Boogeyman Rotten Leaves Review
Boogeyman
Rotten Leaves
We Are Horror Records
2024
The haunted deserts of Arizona have once again coughed up a band of Horror Punk ghouls! This latest pack of fiends call themselves Boogeyman, and they’ve been lurking in the shadows for a few years now. In 2024, just as the veil between worlds began to thin, the band dropped their sophomore album, “Rotten Leaves”, via We Are Horror Records, a UK label that’s been rattling coffins and raising hell in the scene for a few years now.
From what I’ve gathered, “Rotten Leaves” carries on a macabre storyline first stitched together on their debut. Sadly, I haven’t cracked open that first album just yet, so I can’t speak to the continuity, but let’s be clear: even without the backstory, this record is a graveyard smash. It feels like something Graves or Dr. Chud would’ve conjured up, with a heavy dose of that X-Ward vibe both musically and vocally (and believe me, that’s high praise, I adored that band). Add ghostly whispers of The Rosedales and the eternal shadow of The Damned, and you’ve got yourself a coffin lined with crush velvet and menace.
Though “Rotten Leaves” has been haunting the earth for over a year now, it still sounds fresh, like the kind of record that never lets the corpse rot. The atmosphere is thick, moody, and dripping with the perfect studio sheen to keep the chills sharp. Melodic hooks and sing-along choruses creep in like unholy earworms, balanced with an undeniable 50’s Rock ‘n’ Roll spirit that rattles chains and hips in equal measures. And while the lyrics avoid buckets of blood and obvious splatter, don’t be fooled, this album stalks you through the shadows. These songs crawl into your subconscious like a phantom dropping subtle hints of Horror.
At a hefty 47 minutes, “Rotten Leaves” doesn’t crash through your speakers all at once, it unravels its sinister spell slowly, rewarding repeated listens with hidden details and textures. Every spin reveals something new crawling out from beneath the autumn soil. I regret that it took me this long to unearth Boogeyman, but you can bet I’ll be digging deeper into their catalog before the next witching hour strikes.
The band’s CDs are up on their Bandcamp and trust me, you’ll want to drop a twenty on this one. Consider it your ticket to a midnight séance that you won’t regret attending.
Standout tracks: “Old Ghost,” “The Leaves Are Falling,” “Wings of a Dream,” “Superstition,” and their killer cover of TSOL’s “Dance with Me.”