Al B Damned - Look Who's Stalking EP (Review)

01.Look Who's Stalking
02.Hyde & Seek
03.Bats Of A Feather (Acoustic Live Studio)
04.Look Who's Stalking (Warhead Remix)


Joey Draper (Vocals/Bass/Guitars)
Pip Samson (Drums/Backing Vocals)

Guests:
Doug Cartwright & Alexz "Face" Allen - Guitar (Look Who's Stalking)
Dan Evans (Guitar)

Its been a while but the Bournemouth horror rock monsters are back, but this time it's a new set up and a new sound.
Essentially now operating as a duo of founder member and Texas Drag Queen Massacre mastermind Joey aka Al B Damned and "ABD" drummer Pip Samson, the pair have been friends for a long time and always worked and wrote together.
When the band split in 2013 it did look like the end, even though they left an ep as a farewell, so not quite the final nail in the coffin afterall.

However friends stay together and they decided to get back to what they do best and revamp the music and in February 2014 and "one off" song appeared having been based on what the fans wanted to hear.
Perhaps worth mentioning here, that when it comes to fan and band loyality and resepct you would be hard pushed to find a better example.

This inspired the ghoulish duo to create a kick starter project to fund an album that would feature many previous musicians from the various bands connected with them and perhaps be a new beginning for a darker and heavier sound.

And so it came to pass that the next step to get to the album would be let out of the pit under Al's house.

The pair were helped by former "TDQM" guitarist Alexz, "Beneath Dead Waves" guitarist Doug and Pips cohort in the "deathcorecomedymetal" noize merchants aAnd? Dan also helping with guitarwork.
Finally this online EP has a remix by Deefa D.De'Ville and also includes a little video of Joey and Pip hard at work.

This also serves as a taster for an album expected soon which also features some guitar playing from James McIlroy (Cradle Of Filth/Chaosanct), I am expecting great things.

Finally befre we get to some words on the music a quick mention that the package includes a short behind the scenes video clip for the promo video of 'Look Whos Stalking'.

So we kick off with 'Look Whos Stalking' and this one sure packs a punch, it's faster and heavier than previous songs, still unmistakably "Al" but as if fronting Motorhead circa 1979, add one screaming riff loaded guitar solo and you cant help but say that they are back with death on their mind, coz this songs kills!

Next song 'Hyde & Seek' has more of the old sound, classic horror rock guitar, but the pace is more horror punk as is part of the vocal delivery, it has a "Sneer" to it, then the chorus is sung in a more harmonic way and that dual style really adds to this.

A total change now for the recorded in the studio as a live take on an acoustic version of the old TDMQ song 'Bats Of A Feather', it's a much more downbeat version than the original with a near melancholic vocal, I like it, it gives a new perspective on the song.

Finally the 'warhead Remix' of the title track, very much one for the dance crowd, this industrial take is intresting, personally I would have used a different drum track, this one is a little too basic and robotic, would have worked well if it was more of a complex beat or at least a higher BPM count, the rest of the synth sounds and samples work okay.Not sure it fits the bands overall concept but I always like it when musicians go outside the (coffin) box.

Rating 9.5/10
For Fans Of: Generation Graveyard, Rob Zombie, Misfits, Snow Whites Poison Bite

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/albdamned

BANDCAMP: https://albdamned.bandcamp.com/album/look-whos-stalking-single-bonus-content

Promo Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wIcMlJuuSk