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Review For “Gothic Americana Supergroup” Album

Heathen Apostles Review For "Gothic Americana Supergroup" Album

From the Drive In Radio Substack Review For “Gothic Americana Supergroup” Album : It’s a good time to be a fan of the near-impossible to categorize Gothic Americana supergroup, Heathen Apostles. The L.A. quartet’s been in circulation since 2013, and has quite the pedigree:

  • Vocalist Mather Louth, late of Radio Noir
  • Guitarist (and multi-instrumentalist) Chopper Franklin, formerly of The Cramps, and a handful of other punk bands (notably the Mau-Maus)
  • Upright bassist Thomas Lorioux, of The Kings of Nuthin’
  • Classical and jazz violinist Luis Mascaro

They’ve released six albums since their formation. The In Between is their seventh, releasing on July 5 of this year. Not the only drop from the members this year, though — Franklin released the fabulous Spaghetti Western Dub Vol. 1 in January — fusing deep dub reggae with the arid Ennio Morricone vibes of the spaghetti western genre.

The band’s collective talents are up front on The In Between, seamlessly fusing jazz, reggae-by-way-of-Long Beach syncopation, thick double bass backbeats, masterful fiddle playing by Mascaro, and absolutely pugnacious, brassy vocals from Louth.

It’s an album that’s hard to categorize, but all the disparate elements fuse so well to form their signature sound that’s only becoming more refined with each album.

If Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath were rebooted into a slasher throwback film by Rob Zombie, you’d have an idea of how the music feels, but the soul of the sound is closer to the heart of the murder ballad outlaw country of Johnny Cash and Lefty Frizzell. The interplay between the Southern Gothic Dust Bowl imagery and a throwback as much to bluegrass and the Bakersfield sound (well, if Hunter S. Thompson had played it), is tremendous. It’s one of the reasons I came to love this band myself.

The Heathen Apostles.

 

Heathen Apostles Review For "Gothic Americana Supergroup" Album

Listening Party

The In Between features nine originals, with a cover of Mark Lanegan’s “The Gravedigger’s Song,” bringing the total to an even 10 tracks. Let’s get to it.

  1. The In Between
    1. The title track kicks off the album, leading in with a foot-tapping double bass line from Lorioux. Franklin’s mandolin and Mascaro’s fiddle bring in some depth and darkness — stellar start enough, but then Louth joins, and the tone’s set for the album. If there’s ever been any doubt (and there damn well shouldn’t have been) Louth would’ve made a killer golden-age country vocalist — that’s removed. There’s some of Franklin’s overdriven guitar work to this track, but not much. Lorioux’s bass and Louth’s vocals carry the track, with Mascaro’s fiddle singing just as well.
  2. Capital T
    1. Mascaro shines here, with an devilish intro that would make Charlie Daniels proud. Ms. Louth line, “don’t tell me that it’s wine and roses…what rose smells like that” punctuates a wickedly good chorus, continually snarling the chorus with each progression. Her jazz background shows here — using her voice with the kind of expressiveness that’s incredibly rare in modern country.
  3. The Gods Of Men
    1. One of my favorites from this album. The thumping backbeat so far is switched up for a march beat and tempo, with a side of acoustic guitar. You get an aural peek at Mascaro’s classical background — the violin adds depth and texture here. Banjo, mandolin, and Louth’s fallen-angel voice rounds out this cutting track with some fabulous lyrical work.
  4. Coffin For The Nail
    1. That classic, mournful country feel without going into dragging dirge territory that so many “gothic,” bands fall victim to. Banjo and mando on this track, with Chopper and Mather joining with filtered, distorted vocals. The effect something between a dusty, warped record and the baying of hellhounds on a cattle drive. Louth evokes Choirgirl Hotel Tori Amos by way of Steve Albini, for me. The fiddle draws out through the tune, climaxing in an utterly filthy solo before the bridge.
  5. Deama
    1. Change of pace — at first, anyway. The Apostles know how to put together an album. Works perfectly following “Coffin.” Starts off slow, gentle, almost coy, and builds with Louth’s voice into a scorned-banshee roar that wraps in mandolin and fiddle for the climax. The literal and figurative midpoint of this record, and perfectly placed.
  6. Easy Come, Easy Go
    1. A moody, dark track, with the feeling of sweltering summer heat. Something of an outlaw ballad told from the outlaw’s point of view. The lyrics carry this track. Instrumentation worms its way around, and it finishes strong. Not the strongest track, but not the worst.
  7. In The Blood
    1. The weakest track of the album — if only because of the inconsistency in tempo. Some songs are better for varying back and forth. Some end up feeling like being attached to an oscillating fan. The slow verse into fast chorus and back, has the latter feel with “In the Blood.” The band gets close, and is otherwise on point. But the pacing of this song just…needs something. A little extra pre-chorus could’ve gone a long way for sonic foreplay in this track.
  8. The Gravedigger’s Song
    1. The original “Gravedigger’s Song,” from Mark Lanegan is notoriously aggressive. The band could’ve easily managed to pull off a straighter cover — but chose to slow it down instead. And it’s an exceptional cover for it. Rather than focusing on the sheer force of Lanegan’s original cut, the track focuses instead on the composition and lyricism of the original. That’s further demonstrated with Louth’s vocal work here, coupled with whispered, ethereal contrapuntal French vocals.
  9. Love Letter
    1. The most complex song on this record to my ear. Louth and Mascaro do the detail work. Violin and vocals swirl into and around each other. Excellent interplay of drum and bass. Beautiful track, but not the best here. It’s a workhorse of a track — not the prettiest thing, not the fastest, but it works hard all day.
  10. He Stood Tall
    1. Greg Kuehn (formerly of T.S.O.L. and X — the L.A. punks, not the platform-formerly-known-as-Twitter) makes a guest appearance. Kuehn’s honky tonk piano jazz joins a walking bassline from Lorioux, and works wonderfully here to finish out the record.

Just six months in from the powerful impact of Chopper Franklin’s “Spaghetti Western Dub Vol. 1,” an album I’ve listened to heavily all year, I have to admit that I was already pining for more. The grit-drenched vibe was exactly what I had been ready for and in Mather Louth, I had discovered a vocalist who had jumped to the front of the queue of my favorites. The brassy, defiant timbre she brought to that album had me wanting more, and as if on cue, here is the follow up. This time it’s from the Heathen Apostles mothership from whence the Spaghetti Western Dub project launched. The band is fascinated by probing the very darkest Country music in a time when the genre is content to replicate the horror of The Eagles…with gated drums… and vague nods of a token slide guitar or a nasal-voiced singer as vestigial callbacks to actual Country music [Monk spits in dust]. That dreck is a far cry from what The Heathen Apostles serve up on their “lucky” seventh full length album, “The In Between.”

The Verdict

The strangest part of albums like these is knowing where to file it.

Is it country? Is it goth-rock? Is it Americana? Yes.

But is it good? Also yes.

4 out of 5.

Excellent intro to the band themselves, and some of their best work to date.

The Merch

What would a new album be without swag?

One piece is extra-special — a hand-signed and numbered archival print of the album art, by Sean Cheetham, is up on the artists’ site.

And there’s shirts, albums, and string ties available from the band

Heathen Apostles’ “The In Between” on Red Vinyl

Heathen Apostles' "The In Between" on Red VinylRatchet Blade Records is proud to announce the release of the Heathen Apostles latest album “The In Between” on red vinyl, available in their webstore HERE and on their current European tour (scheduled throughout 2025). The red vinyl LP cover features the painting of Chopper Franklin and Mather Louth by the artist Sean Cheetham.

London Celtic Punks wrote in their review of The In Between: “You could be forgiven for thinking Heathen Apostles hail from the foothills of the Appalachian mountains rather than LA but their music conveys such great imagery it’s hard to imagine them wandering the streets of LA on foot rather than horse! Superbly produced by Chopper Franklin, The In Between features nine original songs rounded up to ten with a cover of the Mark Lanegan (1964-2022) track ‘The Gravedigger’s Song’ from his 2012 album Blues Funeral.”

Heathen Apostles' "The In Between" on Red Vinyl The Post-Punk Monk wrote: “Just six months in from the powerful impact of Chopper Franklin’s “Spaghetti Western Dub Vol. 1,” an album I’ve listened to heavily all year, I have to admit that I was already pining for more. The grit-drenched vibe was exactly what I had been ready for and in Mather Louth, I had discovered a vocalist who had jumped to the front of the queue of my favorites. The brassy, defiant timbre she brought to that album had me wanting more, and as if on cue, here is the follow up. This time it’s from the Heathen Apostles mothership from whence the Spaghetti Western Dub project launched. The band is fascinated by probing the very darkest Country music in a time when the genre is content to replicate the horror of The Eagles…with gated drums… and vague nods of a token slide guitar or a nasal-voiced singer as vestigial callbacks to actual Country music [Monk spits in dust]. That dreck is a far cry from what The Heathen Apostles serve up on their “lucky” seventh full length album, “The In Between.”

Singer Mather Louth states,
“The idea of the ‘in between’ is all about learning to sit with- and eventually befriend- the uncomfortable times of not knowing what is coming next, either within one’s own life or within the collective. Uncertainty is a very ungrounding sensation, and the emotions that arise from that discomfort can be challenging to navigate. Exploring this sense of uncertainty proved cathartic for me, and I hope it will offer that same release for listeners.”

Heathen Apostles Western Goth Music Video

Heathen Apostles Western Goth Music Video

“Coffin For The Nail” is from the Heathen Apostles’ seventh album “The In Between” (Ratchet Blade Records). The western goth music video features co-lead vocals from lead singer Mather Louth and guitarist/mandolinist Chopper Franklin, as well as clips from “The Wolf of Wall Street” (1929), “A Corner in Wheat” (1909) and “Birth of a Nation” (1915) (all Public Domain).

Mather Louth: “This video is a risk. The source footage within it is incredibly unsettling and uncomfortable to view. But, we need to face history and where we’ve come from (and sadly, where we are again.) We want to make it clear that we don’t condone the footage within it- we are holding the mirror up to the underbelly that has always been a part of this country’s history.”

 

Heathen Apostles Western Goth Music Video

Directed by the Heathen Apostles
Camera, Lighting: Robert Nelson
Makeup: Kelton Ching
Mather’s wardrobe: Heathen By Mather Louth
The Villain: Kaine Livesay

Listen to “The In Between” album HERE
2025 European tour dates HERE

COFFIN FOR THE NAIL
(Franklin)

Peace out – War in
Take the word of a K Street has-been
Big P, little O
Got down and forgot what you came for
Gold in, Black Hills
Trouble is that it’s not for sale
Goddamn, gee whiz
Is that what honor is?

R – you ready for the feast?
I – got a belly full of beast
P – like the guts in a pail
Got a smoke for the hole and a coffin for the nail

Your shame, straight from the mouth
So proud but your tongue’s stickin’ out
Gotcha paid like any other day
But the people are about to go crazy
Strict Daddy, where ya been?
How long ‘til the fire burns in
Tell me, Daddy, where will we go
When the fire glows?

(break)
Good god, straight from madness
Comin’ ‘round, lickin’ on sadness
Hate pigs, tryin’ their damnedest
Trickle down, but it’s always so late
Crowd so bound, always fallin’ for hate

© 2024 Ratchet Blade Records

Chopper Franklin Back With A New Doom Dub Single “The Hexed”

Chopper Franklin Doom Dub SingleFrom postpunkmonk.com on Chopper Franklin’s Doom Dub Single “The Hexed”: We were in the middle of a thread last week when we got wind of the new single from one man musical gene splicer Chopper Franklin, so we’re directing our attention there today! I actually bought it immediately, based on the high satisfaction values with the last two Chopper Franklin albums of last year. But with my thrill-a-minute lifestyle [road paving, shopping, and a concert attended yet ultimately abandoned] last weekend, It fell to this morning in the hasty minutes before hitting the gym before I finally put the song on my personal device for listening.

“The Hexed Dub” is the lead off track from the upcoming “Darkness In Hymn And Dub Vol. 1” EP that will stand as a sequel to last year’s “Spaghetti Western Dub Vol. 1.” Right now Chopper’s band, The Heathen Apostles, are preparing for a long European sojourn this summer, so we’re told to look for that EP in the fall break before they head back to the UK for a pair of gigs to coincide with All Hallows Eve. It’s kind of Chopper to set this one free as a taster to tide us over until then!

The drums that kicked off this cut had the rim hits soaked in Dub while the bass pulled us under the surface of the song. A minor key piano rondo created a vortex of fatalistic energy. A portent of things to come. Then the Dark Siren herself, Mather Louth, began to weave her deadly spell with her backing vocals. Setting up Chopper, who plays the pawn in this game of woe.

He roared the song aloud like a man who knows that any aces he may have held were in games played in towns long abandoned and that the future at his door now holds only bleakness. Each line of lyric was laced with distortion and dark Dub. Slashing skanks of rhythm guitar offset the fiery but distant leads. Once Ms. Louth returned for lead vocals in the two final verses in the climax, Franklin’s low sustained guitar howled like a feral cat as minor key marimba teased us with its dark hints of Jazz.

It’s sophisticated in different ways to the Dub album of last year showing that Mr. Franklin has plenty of creative gas left in his tank for exploring the ways in which Dub can enhance his normal idiom of Gothic Americana in new and valuable ways. Meanwhile, if you’re reading this in Europe or the UK, why not make the effort to see The Heathen Apostles as they export some of America’s finest music to an audience that certainly values it.

Chopper Franklin’s Post-Punk Dub Remix

“The Hexed DUB” is Chopper Franklin’s his post-punk dub remix“The Hexed DUB” is the latest creation from the Heathen Apostles’ Chopper Franklin (The Cramps, Mau Maus); it’s his post-punk dub remix of his original song “The Hexed”. This single is from his upcoming “Darkness in Hymn and Dub Vol. 1” EP; it also features his Heathen Apostles bandmate Mather Louth on co-lead vocals. Check it out HERE.
Chopper cut his teeth in the early days of the Los Angeles punk rock scene, a world that was infused by the post-punk dub sounds of Public Image Limited, Bauhaus and Killing Joke (among others). The roots reggae dub revolution that was lead by Lee “Scratch” Perry, King Tubby and Scientist was also prevalent, and plays a heavy influence on this project.

Chopper Franklin's Post-Punk Dub Remix
THE HEXED
(lyrics by Chopper Franklin)

She said, join our order, as a friend, or a lover
She took my soul, wrapped it around her
It’s said, the moon’s her lover, she had a dream about a powder
I took a dose, fell down beside her

He’s the hexed, brought down by the best
He’s the hexed, and you know the rest

She said, abide me brother, took off her robe, made of rubber
Then mixed our blood, brought on another
We bled, often hidden, Christ saken, and God forbidden
Lost and low, and bed-ridden

He’s the hexed, brought down by the best
He’s the hexed, and you know the rest

Poisoned sleep will come tonight
To take your lover dead
So find your sword in shadows cast
And track the wolves instead

Murdered kings who’ve yet to come
To see the flames they fed
For those who wave the blackened flags
Would rather end up dead

He’s the hexed, brought down by the best
He’s the hexed, and you know the rest

New Dark Roots Music Video For “Coffin For The Nail”

The Heathen Apostles’ Chopper Franklin and Mather Louth started filming their new dark roots music video for Coffin For The Nail last Friday the 25th in downtown Los Angeles. It will be the first music video from their latest album The In Between (out now on Ratchet Blade Records check it out HERE), and comes before they embark on the first of three legs of their 2025 European tour, which begins on June 5th in Amsterdam, The Netherlands at Teatro Munganga. The video was directed by the band, and will have a May release date, check back for more details.

Dark Roots Music Video By Heathen Apostles For Coffin For The Nail

Heathen Apostles Dark Roots Music Video For "Coffin For The Nail"

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a post from the band’s Instagram page: Mather and Chopper throwin’ it down; just a few pickup shots left for our “Coffin For The Nail” music video, then we begin editing. Many thanks to camera operator/DP Robert Nelson @robert_nelson_photography, FX makeup (and sclera!) master Kelton Ching @keltonfx and video villain Kaine Livesay @thekainerocks , you all added heavy Heathen energy to an already energetic song. Mather’s wardrobe by @heathenbymatherlouth #gothicoutlaw #hellbilly #heathenapostles #matherlouth #chopperfranklin #lamf

Photos by Robert Nelson.

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”26″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]COFFIN FOR THE NAIL
(lyrics by Chopper Franklin)

Peace out – War in
Take the word of a K Street has been
Big P, little O
Got down and forgot what you came for

Gold in, Black Hills
Trouble is that it’s not for sale
Goddamn, gee whiz
Is that what honor is?

(chorus)
R – you ready for the feast?
I – got a belly full of beast
P – like the guts in a pail
Got a smoke for the hole and a coffin for the nail

Your shame, straight from the mouth
So proud but your tongue’s stickin’ out
Gotcha paid like any other day
But the people are about to go crazy

Strict Daddy, where ya been?
How long ‘til the fire burns in
Tell me, Daddy, where will we go
When the fire glows?
(chorus)
(break)
Good god, straight from madness
Comin’ ‘round, lickin’ on sadness
Hate pigs, tryin’ their damnedest
Trickle down, but it’s always so late
Crowd so bound, always fallin’ for hate

Heathen Apostles to Headline UK Roots Festival Rustic Stomp

Heathen Apostles to Headline UK Roots Festival Rustic StompThe Heathen Apostles are excited to play their first UK roots festival appearance of 2025, and one near and dear to them, The Rustic Stomp 2025. Hawkeye Houlihan and team always put on a great show, and this year they have the added firepower of Muddy Roots. They’ll be playing on Saturday, 12 July, but the entire festival will be a blast, see you there!

From Rustic Stomp: “And Boom , here it is, the first release of our line up for The Rustic Stomp 2025 . A sweet banger of local, national and international Roots centered music. Some you’ll know, some you won’t, and that’s the joy of it. The known and the unknown. Come explore our heady collection of Roots music as we jostle from Bluegrass to Western Swing, from Cajun to Hoedown, to heart felt ballad to shin kicking, full-on stompin. Bring your Shiny Boots to the only Muddy Roots Music Festival based in England. And it’s in Dorset too – yeehaw..!

Heathen Apostles to Headline UK Roots Festival Rustic Stomp“Rustic Stomp is a unique music festival that brings together the best of Americana music, alternative and traditional music. Founded in 1999, the festival has grown to include the popular Wonkydonk, Dark Holler and Acoustic Movement events and is a member of The Muddy Roots network of international festivals. We are committed to providing a platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their talent while giving back to the community through our charity events. Join us for an unforgettable musical experience

Heathen Apostles to Headline UK Roots Festival Rustic StompAt Rustic Stomp, we celebrate roots revival music and its history and culture. Our event is a three-day extravaganza held annually on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Week 28. We currently have four stages with over 60 acts performing, giving you the full spectrum of musical genres to enjoy. There’s also plenty of food, bars, and a wellbeing and glamping provision, plus entertainment for the kids and lots of impromptu performances. Come join us at Rustic Stomp for an unforgettable music experience!”