by Pamela Moye

Blitzkid has been around for almost 10 years and is finally garnering some well deserved recognition from fans and critics- especially in Europe.  On October 27 they start their third European tour as part of the Hell Nights Tour with The Rezurex, The Other, and Bloodsucking Zombies- a wickedly delicious line-up of phenomenal bands.   November 5-25, they tour with The Rezurex, bringing their special brand of horror rock to Eastern Europe for the first time as well as introducing material from their new album Five Cellars Below to German audiences.

The spell of Blitzkid is not cast by the music in itself, but also by the interaction of the tag team terrors; TB Monstrosity and Argyle Goolsby.  These two complement each other like salt and pepper, blood and guts, death and destruction…  When you see Blitzkid perform, the music takes on another dimension.  Both TB and Goolsby have strong presences, yet neither overshadows the other as they share lead vocals.  Words fall short of describing Goolsby onstage.  He is a force of nature, using the bass an instrument, weapon of self destruction, and physical extension simultaneously.  TB is deceivingly stoic as his urgent, hypnotic voice stirs emotions and draws the crowd into singing along with favorites like “Love like blood.”   In my opinion, TB has one of the loveliest singing voices I have heard in a long time- there is a haunting timelessness to it.

There are those albums you like and then there are those that become the object of an insatiable aural fixation- before you have given the album a once through listen, you are already repeating tracks.  One such album is Blitzkid’s Five Cellars Below and the song that ensnared me was “Starlight Decay”.  Before I even start on the rest of the album or the band, this is an amazing song- forceful, melodic, creative (the sax was unexpected and not cheesy), and damn sexy- it’s over too quickly.   As much as I love this song, I don’t think I can call it my favorite because there are at least five that have at one point held this position- each one evoking  difference sentiment.  “Genus Unknown” has earned a spot in my little black heart as a favorite driving song (and will also like likely help me earn a speeding ticket).

Blitzkid doesn’t ease you into Five Cellars Below.  From the start, your attention is demanded and it is rewarded with intense, well crafted songs and an album that never loses momentum.  While the band fits into the horror punk genre, their music is not what people often mistakenly think of when they hear the term.  There is nothing cliché or rehashed Misfits about this album.  The uniqueness is not so much in their subject matter (though they do reach beyond monsters and mythical evil to explore psychological horrors and cars), but in the poetry of the songs and the way the music and the lyrics work together to create an atmosphere and tell a story so vividly that one feels as though they are watching the songs as much as listening to them.  This album is aggressive, thoughtful, fun, romantic, maniacal, and sensual.  And props to Blitzkid for covering Concrete Blonde’s “Bloodletting”- a great cover of a great song by a great band that doesn’t get nearly enough recognition.

In his own words, TB Monstrosity talks about the new album, the emergence of the horror punk genre, and make-up (or why looking like a zombie is cooler than not looking like a zombie).

Provokator: How does Five Cellars Below compare to past albums?

TB Monstrosity: We’ve taken chances we’ve never taken before.  We joked that because there are so many different elements, it’s our Sergeant Pepper’s record.  It compares to our other albums in that there is still the core element of 3 chord, fast, punk kinda songs but, it‘s different.  “Vanishing Riders” is an interesting song because it sounds like The Doors, 311, and Rancid had a band.  Then there’s “Carve Out a Heart“- it’s heavy, more goth-metal- has piano, viola, and cello.  Then there’s “Demon Machine” which is as Motorhead as we’ll ever be.  A lot of people are going to say we changed our style, but our diehard fans have come to expect those curveballs- we’ve never made the same album-that’s why we’ve had such longevity.

P:  You and Goolsby seem to come from different musical backgrounds.  How would you compare or contrast what you each bring to the table?

TB: When I first met Goolsby, we bonded over liking bands like Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, even Iron Maiden.  But, one thing Goolsby likes a lot is reggae and like Desmond Dekker.  I had never given T.S.O.L a chance until I met Goolsby, now I’m a fan.  He wasn’t into Anthrax or Megadeth before he met me and now he likes them.  We are 2 very different people, but the dichotomy seems to work.  When it comes to writing songs we will have different sets of ideas and we meet in the middle- it has worked out well.  I would never think to use piano or bagpipes because I come from a guitar, bass, and drums background.  Goolsby always sees more abstract possibilities

P:  What should people expect when they come to a Blitzkid show?  I’ve seen some pics and it looks like there’s as much real blood as fake blood.

TB: For people who have never seen us, expect intensity.  I don’t move around as much as Goolsby, but I’ve heard I’m menacing on stage.  Goolsby splits his thumbs open he plays so hard,  jumps off the drum kit.  There is a visual impact, but we pride ourselves on sounding pretty close to the record.  We like to put on a show, interact with the crowd- people are welcome to come up and sing along.  There’s no boundary between us and the fans. 

P:  Most horror bands have some sort of theatrics- stage sets, make up.  If someone asks “why the make-up, why the blood, why the theatrics?”, what do you say?

TB:  For better or worse, everyone who plays horror related music has the ability to recognize that it is escapism.  There is nothing more fun than being in Blitzkid and looking like a zombie on stage.  You get to have Halloween everyday.  It fits the music and the lyrics and that’s why a lot of bands do it.  They’re writing about horror movies or scenes from movies.  We did that too, but our lyrics have become more abstract-we tell our own scary stories.  We’ve never felt like we have to do it, but in the grand scheme of things, everybody would be really disappointed if they went to see the Misfits and Jerry Only didn’t have those black circles under his eyes.. 

P: Have you always performed in make-up?

TB:  There was a time when we didn’t.  We were trying to let the music speak for itself, but the fans were very vocal about it- they missed the make-up. It’s what people want. I can’t imagine playing without it.

P:  How has getting involved with Fiendforce Records changed things for Blitzkid?

TB: It has been a blessing.  We were on a label that was making promises they weren’t keeping. We were put in touch with Fiendforce and they released  Trace of a Stranger in Europe.  It did well, then they released a split 10 inch we did with Mr. Monster.  Because of  Fiendforce we were actually in Terrorizer magazine the largest metal magazine in Europe.  They gave us an 8.5 out of 10 for Trace of a Stranger.  Fiendforce got us a tour October 2004 with The Spook and made a 7 inch to promote that tour.  They have done a lot to get our name out in Europe. 

P:  In the last few years horror punk has been coming into its own, being accepted as a sub-genre of punk.
What do you think of the emergence of horror punk as a defined genre? 

TB: It’s interesting.  When we started in 1997, we didn’t know any other bands like us, except The Misfits.  Early on, the interest was not as palpable as it is now, but people are accepting it.  It’s  funny when I think back to 97 or 98, it was us and a couple other bands, now a new band is popping up weekly.  It’s taking off which is good, but could unintentionally become a bad thing because like grunge or hair metal or any gene that became widely accepted, it becomes cookie cutter and burns out.  I would hate to see that happen to horror rock.  There are a lot of talented people and I would hate to see them passed over because they are the flavor of the day.  Its great that bands like AFI are making millions of dollars, people might get mad to hear me say that, but they worked for what they have.  People give them shit for the mainstream aspects of their visibility, but the mainstream came to them, they didn’t come to it.  It’s weird to see bands that aren’t horror rock adapting the look and imagery- I don’t think that it’s an accident.

P:  Have you noticed any differences in the U.S. horror punk scene vs. other scenes?

TB:  Definitely.  In the U.S, there is a new band every week.  In Europe or Japan it’s still an isolated thing- which is healthy and good because of the danger of it becoming the flavor of the day.  The biggest difference is… in the states you don’t usually get to play with another horror band, so the crowds are mixed- punks, hardcore, rockabillies, goths and metalheads.  In Europe, there were Misfits and Balzac shirts as far as the eye could see- kids who were mainly into horror punk.  In Europe you knew the people were there because they were into that music, whereas in the states kids come to the show just because it’s a show.  In Europe it is more appreciated as an art form.

P:  As I’m sure you know, in the U.S, it’s hard for bands to tour and kids do go out to anything.  In Europe, they can be picky and you gets crowds more focused on the genre.  At this years Fiend Fest there was a mix, even a bunch of psychobillies. 

TB:  I think it’s because horror punk is more visible and kids can identify with it.  Everyone has seen a horror movie.  The bands or the songs are familiar and remind them of something. With bands like us, Nim Vind, The Rosedales, The Other, or The Spook.- none of us sound the same.  The more diverse it becomes, the more people will get into it. Bands are realizing the don’t have to look to The Misfits for a singular inspiration.

P:  I read an interview with Glenn Dazing and he said “For me there’s no Black Sabbath without Ozzy”  for a lot of people, there’s no Misfits without Danzig.  How do you feel?

TB: At the risk of being strung-up, I think both eras of The Misfits are equally valid.  The Danzig era has classic songs.  But, The Misfits 95, I think their records stand on their own merit.  I think if Jerry and Doyle had really wanted to, they could have called it something else.  I think the whole argument that there’s no Misfits without Danzig… well, there’s no Misfits without Jerry Only, Bobby Steele, or any of the trillion guys who were in the band.  They both have good songs.  It’s a difficult question because people are usually loyal to one side or the other

P:  Lastly, if you had to choose between being a cannibal or a necrophiliac, which would you choose and why?

TB:  (Pause)I don’t know.  If you’re a cannibal  then you’re eating flesh.  If you’re a necrophiliac, you might not be eating but you’re going to be having sex. I don’t know.  If I have to pick, then I guess I have to pick necrophilia- there’s always that primal urge, well, much like hunger.  I don’t know- I think being a necrophiliac would be more fun!

(mosgoogle}

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