HALLOWMAS October Burning (2003) Digipak CD

Horror punk has always been about the collision of cheap thrills and genuine dread, and Hallowmas understood that assignment long before most bands figured out it was even a assignment to understand. October Burning is the kind of record that sounds like it was made by people who actually meant it.

Released in 2003 out of the American horror punk underground, this sits in that sweet spot between the Misfits' legacy and the darker, more gothic direction bands like Blitzkid and Calabrese were carving out at the time. It's not a tribute act, it's not ironic retro worship. It's got the monster movie DNA running through it but with enough grime and genuine menace to keep it interesting. The digipak presentation is a nice touch, the kind of physical artifact worth owning in an era when most people were burning CDs onto blanks from the servo.

CD in digipak format. USA pressing, 2003.

Fans of: Misfits, Blitzkid, Calabrese, Wednesday 13