Another great review of Moonshine Bright in the German magazine Ox Zine, pick up issue #118 for the review:
Name-dropping galore in the Press Release: this record was produced by the Cramps late bassist Chopper Franklin and the Moonshine cover final 1 smmastering was done by Geza X (the former producer of the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. Moonshine Bright is album number five for the masked Hellbilly / Doom-country band from the USA. The genre style comes from the band itself, they blend a lively mix of styles from Southern Rock, punk, Alternative Country and a B-movie atmosphere. All in all it’s difficult to categorize: it is powerful, fully instrumented (supplemented by the classic country instruments: banjo, mandolin and violin), gloomy, aggressive and melodic. Bluegrass fiends will love the fast mandolin and banjo sections the best, and inevitably the rapid playing of Split Lip Rayfield comes to mind. But the again the next moment is a distorted guitar and the sound kicks into gloomy Rob Zombie to realms. The whole thing is exciting and is expected to attract fans of 16 Horsepower, Hank Williams III, The Meat Purveyors (and rockabilly and bluegrass in general) my equally much. 7 of 10 stars.
Christian Kruger
Ox Zine
April 3, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Great Review of “Moonshine Bright” in Ox Zine
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Radar: Heathen Apostles
Out of the City of Angels comes a devilish band with a dark twist on classic American country, bluegrass and murder balladry. The Heathen Apostles offer a sound that combines gothic and punk overtones with edgy lyrics of murderous love, outlaw crime and damnation. These heathens have been making a stir around Southern California during the past 2 years and just recently appeared at the annual Ink N Iron Festival at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.
Now, when you first gets a glimpse of the Heathen Apostles, it is hard not to do a double take. This band casts a dark shadow over the crowd as they enter and appear more closely visually to funeral entertainment for a 19th century downed gunslinger versus an LA club night with twenty-something hipsters in the crowd pecking away at iPhones. However, with head-to-toe blackness, vintage Victorian-era attire, stern countenance and a wide array of instrumentation, the shear visuals of the band can be both alluring and overwhelming. The final blow comes from the diva front woman, Mather Louth (Radio Noir) who normally takes the stage with full funeral head veil, jet black lipstick and pale white skin. Mather out front of this group mystifies the crowd with haunting gazes and enigmatic poses throughout the performances, which transmits both beckoning and threatening signals at the same time.
Heathen Apostles may have roots in many genres, but their combined sound is altogether their own. The band touts familiar names such as Chopper Franklin (The Cramps) on guitar and Stevyn Grey (Christian Death, 45 Grave) on drums, but other band members round out this musically tight and original arrangement including Thomas Lorious (The Kings of Nuthin’) on an upright bass, Viktor Phoenix (Dessau) on both banjo/mandolin and the talents of Luis Mascaro on fiddle.
The songs of Heathen Apostles range all tempos and emotions. From the fast-paced, boot-clicking tunes of ‘Without A Trace’ and ‘Forget Me Not’ down to the somber murder ballads of ‘Before You Go’ and ‘Dark Was The Night’, the listener is not stuck in a monotonous or monochromatic musical experience.
Heathen Apostles has a tight musical delivery, an innovative dark approach and an unforgettable stage performance that stays with you long after the performance is over. The Heathen Apostles are not your typical night out on the town and definitely should not missed, as we might be seeing an ushering in of a new genre with possible copycat bands soon to follow.
Heathen Apostles will be playing various shows in and around Southern California including Hippy Killer Hoedown 2015 in Perris, CA. Please visit the band’s website or follow them on Facebook for more info.
Full length album, Boot Hill Hymnal and 3-song EP, Without A Trace, now available at www.heathenapostles.com.
More production stills have emerged from the Heathen Apostles’ Death’s Head music video shoot, this time they were shot on location by Lee Sterling. Both the Death’s Head single and video are out now on Ratchet Blade Records, you can preview and buy the single HERE, and you can watch the video HERE.
March 2, 2015 | Categories: Video | Comments Off on More Stills From The “Death’s Head” Video Shoot
The new Heathen Apostles Death’s Head music video is live, it was directed by the band and Lawrence Drayton, check it out and help support the band by clicking HERE to preview and buy the song on iTunes and HERE to get it on Amazon::
February 15, 2015 | Categories: Releases, Video | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles’ “Death’s Head” Single and Video Are Live
We are proud to release the cover art to the upcoming Heathen Apostles’ Death’s Head single, out digitally this Friday the 13th on iTunes, Amazon.mp3 etc. The video will debut then too, it was wonderfully shot by Lawrence Drayton, amazing makeup by Alexia Petre, awesome snakes provided by Peggy Rivera. Check back for details.
February 10, 2015 | Categories: News, Releases | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles’ “Death’s Head” Cover Art
The Heathen Apostles have begun editing the new music video for their upcoming single Death’s Head. Here are some production stills from Death’s Head, shot on location by Lawrence Drayton. Both the single and the video will be released on Friday the 13th of February on Ratchet Blade Records.
February 5, 2015 | Categories: Video | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles Editing “Death’s Head” Video
Moonshine cover final 1 smmastering was done by Geza X (the former producer of the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. Moonshine Bright is album number five for the masked Hellbilly / Doom-country band from the USA. The genre style comes from the band itself, they blend a lively mix of styles from Southern Rock, punk, Alternative Country and a B-movie atmosphere. All in all it’s difficult to categorize: it is powerful, fully instrumented (supplemented by the classic country instruments: banjo, mandolin and violin), gloomy, aggressive and melodic. Bluegrass fiends will love the fast mandolin and banjo sections the best, and inevitably the rapid playing of Split Lip Rayfield comes to mind. But the again the next moment is a distorted guitar and the sound kicks into gloomy Rob Zombie to realms. The whole thing is exciting and is expected to attract fans of 16 Horsepower, Hank Williams III, The Meat Purveyors (and rockabilly and bluegrass in general) my equally much. 7 of 10 stars.
