review of 45 grave's ~ sleep in safety
"Riboflavin flavored, non-carbonated, polyunsaturated blood..."
Part Plasmatics, part Ecco and The Bunnymen, part Joy Division, 45 Grave’s 1983 release Sleep in Safety is a tragic experimentation in Horror-inspired synth-punk-metal . What really turned me on was the harpsichord heavy surf track Surf Bat smack dab in the middle of the album. Other numbers, such as Riboflavin – which were so outlandishly campy as to rival the sing-along works of Chuck Jones’ Dr. Seus’ cartoons – not so much.
What’s interesting to note about this album is its use of churning D-chord riffs, much the same as what was popular with early 80’s punk acts like The Exploited, the Germs, GBH, Discharge, and Confict, which lends to the overall feeling of doom and grime of the work, collectively.
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Unless you’re dead-set on building a library of the evolution of Horror Rock, you probably wouldn’t find much luster in this historic gem.
For its inability to land on one musical style and often laughable lyrics, I can only give 45 Grave’s Sleep in Safety…
3 0ut of 5!
(But the cover art is pretty nifty… that’s a plus, I guess.)
3 0ut of 5!
(But the cover art is pretty nifty… that’s a plus, I guess.)