“Splatter Generation” by Murderock: Review – Horror Music at it’s Finest

I’ve just recently found this band and I can’t tell you how happy I am that I found them. I can tell you one thing for sure – I’ll be blasting this album on my way to work for a while – and probably on the way home too!

They are called Murderock and they’re from Reno Nevada, USA. I’m a huge fan of horror punk/metal/rock, whatever. If it’s horror themed, I’m in. And this album is seriously badass.

They have a pretty insane backstory, but I’m going to have to let it speak for itself. It’s a long read but incredibly worth it – you can check it out here –>> Murderock Backstory 

The Movies

Their songs are very heavily based on horror movies. Their website has a “VIP” section, which actually stands for Very Important Posters. First of all I thought that was kind of clever and I chuckled. But here they have posted all of the posters from the movies that inspired their songs – and there are some very interesting choices. They aren’t referencing big, renowned classics. To be honest, I’m an avid horror fan and there are a bunch in there that I’d never even heard of, let alone seen! They seem to mostly be films from 1980 and earlier, which I think is really awesome.

What I like about these songs is that they aren’t just kind of based on the movies, they’re actually ABOUT the movies. They bring characters to life, and they tell a story with their music. Scary stories of course, stories about blood and death and murder. One thing is for sure too, I have some movies I need to check out.

Their Sound

I’m honestly not even sure where to begin. First of all, I just LOVE the vocals. There are some lines that are full of deep, heavy growling that honestly made my skin crawl a little bit. And then there are some clean vocals that are very smooth and easy to sing along to. I find this to be a very interesting combination, but I really like it. If it’s possible for something to be super fun, but really creepy and totally brutal at the same time, it’s this music right here.

I listened to this album on the way to and from work these last couple of days, and I found myself absolutely blasting it with my windows down, banging my head as much as my need to keep my eyes on the road would allow. I have a lot of love for a lot of different types of music, but at the end of the day, I’m a metal head at heart. Which is why this album got me so excited – there are parts that are just so heavy, it really got my blood pumping. And yet, there are parts that have more of a punk feel, which is where the fun comes in.

There are a few parts of the album that kind of remind me of Rites of Spring a little bit. Rites of Spring are often credited as being the very first “emo” band – ultimately creating the genre. The band themselves always rejected this sentiment but I can see how it could be true. That being said, I think it’s cool that there are some similarities. I think the reason for this is not necessarily the type of music, but how raw they both sound. Personally, I love music like this – it sounds so much more real and honest. It has more of an edge and a bigger personality.

I also LOVE it when songs are both heavy and catchy, and this album is a perfect example. It’s not always an easy thing to achieve but it’s some of the best music to listen to – especially while driving. I can only imagine what these guys are like live, especially given their very apparent love of horror.

Conclusion

This music is raw, badass, heavy, and kind of punk rock at the same time. I really love that these guys don’t take themselves TOO seriously, but the music is still good. Their imagery is really gory, which 100 percent appeals to a horror junkie like myself. Perfect music for driving, and perfect for some good old-fashioned head-banging. I do think this band is going places. I hope someday one of those places is Canada. We love horror music too!

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