THE COFFINSHAKERS Coffinshakers

Artist: THE COFFINSHAKERS
Title: Coffinshakers
Year of Release: 2007
Label: Cobra
Format: CD

I heard this band for the first time around 1996 I guess it was when I received one of their earlier releases, the 'Dracula Has Risen From The Grave' 7". Though it didn't materialise for some time after that in the physical form, I had a cassette advance of the debut album 'We Are The Undead'.

Many years beyond this, a pal of mine mentioned that the band had a new album out and naturally I located a copy as fast as was humanly possible. From Finland to Australia in a week was a tidy enough turn around and the results did not fail to dazzle.

Though I'm not a Johnny Cash fan per se, the similarity between Rob Coffinshaker's voice and JC is unnerving, and while thematically similar, this self titled opus is a little more mature and the songcraft is a touch more evolved. Oh, I should mention that if you listen closely, you will notice that RC can't completely escape his Swedish accent, but it never sounds absurd, or like some sort of comical appraisal.

What you would call this from a stylistic point of view is hard to say as it contains elements of rockabilly and swampy blues, it really has an aura all of its own.

Opening cut 'Phantoms Of The Night' is also the finest the album has to offer, and it possesses this real upbeat pace and some very cool female vocals that would have been perfectly suited to an Ed Wood film score.

Hard to find, and expensive if you can locate it, I don't know anyone that was disappointed by the debut and can't imagine why they would find this any less appealing.