Blitzkid Lycanthro-EP Vinyl Review
Blitzkid… to some that name means nothing, to others it means everything. In my own brief description let me tell you what and who they are to me. Next to the Misfits, Blitzkid are one of the greatest Horrorpunk bands on this planet. Could their catalog be bigger and their sales figures be better to back up this claim, sure. But it’s the quality of the material that’s been released that says it all and the fact that everything the band releases sells out almost instantly.
I first found the Blitz boys back in the mp3dotcom days and I was smitten so I grabbed all of the CDRS they had to offer and the rest is history. I befriended the fellas online, stalked their forums and just hung around trying to keep with their crowd and catch the vibes they were putting out. Somehow, I wound up being the PR guy for the label they were on at the time and coincidently it was just in time to work the reissue of their CD “Let Flowers Die”. I was also afforded the chance to work the release of their new album at the time - “Trace of A Stranger”. I busted my ass on this release, I had it put in every Record Store within 1,000 miles of where I lived and this was cold calling, driving and just fucking making it happen. This was a wonderful time for the band as well as me, this is when Black Angel Promotions was dreamed up. I needed a bigger vehicle and more ways to get the bands of the label over, so technically Blitzkid is partially responsible for the madness that’s still going today. Thanks to the forums of the label, I made lifelong friends and scooped young up and coming talent in the writing dept – that’s where the RED RIGHT HAND, TJ was cherry picked from. And he’s been here the whole time give or take, of course we quit for a while when I went back to playing music myself, but the spirit of BAP never really died and neither of us forgot what we’d accomplished and how much fun we had doing it. I can’t forget the kids that hung on the forums either, they were an integral part of what we were doing, and they supported us in every manner possible. I’ve long called them my Monster Babies and that’s what they’ll always be to me even though they’re all now adults, some were adults back then. And then there’s the Blitzkids as my nephews called them. Please allow me to give some credit to the little Horrorpunk band that could from Bluefield West Virginia, for being a large part of who we are today… I still love the guys in the band like they’re my own flesh and blood, although the calls and late-night babbles have been replaced with occasional messages back and forth. Life happens and people move on, but at one point in time we were our brothers’ keepers, and the number one goal was world domination.
Moving on, the boys are still touring, releasing records, CDS and have been doing reissues of the old faves – if you don’t have the Revamped reissues of Let Flowers Die and Trace of a Stranger, you’re not fucking living! Late last year, the band released a string of digital singles and ultimately put them together for the digital release of an EP entitled “Lycanthro EP”. Unfortunately, I never got around to grabbing the release, digital releases aren’t my thing, so I forget about them no matter who it is. However, I didn’t have to wait too long because the band released this EP on vinyl earlier this year. The press was offered in 3 different colors with the smallest amount of a color being 150 pressings, of course this was the one that I grabbed when the album was released online. I’m a snob and I want the most sought-after editions of everything if there’s no price difference. Also offered in this record pressing was a CD as well as an enamel pin and some stickers. It was an exquisite package considering we’re talking about a 5 track EP.
I could be wrong here, but I believe this is the first release to feature all new Blitzkid tunes since the 2011 release of “Apparitional”. Don’t hold me to it, I’ve been known to forget and miss stuff from the guys over the years. This new EP is a perfect example of what Blitzkid has always been – a Horrorpunk band who finds beauty in darkness and then twists and mangles it in their own special way to give the listener a real sense of belonging, so they feel seen and heard. There aren’t many bands in this genre who can do this, there aren’t many that give a shit enough about their craft to even try it. This is also the debut of the band’s newest drummer, Ryan Manning and next to Billy Bones, he’s the most accomplished Drummer the band has used thus far. The recordings on this EP sort of remind me of the “Five Cellars Below”, they’re well produced and mixed to hell and back, this isn’t a smash and grab by any means, the band took their time and did it right. “The Gilded Orb” is one of the songs that stand out the brightest to me – TB Monstrosity’s voice is ridiculous as always – dude could sing the yellow pages and make anyone stand up and applaud. I also enjoyed the bridge and the breakdown and the extra added soundbites in the tune. The band really leaned in and fleshed this tune out. And lest we forget Goolsby, who has become the unsung hero of Horrorpunk – he’s the hardest working dude in the Horror scene, he’s the alpha and the omega of the whole damned thing and if you don’t believe me, just listen in and read up on all the projects he’s been a part of since Blitzkid started up. The tunes “Meet Me Under the Moonlight” and “Snarly Yow” are the best of his work here in my opinion. He just has a way with lyrics and his vocal work, and his song arrangements continue to flourish and really amaze me. Rounding the EP out is a cover of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”. Given how old this song is you’d think someone in the scene would’ve already covered this, but not to my knowledge, so why not Blitzkid and why not now?! This is quite fitting, the AWOOOOOO’S are on point and Gools’ croons are to damned die for. I’m also partial to TB’s lead break in the track, he keeps it classic, traditional and shows off his chops in an oldschool manner.
Currently, the vinyl release of this EP is sold out, but you never know when the fellas will reissue it. For now, you can grab the digital version which I strongly suggest doing right now. If you haven’t heard of Blitzkid take a few hours to acquaint yourself with them you won’t be sorry, chances are you’ll feel like you’ve found the missing link – I know I felt that way all those years ago. I’ve loved this band with a fiery passion, not just for the music, but for who they are as players and humans. You’ll have to look high and low to find musicians with this kind of honesty and integrity, no doubt. As a matter of fact, this is the only band in the world that I’ll preorder anything from and I won’t think twice about it – if it takes 6 months to get it, you can set your watch, and the goods will show up in your box. Their goal is to spread the love and the good name of their band and of course the HORROR!