Creating a sound they’ve dubbed “Munstercore”, Dickie Devil and the Deviants create music that takes a hefty dose of rockabilly and punk, a decent amount of surf rock and just enough sass to create perfect additions to your Halloween themed playlists. Their 2020 digital release offers a couple of numbers which resurrect fond memories of the early 80s and of classic psychobilly fare, but with a dash of Necromantix toughness and some good pop culture thrown in for good measure.
The lead track ‘Book of The Beast’ was inspired by the TV show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, but if dark and twisted teenage tales aren’t your thing, the number still offers some brilliant music. Driven by punky guitars and a dark vocal, it’s easy to draw quick and easy comparisons with later Misfits material, but the Deviants take a classic sound and rough it up just enough to make it their own. A repetitive riff cutting in and out of the vocal creates an instantly loveable musical hook and although the proper chorus isn’t quite as catchy due to the vocal being half buried by overdriven guitars, there’s a wordless refrain that really helps this to become one of the most infectious tunes ever. True to their frivolous, self-proclaimed “Frankensound”, that wordless hook resembles something inspired by a late 60s cartoon from Hanna Barbera…and it’s all the better for it.
Joining ‘Book of The Beast’, ‘Creatures Pet’ further shows off the band’s range of talents by invoking some seriously twangy surf rock, while an ominous horror undertone and a few nods to 80s rockabilly give listeners something that’s both attitude filled and classic sounding. The guitar part that kicks off this great tune is hugely derived from Dead Kennedys’ ‘Police Truck’ but is recycled in effective way, to drive the tune against a moody and sneering vocal lines before a one-line chorus pummels the title into listeners’ skulls at speed. In many ways, it’s all about the riff, but when cranked loudly enough, there’s enough retro charm here to see two and a half minutes off with style.
This is one of those digital releases where two tracks just doesn’t feel like enough. Between this brilliant pairing, though, Dickie Devil and The Deviants set themselves up as a band to watch out for and whether you’re thrilled by horror punk, surf punk or psychobilly, there’s almost certainly something here for you.
Grab a free download of ‘Book of The Beast’ via the Soundcloud link below.
Visit the band on Bandcamp here.
October 2020