Los Bastardos

Review by Tony - Hell Feels Like Home

The Dead Vampires take all the ideals of horror punk and twist them into a bizarre cacophony of sounds that seem so familiar but with pleasantly strange surprises that are unlike anything you ever heard. The first thing you are going to notice about this band is the freakishly wild synthesizers working with the heavy guitars. Doc’s vocals are like a deep, bellowing, vampiric, horror-rock Billy Idol. There is a lot going on with this album and the best way I can think to describe the Dead Vampires is as 80’s horror hard rock Devo with surf and rockabilly style.

“Coffin Rocket” starts this album off with some thick start and stop guitar with creepy synthesizer entwined between the heavy riffing. Then this song kicks into high gear with buzz saw guitars and allows Doc to just wail over the music. The vocals here a deep bellow with a snarling punk growl. Awesome Cramps-style guitar break with swirling synth and dark whispering vocals. “City of Vampires” has a distinct 80’s hard rock swagger but rather then glitz and glam this track has a goth freak out feel. I think this is the kind of song that would happen if you tied Billy Idol up, dressed him like Dave Vanian (The Damned, come on you know that, right?) and made him watch Bela Lugosi movies all day before going to the studio. “Dead End Drive-In” takes on traditional rockabilly sound. The guitars have a snaking crystal sounding ring to them during the verse and take on harder psycho punk drive to them during the chorus. The synth sounds fantastic here and gives this a little bit of weirdness and a psychedelic 60’s feel. Beautiful vocals here that croon, growl and break with all the appropriate emotion. “Ghoul U Want” is a Devo cover that keeps the tone of the original but horrors it out for all the monster kids out there. Killer song choice and an appropriate mixture of their styles and influences. “Dead and Blue” closes this album with a slow 50’s rock n roll styled love song with romantic lyrics like “She holds me down and beats me ’til my blood turns into tears….” Lovely song that ponders if your true love will still love you after you are beaten to death.

Dead Vampires have a unique sound that combines the familiar with the strange. They have all the elements of horror punk but sound little like anyone else associated with the genre. Great lyrics that are tongue and cheek dark and amusing but never trite or clichéd. The Day After Halloween is probably one of the wildest and weirdest releases on the scene and is certainly one that should be sought out. Say you are driving somewhere with two friends. You want to hear horror punk, one friend wants 80s, one wants rockabilly, just what do you do? Throw this Dead Vampires album on the stereo. Not only will you enjoy it but you won’t have to worry about one of your friends choking you while you drive for making them listen to something they don’t want to hear.

Check out Dead Vampires on Myspace!
- Hell Feels Like Home

After a split 7" with Boris The Sprinkler in 2004 on Dirtnap Records, and then under their own label produced a debut record in 2006, it is now the honor of Robot Monster to bring out the bands second album. The album was already released in a limited number on 31 Oct 2008 (the day itself) but is now available everywhere in the US, Europe, and Japan. The previous band from Robot Monster who started its name with 'dead' gave a bit of a dead impression on me, so I was curious how the Dead Vampiress would affect my listening impression.
Luckily I was surprised in a very positive way instantly with the opener "Coffin Rocket", the atmosphere was immediately there. The band is tapping from a very different keg than their fellow labels bands, and the influence from among others; The Misfits and The Cramps can be heard clearly, add to that the light psychobilly and surfer influences and everything is very complete. The secret weapon of the Dead Vampires is actually the synthesizer that has a very big impact on the sound, therefore an opening act for Devo could be very likely because the band found quite a bit of inspiration from them (which you can hear in Ghoul U Want).
Because of this, Dead Vampiress has a fresh and original sound where the American five know without a problem how to convince me with their powerful and maybe a bit weird sound. Moreover singer Doc has a nice ('lekker') throat with enough variation to not be boring for even a moment. And to go beyond that I think that the DVs with the right support can grow into one of the horrorrock sensations from America. The Day After Halloween swings in an awesome way!
I am therefore very curious to see how this band will develop themselves in the coming years. For now I am perfectly content with TDAH and I hope that the DV's will cross the ocean for a tour. The music combined with the stage image will make for one spectacular show. Dead Vampires...a bit strange, but very 'lekker'.

ROBOT MONSTER
Score: 85/100 - Punx(Netherlands)

Los Bastardos Rules!! Go see Los Bastardos!!

Los Bastardos makes me wanna drive fast. Next time I'm on a roadtrip, and driving 80mph down an open highway, I want Los Bastardos playing in my car.

Imagine Soundgarden (SST days) drag racing Ministry (Jesus Built My Hot Rod era) and you have Los Bastardos. I love rock and roll that cuts out for like a second and then rocks out again. The rock pause is indicative of a tight, well practiced band.

Doug the guitarist and Spike the bassist sound like they have saw blades attached to their guitars. Doc, the vocalist, kinda reminds me of Danzig except easier to understand. He announces songs, and without stick clicks the band breaks into the next song on the set list. Dick Whiskey, the drummer keeps amazing time, with stick reel variations, then keeps the song right on track.

I got to interview Los Bastardos before their STIFF Licks performance. The members of Los Bastardos have played in various bands including, Pleasure Elite, Betty X, Dead Vampires, Go Like Hell, and other quasi-historic bands. When asked about memorable shows, Dick Whiskey remembers playing the Whiskey A-Go-Go, hanging out with the dudes from Jackass, and the time when an audience member lost a tooth, and the lead singer of his former band picked up the tooth and swallowed it. Hahaha!

The opening band was a self described nerd-core band called Kirby Krackle, which featured one guy on with an acoustic guitar singing songs about comic books, video games and nerd culture. Funny songs about NES Contra extra live code, playing Wii naked, and The Thing from Fantastic Four. Kirby Krackle tours different comic book conventions, so check them out at the next comic con.

Kirby Krackle eloquently proclaimed, "Remember when video game controllers had fewer buttons than your tv remote control?"

The opening act was a stand up comedian named Nicole Lucas. She told some funny stories about on-line dating and going to the zoo. - Seattle Rock Guy

A well-meaning but underfunded B-Flick sprung to life, Seattle's Dead Vampires scream up hellhounds, dead brides and nasty little spiders on "We Are The Dead Vampires" - a delicious punk rock pie for Cramps fans, perverts and zombie lovers alike. Rough- edged fuzz tone guitars, soulful mutant vocals and a curdled keyboard that gurgles and gloops to the beat, Dead Vampires boasts chainsaw toting/theremin-soloing bunny rabbit, smartly stupid,occasionally sick lyrics (menstrual caviar" anyone?) and a sound right out of some rusty, bubbling rock 'n' roll laboratory.
Looking past the Wal-Mart rubber Halloween masks, Dead Vampires(though grossly under-produced)have all the skills to match their chills and this kooky collection of feel-good shock 'n' roll will leave you with bats in your booze, goblins in your gitch and a song inside your severed head.TD

5 out of 5 skulls and crossbones!!!!!!!!! - Rue Morgue magazine

Dead Vampires
"The Day After Halloween"
On "The Day After Halloween", Seattle's Dead Vampires go back to the old standards - Ramones and Misfits - for horror punk inspiration, but also sweeten things up with a deliciously fuzzed-out garage sound and a moog synthesizer/​theremin player (who wears a Dracula Mask). The formula works because the band manages to sound both rockingly familiar - particularly on the 50's-inspired tunes "Dead End Drive-In" and "Dead and Blue" - and totally unique at the same time.Though the lyrical themes tend to stick to horror movies, like everything else with this band, there's a zest that separates it from the pack. Take, for instance, this playful lyric from "Abra Cadaver"​:​"​Something'​s gone so very wrong/An Army of lost animated cadavers are pissing all over our front lawn." Campy,clever, but never cute, Dead Vampire's sophomore effort will satisfy your Halloween candy sweet tooth and your blood lust too.
4 out of 5 Skull and Crossbones! - Rue Morgue Magazine

Fresh blood in horror heaven! Oh well, the boys from the “Dead Vampires” aren’t exactly totally new, they’ve already proven with their first release, “We Are The Dead Vampires” from 2006, that they have the stuff to win over the blood thirsty mob. With their current album they have succeeded better than ever.

The gentlemen from Seattle quickly start with three songs that leave a lasting impression. City of Vampires is one of the best songs on the album. The singer also ensures with his furious lyrics, that they don’t end up with the endless row of Misfits cover bands.

They also have something to offer for rock n’ roll from the old school, they prove with Dead End Drive-In, which would certainly also be well received by the Psychobilly community, as a pleasing little bit of Elvis comes through here and there.

What pulls everything together like a “Roter Faden” (Day Planner) is the sound of the keyboard. If someone thought that some sort of hippie shit is being sold, they would be sorely mistaken. In the end, the production next to already strong songs, such as the self titled song Day After Halloween, Devil Within, and the recognizable Ghoul U Want, is what really makes the record stay in your head long after play.

To show that they have not denied their roots, the snotty guitar direction of The Cramps continues. Likewise, there is also a ballad on the album. Dead and Blue also ensures that the album has some depth without losing its presence.

All in all, a very good album which manages to find its way beyond what is typical of the genre.

This is what the horror of 2010 should sound like. Fresh blood in the chalky dried up veins of the horror genre. One can only hope that they make it over the big pond to us someday. - Static Magazine (Germany)