The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Koffin Kats stay true to psychobilly by scaring listeners

Inhumane,” the newest CD by The Koffin Kats, is disgusting, perverted, and frighteningly morbid — a true testament to all that’s great about psychobilly.

From the first words to the last, The Koffin Kats sing lyrics that would make Eminem’s skin crawl at times.

Knives abound in “Inhumane,” justifying the album title by describing the stabbings of various people, from girlfriends to unspecified acquaintances.

Rest assured though, The Koffin Kats are not a shallow one-track band. There is plenty of variety in their music. These cats kill people with chainsaws, ovens, fishhooks, teeth, attack dogs, nuclear explosions, fire, live burials, resurrected corpses, and demons.

The cover photo itself offers a few more methods of mortality, excessive drinking, smoking, heroin overdose, and what appears to be some sort of spontaneous bleeding.

There were a couple of songs that broke the murder mold though.

“She’s Deadly” is a moving tune about one man’s love for his sadistic dominatrix mistress. The end of the song is as follows, “Caged as a dead rat, she treats me like a dog. Burns me with tasers and tells me I’m wrong. She says she’ll kill me; I know someday she will. Look at me bleeding with love for her still.”

Another good song is “Vampire’s Curse,” perhaps the first piece to ever describe the inner conflicts that a vampire experiences. While there is the mention of killing, it is purely brought up as a means for survival, not just for pleasure. The story is told through the eyes of a vampire who lives out his days in disgust; no longer enjoying the taste of blood, but never able to bring himself to suicide under the sun.

The Koffin Kats are nothing more than a greased up young trio writing songs of massacre that would even offend the punkers whose shadows they rose out of.

They wouldn’t mind that label though. On their website, they’re referred to as the “band of losers,” and Vic Victor (bassist and singer) is described as “rising from the ashes of a pissed on fire.”

The band does deliver a commendable degree of musical talent though. Vic does an awesome job pounding away at the bass, Tommy Koffin delivers a nice set of catchy licks, and Damion Detroit pulls the band together with his consistent unblemished tempo.

Overall, this CD is worth buying just for the musical quality alone. However, The Koffin Kats do lack in the lyrics department. The songs are short and repetitive, and do little to expand into other topics. Psychobilly is about more than just death. There’s love, passion, cocaine, and tales of comical cadavers.

I recommend buying this CD if you’re in the scene. I’m a huge fan of psychobilly, and I believe that this band injects a lot of fun into the image.

If you’re just getting in to this type of music, or you really enjoyed “Inhumane,” I suggest purchasing music from Tiger Army, The Nekromantix, Reverend Horton Heat, and The Meteors.

I don’t personally relate to what The Koffin Kats sing about, and I think anybody who does should seek some serious psychological help, but I do love hearing them play.

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