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THE BRONX CASKET CO. :
THE BRONX CASKET CO.
The Bronx Casket Co. ...what’s this all about? Well, you have 2 guys from the thrash metal band "Overkill", Tim Mallare (drums) and bassist D.D. Vernie, (who wrote all the music and lyrics on this CD), next we have Jack Frost from Matalium (guitar), Charlie Calv, from Shotgun Symphony (key boards), and to top it off, you have a former Misfits singer, Myke Hideous, now known as Spy. So, this seems to be a kind of side project, but a second CD is planned, so its not a "one-off". OK, on to the music etc. what you get here is a bunch of goth imagery & lyrics, combined with a goth metal sound that often leans closer to the metal side of things (they even do a very interesting cover of Metallica’s "Jump In The Fire"). The production is very crisp and clean, and Spy’s voice sounds surprisingly good (until now I had only heard him on Misfits bootlegs, and never thought he was that impressive.) There are a couple killer tracks, "Who Lives Forever", the lead track, and "The Bad Guy", the last track, are instantly memorable, but some are not as catchy, or just don’t stand out as much as they should. I do think these guys are capable of a lot more, so I look forward to CD #2. So if you would like a little more metal in your goth metal give this a try.
RATING = 7.5 Goth-Metal (Released 2000)
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THE BRONX CASKET CO. :
SWEET HOME TRANSYLVANIA
From the opening Peter Steele type grunt on "Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore", you just know this is gonna be a cool disc. Overkill's D.D. Verni has written and produced another great CD, I wish he would actually give up on Overkill and devote all his time to the BCC. Spy (AKA Mike Hideous) does another fine job of laying down his velvet-coated vocals. Speaking of vocals, there is a passage on "The Other Me" which sounds just like Type-O-Negative's Pete Steele, he is not listed in the credits anywhere, but if its not him, then there is some serious Type-O worship going on here.... But it's not like we didn't know that already. Anyway, the songs on this second outing for the band seem more mature, and more focused. I think that Mr. Verni really knows what he wants to do with this band now, the combination of Goth-Metal with his twisted sense of humour seems to be the magic recipe. We even have some occasional female vocals (a staple of new Goth-Metal bands) provided by Mary Jacobsen, which work well, for example on "BCC/Sweet Home Transylvania". A word of advice, spin this disc a few times before you pass judgment. On the first time out, I wasn't impressed, but on the second spin, I was totally sucked in. Here's hoping we get a third CD, and that the BCC gets the recognition it deserves, then hopefully it'll become more than just a side project. A must have for all vampire wanna-bees, who don't take themselves too seriously.
RATING = 8 Goth-Metal (Released 2001)
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THE BRONX CASKET CO. :
HELLECTRIC
Well folks, it was a long wait, ...four long casket-less years in fact, but now head vampire D.D. Verni and his group of Bronx based minions are back for another kick at the proverbial (black) cat. As you can tell from the above reviews, I've been hip to this band for quite a while, and am quite fond of them. News regarding the current status on the BCC has always been a little sketchy, and a little hard to come by. Their web site has never been overly informative, and their total lack of live performances has never exactly helped to get the word out. Now however, it looks like thing are gonna change. The band is now signed to Regain Records (Candlelight in the US) and are actually planning to tour for this album! Both in the US, and Europe! So, what can I tell ya about the new disc? Well, for starters, they have not changed their sound at all (this is a good thing). If you like either of their first two efforts, then you should easily sink into the dark enveloping folds of "Hellectric" with minimal to zero effort. Next, they have kept up with their tradition of including a cover tune. First it was Metallica, and last time it was Lynyrd Skynyrd. Well, they must have received a lot of positive feedback on their vamped-out Skynyrd cover, because they have decided to plunder the band's back catalogue once again, this time giving us a slowed down, Goth version of the rock-radio classic "Free Bird". As well, the band has not lost their sense of humour. All one has to do is listen to the Rob Zombie-ish track "Sherimoon", which is an ode to Rob's sexy wife, and star of "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects". What else can I say, the band has delivered another winner, highly recommended for all those who like a little more traditional Heavy Metal within their Goth-Metal selections. Stand out tracks this time around include "Little Dead Girl", which has been pegged for their first video, and "Dream Of Angels". There really isn't a weak track to be found here, (well, ok, maybe "Mortician's Lullaby") but those two really jumped out at me on the first spin. So ...um, go pick this up already.
RATING = 8.5 Goth-Metal (Released 2005)
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