Gothic Americana Music

Review of Bloodgrass Vol. 1 in Dark Entries Magazine

Great review of Bloodgrass Vol. 1 in Dark Entries Magazine (a great Belgium goth magazine) that was just brought to our attention, read the translation below, click HERE to go to their site:

Heathen Apostles Bloodgrass Vol. 1 reviewWe know alt-country, we think of bands like Whiskeytown , 16 Horsepower or Woven Hand . We also know cowpunk and gothabilly or hellbilly. Think of bands like Ghoultown , Gravetown or DAD. These Heathen Apostles from Los Angeles also fit in this category (especially the latter in terms of image) but actually this is almost pure Americana folk, country and bluegrass, in short hillbilly music with a dark edge. The musicians look like baddies escaped from a western movie, three black cowboys in nineteenth century gear and the lady from the outfit as a black-clad widow from the same period. Complete with a black veil covering her eyes. It has something steampunk too.

The band consists of singer Mather Louth (the lascivious widow) and her fellow band members, dressed-in-black cowboys Chopper Franklin (guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, drums), Thomas Lorioux (bass) and Luis Mascaro (violin). Chopper Franklin is a punk rock veteran who once played in The Cramps and bands like Nick Curran & The Lowlifes and Mau Maus. In the past, Heathen Apostles also had drummer Stevyn Grey in the ranks (ex- Christian Death , ex- 45 Grave ).

Heathen Apostles are a very productive band. Their debut album “Boot Hill Hymnal” (2013), the “Without A Trace” EP (2014), the singles “Fool’s Gold”, “Fist City”, “Death’s Head”, as well as their second album “Fire To The Fuse” (all 2015) all came out on Ratchet Blade Records. The third Heathen Apostles album “Requiem For A Remix”, “The Misery And Gin EP” and the single “Albatross” all came out in a busy 2016. In 2017 finally the “Strange Flowers EP” came out and in December this ” Bloodgrass Vol. 1 “EP, still on Ratchet Blade Records that specializes in such bands.

Five songs are on the new EP (21 minutes playing time). Three original compositions: “Death Came A Ridin'” (my favorite and the darkest and rockiest song), “Dark Days” (with banjo and melancholic violin) and the up-tempo like a horse hopping across the prairie (I have to think of Johnny Cash) “Lady In Gold”. And then also two covers. These covers are “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” by the contemporary country artist Darrell Scott and a beautiful adaptation of the classic (from 1935) “Summertime” ( Gershwin, Gershwin, Heyward ) which is especially known in the version of The Zombies but that counts numerous interpretations by Ella Fitzgerald , Billie Holiday etc.

Entertaining EP song with beautiful songs, but even better if these pagan apostles mixed some more punk, goth or psychobilly in their sound because with the exception of the song “Death Came A Ridin'” this is musically close to pure Americana or what they call alt-country today instead of a true crossover style with the dark genre as the image suggests. In spite of the terms ‘gothic americana’, ‘gothic country’, ‘southern gothic’ or ‘dark roots’ that they use to interpret their music. But you do not hear me complaining; Heathen Apostles are an interesting band that I will definitely continue to follow.

Henk Vereecken

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