"Eddie, what kind of movie is this?"

Got to give it up for capturing a mood. Right from the start, 'End of the Beginning,' the newest album from Lugosi's Morphine sets the tone. 'The Year Without a Halloween,' a title invoking the Rankin-Bass specials from a different holiday, perfectly expresses a bad case to any spooky/scary aficionado - horror fatigue.

"Not feeling like dressing up/and I don't mean to be rude/ I've got a mountain of eggs and toilet paper/but I'm just not in the mood."

Been there, done that - horror fatigue gets the best of us. Singer D.F Lazarus doesn't try to rationalize it. It just is. A ghoul can't see black everyday without getting the blues. But what follows, the "I Like It Spooky," is an anthem for any spook-show citizen. The pairing of the unenthusiastic in 'Year Without' with the affirmation cry in 'Like It Spooky' indicates the intelligence behind this band.

The whole record is fantastic. 'Evil Urge,' 'Bucket of Blood' --hell, 'Graves' might as well be the theme song for us here at the Local. This record has fun and aggression; there's a party in the guitar work and the thud control in the bass and drums keeps things rocking forward.


The music on this album is so good it pisses me off. In the same vein how Lemmy took umbrage at anyone tacking on the qualifier "for a girl band" whenever talking about Girlschool, I'd get pissed if someone said, "You know, this band is good for a horror punk band." I'm not surrounded by anyone who would, but to think that someone might pass up this record without giving it a fair shake--that's a damned shame.  Lugosi's Morphine is a good band. The music on could should reward them a greater notice. If it has, good. They've earned it.  But damned  be the ignorant masses that dismiss any band as a comedy act or a seasonal flavor to be played once on a October broadcast at a college radio station.  

It's not like that they decided to not suck one day. Lugosi's Morphine has always been on top of the ball. Their release '5 Shots to the Head' shows they know their shots and allow you to experience both their influences (They cover Roky Erickson's "Bermuda" and "Night of the Vampire") and their live set. If you need evidence why to check this band out, get a hold of that release or sleep with someone who does. Make use of your body's heat while it's still warm. When you're done, introduce yourself to Lugosi's Morphine and be happy.