in a voodoo ritual. Then, with a guitar, a shabby drum set, and his faithful van, he began roaming from village to village as a one man-band to preach the sacred Word of rock’n’roll. These were the days when "Reverend" Beat-Man was born. His was a real mission decided from above: rock’n’roll as a cult, guitar as an instrument of conversion, the lyrics as lightning merciful prayers...

The current band of the Reverend, The Monsters, is among the best live-garage bands in Europe, and the most impetuous and reckless of them all. Youth Against Nature has just been released; it is a reissue of a mythical album released in '95 in only a thousand vinyl copies. Perfectly current and in line with today’s garage trend, it contains five classics from the repertoire that the band still performs live. The analog sound is simply spectacular, recorded (still in unsuspected times) at London’s Toe Rag Studios. A real, succulent gem recommended to garage lovers, but not only them. An urgent and delirious album, concentrated in an overall punk afflatus, a true psycho-physical assault. The songs of Reverend Beat-Man are robust, sexy, dirty, bluesy, radical. Pure garage rock’n’roll shouted and proclaimed. With his homily companions Janosh, Di-Putto, Swan Lee, and Pumi, with blows of "fuzzed out" sounds and raucous sermons, this missionary delivers his Liturgy filled with explosive fury.

Like any self-respecting Reverend, Beat-Man now has his own Cathedral in Bern, namely the music label Voodoo Rhythm Records, whose good works are its own productions and those of other musicians distributed worldwide. Voodoo Rhythm reserves real musical delicacies: The Get Lost, is a band with a super lineup composed of three excellent musicians (former members of the mythical American ’80s garage-rock band The Miracle Workers, now residing in Switzerland) who with their latest album Never come back offer the listener a phenomenal punk-garage work with strong shades. This album was dubbed by Rumore as the best garage album of 2002.
Another very interesting character in the Reverend’s parish is King Khan, a Canadian-Indian ambassador of a brilliant boombaloo-blues and voodoo-soul. With his band (The Shrines), King Khan has already played several times at the Roskilde Festival and in countless concerts throughout Europe. His live performances are powerful stuff, risking a heart attack. I won’t mention the other altar boys of the Voodoo Rhythm Church, otherwise you’ll stone me!
For more information, I recommend a visit to the site of the Reverend, where you can find details about his bands and many mp3 tracks.

Since in Switzerland one doesn’t live on music alone, Beat-Man is also an established graphic illustrator. On the website, you can admire a gallery of mischievous images in stompin' fetish style. Also, go explore the links recommended by Beat-Man. An infinite world will open up to you.

Check it out. rock'n'roll will never die!