Some things should never die. Others should have never been born in the first place. I don’t know where that leaves the Brains, the Montreal-based horror-punk band that were voted “Punk Band of the Year” by the Montreal Mirror, but most of the time when a zombie appears in a film, they’re not left undead for long. Still, for those who do indulge in psychobilly, the Brains are kind of a big deal. They spent the last year touring Canada, America, and Europe, and recording Zombie Nation, their fourth full-length album.
According to Chart Magazine, the Brains are “quickly becoming one of Canadian psychobilly’s most revered exports.” One can only wonder what other psychobilly bands Canada is currently “exporting.” The next thing to wonder is how a band that sings about nothing more than zombies and broken hearts and plays the same ripping power chords and walking bass lines in every song can find enough material to fill four full-length albums, but as the Brains prove, there really is an attentive audience for this. Briefly put, it’s not for the faint of heart, nor directed at a wide demographic outside of those who drive a ‘52 Chevy pickup to the Langley Home Depot to buy new wood for your coffin bed. It’s about as predictable as a cherry tattoo on a pin-up model.
However, to be fair, some people like psychobilly, and those people should totally hear Zombie Nation. They’d probably really like it because they do sound something like Nekromantix. And notably, the bass player and the drummer both played in the Ripcordz. Put that in your flask and drink it.
