Antihero

I hold bands with a strong work ethic in very high regard, and Overkill is definitely one of them. Throughout the years, they provided their fans with a constant stream of thrash, and even their groove days were pretty good. This makes the existence of The Bronx Casket Co., a side project of D. D. Verni slightly surprising. After all, this guy has been writing Overkill songs for decades, and he still has some stuff left over?

Granted, if you’re looking for Overkill-style thrash, you will not find much thereof on any Bronx Casket Co. record. This is the same band as on the previous releases, yet, things still changed for them. First of all, Verni is now handling the lead vocals. More importantly, the sound changed from a groove-laden take on gothic metal to a much more straightforward and fun approach, though the gothic elements persist in some forms - notably, in the usage of keyboards and effects.

The vast majority of “Antihero” is comprised of fairly simple rockers that take a few metal riffs, preparing the field for a catchy chorus. The opening title track is presents this mould in the most straightforward way. This approach is the backbone of the album, but being the seasoned songwriter he is, D. D. throws in a few curveballs to tinker with the formula. “You Look Like Hell” is laden with a purposefully cheesy electronic beat that makes you wonder whether it’s more appropriate to dance or headbang. The other standouts from the catchy bunch of songs include the more riff-happy “I Am No One” and the lyrical masterpiece “NYC (Devil’s Playground)” where D. D. explores the limits of his singing voice.

This effective shift towards a catchier, more fun approach was granted by the change in vocals. D. D., just like his predecessor Myke Hideous, is most comfortable in the lower registers. However, instead of the croon, D.D.’s gruffy vocals maintain a punkish edge on “Antihero”. Thus, there is not much gloom and doom to be found here, but rather a mix of in-your-face anger and a very functional kind of sleaziness. Some songs on this record have that gothic, strongly sexual vibe (hell, “Sally” even samples some pornographic moans). At heart, “Antihero” is a dirty, angry, but fun rock record that could be glam metal… but is too good for that.

D.D. and co. also provide several delightful surprises on the album: there are two songs that just don’t seem to fit. “Holy Mother” utilizes a horror-like organ intro before speeding up and mixing the up-tempo metal tinge with bludgeoning grooves that could actually fit right on “Necroshine”. There’s also the very creepy “Memphis Scarecrow” - a blues song with a topping of heavy riffs and a nod to Elvis. Oh, and there is also a glorious Queen cover. Sure, Verni comes nowhere near the vocals prowess of Freddie Mercury, but this schizophrenic combo of aggression and playful melodies fits like a glove. The “My Way” cover is also plenty of fun, as it is the closest to punk this album gets.

Speaking of melodies, the guitar leads are handled by Michael Romeo of Symphony X fame and, while not stealing the show, nails quite a few of them (the build-up on “NYC” and the rock’n’roll drenched solo in “Let Me Be Your Nightmare” being my personal favorites). The drummer, Rob Pallotta, also provides some cool fills and drives the rhythm section. D.D.’s bass is suspiciously inaudible, since it mostly just sticks to the rhythm guitars. Everything is just done in a very skillful way. True, sometimes, the rocker songs sound very much the same and the album is overlong, but for a side-project, aimed to just have a bit of fun working with different material, this is not the biggest deal. Some of the riffs are also very, very simplistic. That being said, this album is a blast and can provide both a decent blast of energy and the gloomy feeling of gothic metal.