Workin' for the Devil

Fort Wayne, Indiana's horror metal stalwarts The Lurking Corpses return with their fourth full length album, Workin' for the Devil, which is their first for Hells Headbangers Records, and it will come out just in time for Halloween 2014. Those familiar with this band's amalgamation of death metal, punk a la Misfits and the occasional leaning towards early Mercyful Fate will not be surprised, because Workin' for the Devil carries the deliciously evil torch of their earlier albums. If you pine for the days when Tales From the Crypt was on and still break out the devilock on Halloween, look no further than this band masked misfits.

Tongue and cheek humor abounds, as vocalist Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul rips and tears through fifteen tracks that cover every topic horror fans would expect to hear; monsters, zombies, death and destruction. Simplistic punk and upbeat punk riffing on “Love Fades Away” that just screams classic Misfits tracks like “Teenager From Mars” are countered by thrashy, rollicking riffs, like on “The Gate”, which ooze with the foul stench of thrashened death metal or deathened thrash metal or just plain ballsy metal. A spattering of traditionally styled solos weave in and out, adding a healthy dose of nostalgia. Even the rhythms section is able to blend the eccentric styling with ease, blending simple punk beats and follow the leader bass w The Lurking Corpses effortlessly weave the sounds of Samhain and the Misfits with that oh so unholy brand of old goat metal that blends thrash, death and traditional metal into a blend of first wave styled blasphemy. But don't be surprised when the band summons a melodic and sultry throwback to the days of doo wop, though, because it happens.

Despite the solid musical performance of the band, the true star of the show is vocalist Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul and his vocal acrobatics. Moving with an unearthly grace, he summons his best early Glenn Danzig impression on tracks like “She's Alone Again” and “No One Will”, which is a bluesy crooning that wouldn't sound out of place along any number of 1950's superstars. No doubt tracks like those play just like the Misfits later period work with Michale Graves, especially “Saturday Nights”, but The Lurking Corpses are able to make it their own. Furthering the comparisons, “Tonight” and “The Leach and the Worm” show off those classy oohs and aahs that Jerry Only perfected in the early 80's. Tracks like “The Gate” and “Dead Fuck” show off some raspy black metal screams and the occasional death metal growls alongside the crooning, but somehow they manage to coexist peacefully. Throughout the entire album Von Ghoul moves through the paces like an Olympic athlete, throwing in a few King Diamond styled falsettos for good measure.

Workin' for the Devil is the perfect soundtrack for Halloween and doing whatever the Fiend Club members do on Halloween. Wearing their influences on their sleeves, The Lurking Corpses emulate their idols, but in a way that is astonishingly evil despite its tongue in cheek attitude. Closing their album with a cover of Slayer's classic “Tormentor” just cements what they are trying to do here. Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul has created a world where punk rock, death metal, thrash and traditional sensibility come crashing together into a haunted soundscape with a sense of childlike wonder. With a larger label to support their devilish antics, here's to hoping more ghouls get sucked into the world of The Lurking Corpses.

Written for The Metal Observer.