ALBUM REVIEW: Slasherpunk – Los Morts
Horror and rock have always gone hand-in-hand; ROB ZOMBIE, ICE NINE KILLS, THE MISFITS… and now Peruvian horror-punks LOS MORTS who draw on slasher movies as the inspiration behind their third album Slasherpunk. The name of the album is also a new genre that the band coined that is punk inspired specifically by the slasher horror genre, with song titles referencing movies such as A Nightmare On Elm Street and Psycho as just about every decade of slasher films is covered over the course of its runtime.
The title track starts off as the introduction to the album with over-exaggerated drums and guitars. This sets the scene for the album as one of grand theatrics. However, any horror movie is not complete without a scream of terror before the credits roll, and this intro includes just that, adding to the horror elements.
Whilst these elements are less obvious during the next song – which is called Mort – due to the fact that it does not really fit into the rest of the concept, there is the saving grace at the end of the song of a soundbite of someone dying before launching into the song Candyman. It is a bit obvious what film that’s a homage to, but it’s a fun and fast-paced punk song with elements of synths that help make things interesting. However, the instruments and vocals do stay relatively one-note, despite the added eccentricities.
Whilst some may argue that it helps the pacing – and to a degree this is true – overall, it does make the album rather meandering at times. Take Ghostface for example. The fast-paced instrumental feels very similar to the previous song Jason Voorhees, which makes the tracks almost indistinguishable. Furthermore, the album plays fast and loose with the horror concept, as the soundbites that initially linked the songs together are used sparingly throughout the rest of the album, which feels a bit inconsistent.
Saying that, there are some nice touches throughout the rest of the record. For example, on Noche De Halloween, they sample the famous theme tune to the cult horror franchise Halloween, and they do the same on the song Elm Street. Also, the music itself livens up and differentiates itself a bit during the latter half of the album, with the aforementioned Elm Street being a mid-tempo punk song. It’s the middle section that’s the problem though; all the songs here sound very similar, which drags the pacing down a lot, and at 13 tracks, the album feels a little overstuffed and can be a little tiresome after a while.
Overall, Slasherpunk has a lot of potential, but unfortunately that potential doesn’t feel fully realised. Whilst the idea of a concept album based on one of the most popular sub-genres of horror seems like a great shout, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. It starts out well, especially with the soundbites which help emphasise the horror inspiration and link the songs together, but the middle part falls through with a run of tracks that don’t add anything new, and while the band manage to pull it back from the brink during the final act, the overall pacing of the album is uneven, and the excessive number of tracks make it feel bloated and a bit of a slog to get through. It’s a shame because this could have been excellent, but instead it’s just mediocre.
Rating: 5/10
Slasherpunk is out now via We Are Horror Records.
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