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‘Midnight Murder Mania’ 12 inch yellow/orange swirl vinyl
Torture Garden Picture Company
Review by Shane
If any of you remember my review of Frightmare’s latest album “Bringing Back the Bloodshed” you’ll no doubt remember how I gushed over it like a schoolgirl. That album really got me back into the underground metal scene as far as writing goes.
After doing a ‘zine for half of the 90′s (the latter half) I became very burnt out on bands either trying to sound like EMPEROR or the mostly snore inducing Swedish Thrash movement of the mid to late 1990′s.
On a whim I purchased the afformentioned FRIGHTMARE album from the godly RAZORBACK RECORDS and my whole view on the scene changed. My only problem at the time was I really wanted to snag the debut FRIGHTMARE album “Midnight Murder Mania” but it was out of print.
A few months go by, I create a FRIGHTMARE fan page on myspace. One day I get a request from TORTURE GARDEN, I check out the page and see they are a true underground label and are offering up a beautiful 12 inch vinyl version of “Midnight Murder Mania!” And it was only 9 dollars! FUCK, I couldn’t get my cash out fast enough, I threw a ten in an envelope and exactly a week later I get a package back.
What a wonderful piece of underground art we have here. A thick jacket with the insanely groovy cover art greets you. The inner sleeve is on heavy glossy stock with more killer art and liner notes. Inside the sleeve is a HEAVY slab of ORANGE/YELLOW swirled wax…fucking awesome. To round out the package you get some neat FRIGHTMARE/TORTURE GARDEN buttons and in fine, old-school underground tradition, fliers and stickers. A feast for the senses for 9 dollars, you can’t go wrong here…and I haven’t even mentioned the music.
The experience of listening/experiencing metal on vinyl is a wonderful thing…of course the music is the centerpiece, but being able to hold a large visual, literally seeing the notes carved into a piece of wax…its a physical act which is lost on digital files and largly diminished on the CD format. Yes, I’m an old bastard who is stuck in the 80′s. fuck it.
When compared to the music on “Bringing Back the Bloodshed’ the hymns on “Midnight Murder Mania” are more chaotic and raw but the undeniable stench of old thrash completely haunts the album from beginning to end. This fucker is damn near as good as BBB! Like Razorback Records said…”this is veritable orgy of blood-slashing horror”. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Maniac Neil is a METAL GOD. A genius living among us…music overflowing with a love of old thrash and 70′s/80′s slasher films presented in a death/grind format…fanfuckingtastic.
- Cropsy
- Midnight Murder Mania
- Thorn In Their Side (The – Slumber Party Massacre)
- Friday The 13th
- Slasher Holocaust
- The Prowler
- Be My Bloody Valentine
- Black Christmas
- The Ripper
- Frank Zito, The Maniac
- Devilock
Stay tuned for the new BLOODFREAK!!!
go to myspace.com/TortureGardenPictures to order this now.
if you haven’t already, go to razorbackrecords.com and get “Bringing Back the Bloodshed” as well.
Read all of Shane’s Music Reviews in our Music section.
