Graveyard Shifters – High Heels & Broken Bones

Allegedly, Graveyard Shifters’ 2014 EP Brainwashed By Moonshine was paid for with the money earned from recycling the empty alcohol bottles that littered their rehearsal space. I have a few doubts as to the veracity of that claim, but even if it isn’t, I want it to be true, and so I choose to believe it. Regardless of accuracy, it’s a great anecdote of rock ’n’ roll excess, and it’s backed up by High Heels & Broken Bones’ gleefully drunken spirit and sheer volume-driven energy.

By last count, there are approximately 9 trillion bands described as some combination of punk and metal, so given those tags alone, you’d be forgiven for thinking “Ah, another one of those” and moving along. But there’s a bit more to the story than just yet one more interchangeable d-beat basher or sludge-caked pit-dweller or whatever else. Graveyard Shifters appropriate thrash’s speed and vocal stylings, but instead of looking to the likes of Discharge or Amebix for their punk fix, they’ve taken a more street punk / Oi approach. Gang-chanted choruses abound, pushed along by frantic power-chord riffs and snarled vocals with sing-along melodies, the whole infected with a palpable rock swagger. The band describes their attack as “nut-cracking punk ’n’ roll,” which I suppose is as good a term as any – imagine the unholy alliance of Kreator and Rancid (sans reggae), and you’ve got a pretty good idea…

 

High Heels kicks off with the title track, which is certainly solid enough, but truly, it’s second number “Tearvomitor” that first grabs hold and doesn’t let go, its raucous refrain of “I just don’t give a fuck” shouted loud and proud. In the give and take between the gang shouts and Jouni Matilainen’s high-pitched, near-blackened screams lies the crux of Graveyard Shifters’ sound, the melodic hooks that sink in atop the booze-fueled rawk energy to push this one ahead of the remainder of the punk-metal pack. “Buy Low, Sell High” follows suit, all melodic thrash riffing and catchy chorus. A subtle honky-tonk piano worms its way into “Bender,” down in the mix, unexpected, but certainly pleasant, whilst the shifting grooves of “Doomsdaydreaming” are given further support through synth pads and a keyboard motif in the four-on-the-floor-and-fist-in-the-air chorus. And lest Graveyard Shifters’ allegiance to alcohol be forgotten, there’s a tune titled “Beerserker” to remind us all of the important things in life…

“My love for you is like a truck, beerseeeerker…”

In an album of raucous punk ‘n’ roll, the only odd-duck moment comes in the bouncing garage rock verses of “Love On The Rocks,” which is regrettably not a cover of the Neil Diamond tune. The staccato chords are certainly good enough, but they feel a bit out of place amidst the rest of the high-energy assault, though they’re redeemed by the return of the rock in the “Horns up! (Horns up!) / Let’s rock! (Let’s rock!) / Please don’t suck!” pre-chorus.

All in all, the last decade has seen its share of attempted heirs to throne of Anti-Cimex – there’s no shortage of blast-furnace-vocaled d-beat-driven bruisers around, from the good (Wolfbrigade, Martyrdöd) to the mediocre (about a dozen dozen others), and even those best d-beaters are only separated from the rest by a few steps ahead. It’s certainly understandable if you’re bored by the whole combination. Still, by focusing on a different type of punk to marry with their Teutonic thrash base, Graveyard Shifters separates themselves somewhat and steps neatly around the competition towards the head of the pack. High Heels & Broken Bones isn’t a perfect record, but it’s a damned fun one, with some catchy tunes and brash bashing thrash. And let’s face it: for nut cracking punk ‘n’ roll, that’s really all you need. It’s custom-made for putting some booze in the belly, putting a smile on the face, and putting a fist in the air.

So turn it up, crack open a cold one, and pour yourself a shot. Just remember to save the bottle and mail it to Finland when you’re done, ‘cause Graveyard Shifters will need that glass to make the next record.

Posted by Andrew Edmunds

Last Rites Co-Owner; Senior Editor; born in the cemetery, under the sign of the MOOOOOOON...

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