Indiana’s premier horror punk ensemble, Fort Wayne’s gathering of ghouls, Grave Robber have been combining the dark theatrical presentation of Alice Cooper with the hi-octane punk rock of Misfits and adding their own unique twist of terror since 2005. Over the years they have released an array of EPs and full length, fear-filled albums that have garnered them both critical acclaim and a shambling army of thrill hungry zombie fans. As well as writing scores of their own anthems for the children of the night, Grave Robber have also embraced a range of diverse cover versions, transforming them into gloriously garish gore spattered classics. Prompted by label Thumper Punk Records Grave Robber slowly began to assemble the very best of these reanimated musical corpses and shape them into one fierce collection of unbridled punk rock magnificence. It’s taken ten years, but the exhumation is finally complete…and The Cellar Sessions is here!
The Cellar Sessions incorporates songs that immediately make sense when considering the razor-wire guitars, frenzied energy and haunting atmosphere of Grave Robber’s music, but it also features songs that seem like choices bordering on insanity…until you listen and hear them given that Grave Robber treatment. Misfits’ ‘Earth A.D.’ is the perfect opener, a song that was made for this troupe of tomb dwelling miscreants and Ramones’ ‘I Just Wanna Have Something To Do’, with the feral energy and raw attack dialled up to the max is another no brainer. Some real magic happens though when the Robbers turn their hand to numbers like Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ – the beautiful ballad is wrapped in a burial shroud and injected with adrenaline, but somehow retains a dark shadow of its original emotion. Metallica’s ‘Escape’ is a number worthy of special mention; one of the metal superstars’ most underrated tracks, its genuine quality and power are made clear and obvious by Grave Robber’s fiery but faithful rendition. There’s a whole lot to discover at the bottom of the cellar stairs – David Bowie, Jim Croce, Black Sabbath, Norman Greenbaum, Bette Midler and Nirvana are all drinking in the darkness together – and every song’s a winner.
The production and mastering skills of Tim Bushong and Michael Walter have unified these songs into one magnificent explosion of savage sound, sharpening their fangs and polishing their claws, while the final touch of horror has been applied by artist Paul Stier (Brotality, Symphony Of Heaven etc.) with his superb cover image capturing the atmosphere of both The Cellar Sessions and Grave Robber. Out now on Thumper Punk Records, this is the soundtrack to your summer nights.
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