The Creepshow - Death at My Door (2017)

Grease up your pomadour and wax up your muscle car, the Creepshow is back! Admittedly, I am not a massive fan of the psychobilly genre but even as a casual observer, the Creepshow is the cream of the crop. Maybe it’s the fact that they just won’t die! Finally running out of Blackwoods to sing for them, they recruited Kenda Legaspi a couple albums ago and it’s safe to say they haven’t missed a beat. “Death at my Door” is ten hard hitting tracks that vary from slow sombre tunes to energetic circle pit igniters. There’s something for everyone on this record which can be both an asset and a curse.

My personal favorite tunes are the speedier ones and the album kicks off with a Motorhead-like title track. I am a huge fan of the powerful gang vocals the Creepshow showcase and “Death at my Door” delivers ten-fold. I also have to remark that the church organ really works well in this song as it gives it that extra spookiness factor that fits so nicely into Horror punk songs.

They pump the breaks for the next 4 songs and slow it down significantly. They definitely shine a spotlight on their blues influence with some of these, “Sticks and Stones” specifically, while letting Kenda’s strong melodies do most of the heavy lifting. I enjoy the surfy sounds contained within “A.O.T.B.H.” and couldn’t help but reminded of the legendary surf band, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Well, they’re legendary to this Canuck! (For reference – here’s their intro song for the Kids in the Hall!) There’s more killer gang vocals in “’Til Death Do Us Part” and makes it a cinch to imagine a hot, sweaty crowd singing along with them. The final installment of the slowdown quadrilogy is the aptly named “Blood Blood Blood”. It begins with a Classical Gas-esque intro before kicking into a maudlin tale of fair weather friends.

They shift gears for “Tomorrow May Never Come” back to a higher tempo. Once again, there is tremendously catchy backup vocals which you’ll find burrowed in your brain for days. I’m wondering if this is a nod to the popular Social Distortion song or just a coincidence. I guess Mike Ness didn’t invent the phrase but have to admit, I was immediately reminded of “Reach for the Sky” when I heard that line. All in all, it’s a solid tune complete with an organ solo. Groovy!

“Another Way Out” Is another gloomy tune with some nifty guitar leads. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a skipper for me as it’s not a bad song, just not overly appealing to me. They don’t give you much time to reflect before they dive into an almost gospel sounding tune. “New Kings” is a unique sound as it features some male lead vocals which is definitely not the norm for this album. It’s definitely an interesting one that even includes a clap breakdown. I’m sure it’ll get your older relatives toes tapping once they hear it!

They get back to the surf style with “One Foot in the Grave” and although it’s a slower tune, it still rocks pretty hard. “You got one hand on the bottle and one foot in the grave” is a pretty relatable lyric as I’m sure we all have friends or family who hit the sauce a little too hard.

The album ends with an acoustic ballad by the name of “My Soul to Keep”. All the focus is on Kenda’s haunting vocals as there’s not much of a backdrop besides some acoustic chords and a wobbly organ. It’s a powerful song and a fitting ending to a release that contains a bit of everything.