Album Review: Messer Chups – Taste The Blood Of Guitaracula

Russia’s Messer Chups emerged in St. Petersburg over a decade ago, since then they’ve amassed an loyal army of followers through a commitment to touring, with their explosive live shows played against a video collage backdrop of mid century trashy cult and horror movie clips , and a steady stream of releases. Taste The Blood Of Guitaracula is Messer Chups first release outside of their homeland and they’ll be supporting the release of their new album on their upcoming Halloween Howling Tour, which kicks off at Detroit’s annual Halloween masquerade staged at the Masonic Temple’s Theatre Bizarre and concludes on October 28th in San Francisco

Whilst I couldn’t get this posted in time for Friday 13th we’re well in time for Halloween, and believe me this is an album that was just made to be added to your party soundtrack for that darkest of nights. From the kitsch creepy opening of Midnight Call this is a trip into a world haunted by the ghost’s of 60s garage bands and 50’s b-movies, and it appears that surf is up on horror beach, as Taste The Blood Of Guitaracula is sixteen cuts of kitsch horror themed surf that is more Munsters than monsters.

Taste The Blood Of Guitaracula is a largely instrumental album that carries the spirit for The Cramps, 50’s B-Movies and The Mummies, and pretty much everything else that was inspired by that gloriously trashy era. The album is heavy on the surf style, and whether you are a fan of 60s surf bands will largely dictate whether Messer Chups latest album will be to your taste, but Taste The Blood Of Guitaracula will also appeal to those who have a love for The Misfits lounge album, The Horrorpops and the more unhinged garage bands from the last six decades.

Messer Chups website can be found here