The Coffinshakers - #19

The Coffinshakers

It’s hard to make an international career as an artist, if you release only three full albums in 10+ years. The Coffinshakers are working at it with all due speed. If they keep up that pace, we can expect their fourth album up until around 2015. In the meantime, you’ll have to do with their debut “We Are The Undead”, which commands a healthy price on the collector’s market, as it was apparently released in a limited edition of 666 copies towards the end of the 90’s, plus there’s “Dark Wings Over Finland” (actually a MCD) and their album of 2007 “Same”. There’s a number of 10’s and 7’s as well.

“We Are The Undead” seems to have been reissued at some point on CD. But it’s equally hopeless to find, unless you pay serious money for it. The LP goes for around EUR 120.00 these days, with a healthy way up the scale. Some day, I’m going to fish a decent copy. The other two albums on CD are still readily available (some 7’s too). The "Same" seems to have been released on vinyl as well. What you get here is some of the finest in Rock’n’Roll with a touch of Country. Some call it Psychobilly and even make a connection to Punk. Of the latter I think, they’re just being labeled as such, because they might appeal to a wider base. 

The selling point, in whatever drawer you want to stash this, is certainly Rob Coffinshaker, the singer. He gives the Johnny Cash of morbid Rockabilly (most songs of the Coffinshakers are themed to match their name), and it doesn’t sound forced (which you might have thought), but comes completely natural. I’ve heard enough of these Johnny Cash wanna-be’s to last me a lifetime. Rob Coffinshaker is an exception, and a very good one at that. He grumbles his way through the songs and there is never a dull moment. This is topnotch songwriting and in a way, the Coffinshakers are in a class of their own, in this particular genre.

Rockabilly/Rock’n’Roll mixes quite easily with some country, uptempo tracks sit shoulder to shoulder with ballads of the rockin’ kind. The lyrics are on the dark side with Vampires, the Undead and the whole merry band of Zombies in one go. You might think, that this sounds a bit one dimensional and boring, but rest assured, this band delivers the goods and their albums are very interesting and diversified. You mightn’t be the digging type in a cemetary, but you’ll enjoy this band as much as the next Zombie. http://www.coffinshakers.com/

Cheers

Devon