The Phantom on “Spaghetti Western Dub No. 1”
Chopper Franklin’s “Spaghetti Western Dub Vol. 1” Was The Album I’d Waited Over 40 Years To Hear – postpunkmonk.com
Let me begin the tale in the following way. It was 1981 when listening to WPRK-FM the college radio station that I kept my ear glued to in the holiest of musical years. Slipped into the playlists was a single by a band new to my ears: Theatre Of Hate. The single was the stentorian fusion of Post-Punk and Spaghetti Western ethos and most importantly, the 12″ version was the song mixed into a massive dub concoction as produced by The Clash’s Mick Jones. I’ve had that 12″ single and the “Westworld” album for over 30 years.
Then a few years passed and at the decade’s midpoint, I was enamored of the 4AD band Colourbox. I bought everything I could get my hands on. In 1986 there was a CD compilation simply called “Colourbox” and it had another tantalizing glimpse of the mesmerizing fusion of Spaghetti Western music and Dub in “Looks Like We’re Shy One Horse/Shootout.” I couldn’t help but think that the two disparate styles of music got on like a house on fire. So when was someone going to really deliver the Spaghetti Western Vs. Dub goods that made all the sense on the world to my ears? As it turned out, I had to wait another 37 years, but ex-Cramps bassist turned Gothic Gunslinger Chopper Franklin has dared to venture in the dusty arroyos of the Spaghetti Western genre and has fused it with Dub to deliver a cinematic musical vibe chock-full of wild hybrid vigor. Ladies and gentlemen; we present “Spaghetti Western Dub Vol. 1.”
Moreover, he’s dared to create mostly vocal songs in the styles we’re talking about. I was astonished because the Spaghetti Western genre was primarily an instrumental groove. I love great guitar instrumental music, so I have a few Spaghetti comps I picked up in the 90s on the heels of the resurgence of surf rock I was enjoying at the time. These songs sported narratives every bit as evocative as the films of the genre itself, with antiheroes riding to their doom in a desperate moral vacuum not unlike the one in Film Noir… only set in the lawless West.
As Mr. Franklin has been helming the Gothic Americana group The Heathen Apostles for years, he wisely enlisted his vocalist in that group, the multifaceted Mather Louth, to sink her teeth into these songs. There were also male vocals courtesy of The Phantom Of The Black Hills, a Gothic Desperado band also on Franklin’s Ratchet Blade Records label [the man is a one man industry unto himself!]. When I pressed the play button I was rewarded with an album that I had high hopes for that easily surpassed my expectations.
“Blood, Tears, And Thunder DUB” featured the intro to the song rising in the distance like a cloud of dust as synth drones and reverberating vocal snatches came into focus like a whipcrack as Ms. Louth provided the omniscient narrator role to the tale of desperation and violence over the Dub Reggae rhythms that afforded Franklin a spotlight for his powerful bass work. Power which was absolutely matched by the verve of Ms. Louth who was blissfully, surprisingly, channeling the bold, brassy delivery of Dame Shirley Bassey on these songs! It was not enough to merely mix Spaghetti Western and Dub in this cauldron, but the element X of the vocals came in at a third angle to create an absolutely spellbinding fusion of genres. Gleefully mashing up wildly disparate vibes from the sixties and the seventies. Listen here.
The first song had been a pre-release single. So too was “The Scorpion Says DUB.” The interplay between the dubbed out, skittery rim hits and the rolling bassline was an evocative foundation for which Ms. Louth added the cream of her intoxicating vocals. Damnation has never sounded so luxurious! And while I think of Spaghetti Western, and Dub, for that matter, as instrumental music, the incisive lyrics from Mr. Franklin’s pen slice right to the dark heart of the genre with such poetic examination of the ripe themes we find in the Spaghetti Western genre. “Cowards and maggots” indeed!
Then the fever peaked on “The Day The Men Died.” The dubbed out melodica added a mournful mien as subterranean bass drone painted the bleakest of pictures. The only glimpse of hope in the soundstage was the subtle mandolin that was almost trampled under hoof. Throughout it thus far, Ms. Louth had been the dispassionate narrator, but the stakes got really high on this track and she was spitting out the lyric like Grace Jones in dominatrix mode. Eventually crossing the line into seething instead of singing. Biting down with violence on the lyric. The heartless reverb of the Dub mix only salting our wounds further. And then, in a masterstroke, the second vocalist entered the song.
The Phantom Of The Black Hills sang the point of view of a condemned prisoner of the song’s title. Here he reminded me of Zodiac Mindwarp’s grizzled delivery as he sang the tale of a vicious and unrepentant man of violence as he profanely spat in the eye of propriety to his very last breath. What a song and what performances! The singers here were singing like they meant every word.
The next track gave the spotlight to The Phantom Of The Black Hills after his, uh, arresting star turn in the previous song. The dark energy of the last song receded somewhat as “Gold In Every Hand” proffered The Phantom singing the verses in a very lazy Lee Hazelwood fashion as a world weary narrator before roaring more defiantly on the song’s chorus. Tar pit bass and vocal samples from actual Spaghetti Westerns pulling us along for the ride.
A dialogue sample of “String him up, muchachos!” opened the instrumental Dub of “You Can’t Drown Your Sorrows In Blood.” Mournful peals of tubular bells added their desolate vibe to the melodica that took the tuneful lead here in the absence of a singer this time. This track was along the lines of what I had been expecting up front by the project, but I hadn’t know what singing we’d be in store for on the album when I first was looking into it.
The perfect point between a vocal and instrumental number was reached on the haunting “The Ghost Of A Believer DUB” where film dialogue of a woman was given counterpoint by the mournful refrain by The Phantom Of The Black Hills, barely there in the mix as indeed, a ghostly presence in the song, singing “lay me down, in fields of stone.” Crafting a hook that gets caught in my mind for hours at a time.
The final “The Return of Revenge DUB” gave the bass guitar the last word on the album for an instrumental coda before the album had two bonus tracks added to the mix. It had been a radical tactic for Franklin to offer dub mixes of vocal songs in the first place, but the methodology of the album called for each track to gradually give way to Dub dissipation by the end of the cut as the version energy took over. On the last two tracks, we got to hear what were the “straight” Spaghetti Western versions of the first two tracks in all of their defiant majesty. All strings, horns, and rolling tympani. Does it work? Absolutely! But the world has no shortage of Spaghetti Western compositions already.
The great leap here was not only in making Dub mixes of such material, but then putting strong and charismatic singers in the songs. Giving me three different vectors of pleasure every time I listen to it. Marveling at how my wish for a full album of Spaghetti Western in Dub has finally been granted; magnificently, by Chopper Franklin with Mather Louth and The Phantom of the Black Hills. There are 200 signed and numbered CDs of this one in the band’s Bandcamp store with rich screen-printed artwork just begging to be taken home. And there’s an international version CD that features affordable postage to Europe! They have thought of their audience! If you’ve ever thrilled to a Spaghetti Western soundtrack, or chilled to a Dub version, then brother, have they got the album for you! You know the score. DJ hit that button!
Ratchet Blade Records Offers Shipping Savings on Phantom CDs
The Phantom of the Black Hills and Ratchet Blade Records are aware of the insane International shipping charges and and have worked with their on-demand supplier to bring a cost efficient CD to international fans. They are offering a jewel case edition of all POTBH albums, complete with a full color 2 panel insert, back cover and disc. These are shipping straight from the manufacturer so they ship separately from any other items in your order, but if you want these albums with just $6 shipping (as opposed to $17+ shipping for the regular editions) this is the way to go. The Phantom CDs also include a full digital download of the album. The albums that are a part of this deal are (click HERE to order):
THAT WITCH – “The Phantom Of The Black Hills have come a long way since Ghosts and while their sound may not be quite as raucous as then they still are as powerful and heavy and perform even more dark western music than ever before. The teaming up with the beautiful Mather Louth adds a whole new dimension to the sound. It’s a dark world out there and the imagery The Phantom Of The Black Hills conjure up in the mind may not be a pleasant one but it’s an imaginative one filled with the ghosts of the wronged, deserted mines and villages, dust and dirt and the people who lived there.”
SCALPED – “Whatever the case, POTBH have produced an album that veers from out and country to the lunatic fringe industrialism of Ministry: this is probably understandable, as the only piece of information the band proffer about themselves is that their music would be the result of “Glenn Danzig and Al Jourgensen stayed up all night listening to old Porter Wagoner and Hank Sr. records and drinking homemade corn liquor”.”
MOONSHINE BRIGHT – The Phantom of the Black Hills provide their new album “Moonshine Bright” as the appropriate soundtrack. Traditional country, blitzkrieg guitars and distorted vocals take on violin, banjo and mandolin. The result of this mixture are ten dark and wild, masterfully produced by Cramps Bassist Chopper Franklin, songs about the dark side of life. Great!”
ENEMY! – “The first two albums must’ve been dress rehearsals for this release. it’s like the Phantom & the boys (Popeye, Doc Helliday, & Deacon) picked up new quills dipped in blood to pen this new album. Lyrically more dark and intense than the previous two releases Enemy is filled with musical imagery or war, lust, death, and hell. Produced by Chopper Franklin [Bassist, the Cramps] and mixed by the legend himself Geza X [Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, The Germs, The Mau Maus]. For me this was a much anticipated release. The arrangement of the music is flawless, the lyrics are controversial as ever and I fucking love this album!”
BORN TO GUN – “Hailing from the depths of Hades comes the Phantom of the Black Hills. Hillbilly, banjo pickin’ madness from your darkest nightmares. Mysterious masked men dressed like bandits stirring up timely images of train robbin’ outlaws dancing with saloon girls. “Born To Gun” is a stunning, unique, sinister medley of Hellbilly, country and bluegrass with an unhealthy dose of industrial noise thrown in for proper measure.”
GHOSTS – “What do you get when you cross the rougher side of Hank Williams III with Samhain’s classic debut “Initium”? You get “Ghosts”, the first album from the black as pitch two-man cowpunk nightmare known as Phantom Of The Black Hills. A devil’s concoction of country music instrumentation (banjo, steel guitar and fiddle) and punk rock rage and song structures, “Ghosts” is one of the most ambitious and original records I’ve heard in some time, coming across like the bizarre lost soundtrack to the film There Will Be Blood, and it succeeds on every level.”
‘That Witch’ – Dark Western Music Review
From the London Celtic Punks website: “One of the best bands to wield a banjo IN THE WORLD Phantom Of The Black Hills soak in influences as varied as Country, Punk, Goth, Folk, Bluegrass with distorted vocals and mysterious mystique and a dark, very dark western music ethos.
That Witch is their 6th studio album and they are accompanied by Mather Louth from renowned ‘Gothic Americana’ band Heathen Apostles.
To put it simply Phantom Of The Black Hills are fantastic!!
When I saw that their was a new Phantom Of The Black Hills album on the way I can admit to being pretty bloody excited. Even though I love music we receive so much here at London Celtic Punks Towers that it is hard sometimes to rally up enthusiasm for new releases but for That Witch I was even willing to pay (those that know me will know how incredible that is!). Luckily for my Scots /Yorkshire sensibilities I was incredibly lucky to receive a free download from Ratchet Blade Records and it’s not left my lugholes ever since!
The Phantom and Mather Louth
That Witch had originally been planned for release in 2020 but with all the shit going on was delayed almost a year. For those wishing to pigeonhole the label’s most bandied about for the Phantom Of The Black Hills are ‘hellbilly’, ‘frontier-core’ or ‘doom country’ and all capture them pretty fairly squarely and imaginatively. Taking elements of Country, Folk, Punk, Psychobilly, Bluegrass and dark western music, while mixing traditional instruments like mandolin, banjo and fiddle but combining them with fiercely dark and angry polemic, crunching guitars, snarling distorted vocals, intense sound effects and cleverly used movie dialog this is one ‘country’ band you won’t see at the Grand Ole Opry! Shrouded in secrecy hiding themselves away from the glare of publicity the bandana’s they wear in their videos and photos are very careful not to give away any clue as to their identities so it’s kind of hard to tell you anymore about the band themselves! That Witch is their sixth album, the last being Scalped in 2017. That album was to first to feature guest vocals from the lovely Mather Louth on ‘Wild Witch Of The West’ (be sure to check out the brilliant video). She also doubles up as the lead singer of excellent fellow ‘Gothic Americana’ band Heathen Apostles and she guest vocals on pretty much the whole of That Witch giving the album that little extra special range.
That Witch begins in superb form with ‘Rising Son’ and The Phantom snarling his way through a song that takes the point of view of Native American’s and their resistance to the early settlers who sought to steal their land and force them onto special reservations.
“This ain’t Oklahoma
And I was here long before ya
Mistress Darkness has come
And when the night is done
I’m the rising son”
”The song is a slow burner. A dark foreboding of what is to come building to a climax in the lyrics rather than the tune. Excellent fiddle throughout from El Gato is matched by Popeye on guitar, banjo and bass and Deacon on drums.
‘That Witch’ sees The Phantom and Mather dueling it out on vocals and it’s another dark slower song and I think it’s fair to say that while their albums have progressively darker the sound has mellowed somewhat though the heaviness of the music does mitigate that. You often think you’re listening to a much faster song than you actually are. We get a fast one next with the album’s lead single ‘Buck Knife’ and the tragic tale of a veteran of the Civil War suffering from PTSD. On returning to his home town he is shunned and the story climaxes in a orgy of deadly violence before ending with the kind of twist to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
Heathen Apostles are one hell of a band in their own right and it is absolute genius to team her up with the Phantom Of the Black Hills. The perfect foil to The Phantom’s vocals her beautiful voice on ‘Lady Judas’ belies the story while we do see a lot less of the electric guitar like on next track ‘Moon Killer’ with vocals now dominating but it works a treat and the distorted vocals are still clear enough to understand every word and the various tales of violence, drunkenness, debauchery and revenge.
“Time to take a vow and consecrate
Using skin and motion as my bait
The cauldron is a-bubblin’
Got to go and show him sin
Lucifer just don’t want to wait…”
‘Hunger’ is co-written by Mather Louth and the band and she leads here her voice soaring above the bands train-like rumble and that majestic fiddle. The Phantom takes the rein back for ‘Road To Bleeding’. This is the kind of song that previously they would have slung hard and heavy electric guitar all over but now they treat more gently. ‘Sin & Sanctify’ is as close (still not that close really) as they come to a traditional Country song while the album continues to its violent conclusion with two of the album’s best songs ‘Wicked Storm’ and the storming ‘Attack’.
That Witch was released July 2nd on Ratchet Blade Records. The Los Angeles based label home to the Heathen Apostles, Doghouse Lords, the Mau Maus, Charley Horse, Berlin Brats and many more. Ratchet Blade Records describes itself, correctly, as “the best in dark roots music”. Once again it features the amazingly talented former The Cramps bassist, and current Heathen Apostles one, Chopper Franklin on production duties. To be honest I’m kinda upset this ain’t a Celtic-Punk album as it would definitely be up there in our end of year Best Of awards. Looks like I’m going to have to make up a special new category just for them!
The Phantom Of The Black Hills have come a long way since Ghosts and while their sound may not be quite as raucous as then they still are as powerful and heavy and perform even more dark western music than ever before. The teaming up with the beautiful Mather Louth adds a whole new dimension to the sound. It’s a dark world out there and the imagery The Phantom Of The Black Hills conjure up in the mind may not be a pleasant one but it’s an imaginative one filled with the ghosts of the wronged, deserted mines and villages, dust and dirt and the people who lived there and also the best music the ‘old’ west can produce.”
Hellbilly Lyric Videos “Rising Son” & “Buck Knife”
Ratchet Blade Records
has released two hellbilly lyric videos from the new Phantom of the Black Hills album That Witch. Here are the videos for Rising Son and Buck Knife, along with some brief descriptions:
The Massacre at Wounded Knee was initially referred to as the “Battle of Wounded Knee”. A metal plate was added to the signage at the site to correct this, and remains to this day.
By the time the massacre was over, more than 250 men, women and children of the Lakota had been killed and 51 were wounded (4 men and 47 women and children, some of whom died later); some estimates placed the number of dead as high as 300.
Twenty US soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their participation in the slaughter. By contrast, only three Medals of Honor were awarded among the 64,000 South Dakotans who fought for four years of World War II:
The lyric video for the song Buck Knife tells the tale of a Civil War veteran suffering from PTSD and the reception he receives when he returns home:
Pre Sale For Dark Country Album “That Witch”
The pre sale has launched for the sixth Phantom of the Black Hills dark country album “That Witch”, out July 2nd on Ratchet Blade Records. It features the Heathen Apostles’ Mather Louth on vocals and Chopper Franklin once again pulling production duties. The digital pre sale is the album for the reduced price of $5, and the CD pre sale includes the digipak CD (as well as the digital download), 2 POTBH buttons and a POTBH Shotgun sticker, all for $10. You will also receive early shipping of your order before the release date, as well as an immediate download of the title track.
Check it out HERE.
That Witch
1. Rising Son
2. That Witch
3. Buck Knife
4. Lady Judas
5. Moon Killer
6. Hunger
7. Road To Bleeding
8. Sin & Sanctity
9. Wicked Storm
10. Attack
Phantom of the Black Hills Releasing “That Witch” – Heavy Western Music
Your favorite doom country band the Phantom of the Black Hills are releasing some new Heavy Western music, and their labelmates Heathen Apostles are all over it. Their lead vocalist Mather Louth is singing on several of the songs, and bandmate Chopper Franklin produced and mixed it. Here’s the press blurb from RBR:
Ratchet Blade Records is proud to announce the July 2nd release of “That Witch”, the highly-anticipated seventh release from the notorious hellbilly/doom country band the Phantom of the Black Hills. True Heavy Western music, “That Witch” is the follow up to Ghosts (2009), Born To Gun (2010), ENEMY! (2012) and Black Hearted Killer EP (2013), Moonshine Bright (2014) & Scalped (2017) and was produced and mixed by Chopper Franklin.
The band is joined on the album by Mather Louth, lead vocalist for the Gothic Americana band the Heathen Apostles, of which Franklin is also a member.
Check back for the launch of the That Witch Pre Sale in June.
Track Listing:
1. RISING SON
2. THAT WITCH
3. BUCK KNIFE
4. LADY JUDAS
5. MOON KILLER
6. HUNGER
7. ROAD TO BLEEDING
8. SIN & SANCTITY
9. WICKED STORM
10. ATTACK
POTBH and Mather Louth Collab Once Again
Mather Louth
The Phantom of the Black Hills are back in the studio to record a new album, and once again they will be collaborating with Mather Louth, the lead singer for the Gothic Americana band the Heathen Apostles. They previously worked together on Wild Witch of the West (you can check out the wild music video for the song HERE), the lead single from their last album, 2017’s Scalped. This time Ms. Mather Louth will have a bigger role in the project, singing and writing on several songs on the new album. The album is roughly scheduled for a Spring 2020 release on Ratchet Blade Records, and it will once again be produced by Chopper Franklin (Heathen Apostles, The Cramps, Mau Maus).
WILD WITCH OF THE WEST
(lyrics by Phantom of the Black Hills and Mather Louth)
Drag me to hell, and howl it up all night
A haunted heart, got the feeling right
Trigger finger warm, her blood runnin’ cold
A sunken sun, time to bring the show
Your death is her fascination
Sent to hell to stay; well, hell, she’ll show the way
She’s serving up some damnation
Badder than the rest, the Wild Witch of the West
Spells in the wind, crows fill up the sky
She’s so gone, can’t be rectified
Drums beatin’ dark, corpses in the street
Her eyes wild, guns spittin’ heat
She’s bringin’ your devastation
Yeah, she’ll mark your grave, and send you on your way
Your grief is her incantation
Bringin’ all the best, the Wild Witch of the West
Hex taking aim,
It’s you I’ve come to claim
One last bone to pick
that bears your name
I’m crossing over the threshold
Sweeping off the ashes and the brimstone
You’d best not find yourself alone
Every story ends the same,
Another moth caught by the flame
Doom Country Music Rundown by London Celtic Punks
Here’s a great run down of the 5 Phantom of the Black Hills albums by London Celtic Punks. Their website states: “The London Celtic Punks are a group of people living in or with connections to London. We are dedicated to the promotion of Celtic-Punk music. That’s the traditional folk music of the Celtic nations (Ireland/Eire, Isle Of Man/Mannin, Scotland/Alba, Wales/Cymru, Cornwall/Kernow, Brittany/Breizh, Galicia/Galiza and Astures) mixed with rock’n’punk.” They really get doom country music, here’s the introduction they wrote for the piece, you can check out the full article HERE.
Phantom of the Black Hills are one of the most innovative bands you will ever hear that has a banjo! This isn’t the Country music of Nashville or the Grand Ole Opry instead its angry polemic over bluegrass banjo, mandolin and upright bass mashed together with raucous punk guitar, blistering drums and dirty, snarling distorted vocals with extreme sound effects and movie dialogue samples. They are one of my favourite bands so I thought I’d attempt to convert a few of you lot too.
The Black Hills are a mountain range in South Dakota famous for the Mount Rushmore memorial of the four presidential heads of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln carved into the granite. It’s also an area where large populations of Scots and Scots-Irish settled which may explain the areas fondness for moonshine. Production of illegal alcohol that is still widespread today. Another possible by-product of the Celtic on the local population is widespread mistrust of all government. Many see themselves as outlaws and in the Black Hills you are unlikely to find a Vegan coffee shop or demand for stricter gun control laws. Phantom Of The Black Hills are a band that shy away from publicity. From the bandana’s that hide their faces in their videos and photos to their Web-Site and Facebook page that are very careful not to give away any clue as to their identities.
Scalped – Peek-a-Boo Magazine ‘Aggro Americana’ Review
Their faces are shrouded in a sort of bandana with eyeholes, like a bad outlaw of an imaginary Western encapsulated into an a temporal dimension of aggro Americana.
Phantom of the Black Hills hail from South Dakota and have reached their fifth album showing an eversive attitude that reminiscent of The Clash. A track like “Raised On Fire”, for example, resembles a gift pack with “London Calling” inside.
A raspy, distorted voice is the backbone of each song conducting the traditional instruments (fiddle, banjo, and mandolin) to crash against a wall of guitars and drums, adding a roughness to the fiery climate.
“Wild Witch of the West” is a delicious ballad with special guest vocalist Mather Louth, member of Radio Noir and Heathen Apostles.
The highlights begin with “Dr. Dealer” that advances solemn, justifying the term ‘doom country’ often associated with the group. Harsh guitar and metronomic drums ensure thickness and atmosphere.
“Torchy” seems The Gun Club sharing an insane gig with the Country Gazette while the sinister bells of “Blow It Up” look back to Black Sabbath’s first album, tracing the coordinates of a ride on a heavy-punk carousel. “Chiva”, and “Jeckill and Hide” are two fine silverware pieces, dramatic, pressing and goth-tinged. The imagery of the band is purely Gothic Western, a dusty mosaic, made of abandoned mines and wandering ghosts, faded pictures of bandits and hanged men joined with a powerful anti-establishment soul.
One more time, Chopper Franklin (The Cramps, Heathen Apostles) is the man in the control room. As ever, he has a very specific and recognizable hand, amalgamating all the components of the dark roots universe (an ideal arc from hellbilly to deathrock) in one shot.
Somewhere, out there, a memory of the ’80s cowpunk spirit has survived thanks to Phantom of the Black Hills and similar groups. However, this time equipped with flamethrower and vitriol.
You can check out Scalped HERE.
Sergio MANGHINA
POTBH on New Gothic Western Site
Phantom of the Black Hills have been featured on the new Gothic Western site GothicWestern.com, a new collective dedicated to all Gothic Western and Southern Gothic. Check out the write up, then peruse all the features, they have articles on music, movies & TV, fashion, art and lifestyle, all relating to everything Gothic Western. To visit the site and see the article click HERE.
“The mixture of goth and Western music has brooding and dark motifs interwoven into cowboy culture while incorporating themes of death, occult and superstition. Crossover elements are seen in gothic country, but are unique to experiences of the American frontier, including Northern Mexico. The music encompasses storytelling and the cultural diversity of instrumentation associated with the American frontier. The spaghetti western sound of Ennio Morricone is influential to the genre. Pioneers of the genre include Johnny Cash, Jim Morrison, and groups like Fields of Nephilim and Heathen Apostles. In recent years, the music of Colter Wall has helped revive this evolving music genre.
The post-war consciousness between 1940 and 1950 left consumers wanting less monster-related horror in favor of dark storytelling connected with reality. I.e., the monster, subject to relativism, survives in the shadows of the idealized American Dream. Westerns were at their peak of popularity, but with the increase of technology, modernization and social changes, not without artistic commentary. An amalgamation of the two genres befitting this reflection was imminent.
In 1971, Johnny Cash introduced the ‘Man in Black’, stating:
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town, I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, but is there because he’s a victim of the times.”
Larry Vincent, a horror host named Sinister Seymour, established Knott’s Halloween Haunt in 1973, one of the first Halloween related events on a large scale, blending gothic and Western aesthetics at Calico ghost town, and providing a first venue for the growing subculture.
THE Hellbilly Band Deals – Phantom of the Black Hills on eBay
Ratchet Blade Records has put up some great deals for their favorite hellbilly band Phantom of the Black Hills, some of these bundles include the new album Scalped and the new band T Shirt design, as well as previous releases and the classic Phantom “Sword” T shirt design (both in Men’s and Girly T). There are also buttons, stickers, download cards and more! And if you have one of the items you can give it away as a gift and keep the other items for yourself. Click HERE to check them out.
POTBH Doom Country Album Reviewed in “Ox Zine” (Germany)
Ox Zine, the #1 rock music magazine in Germany, has reviewed the Phantom of the Black Hill’s new doom country album Scalped in their latest issue (you can preview and order Scalped HERE). Here is a translation from German:
Ashes on my head: In Ox # 118 I called the last album of the PHANTOM OF THE BLACK HILLS their fifth. Now I learn that the current work “Scalped” is number five in the discography, also in the band are five masked Hellbilly bastards from South Dakota. Sitting in the producer’s chair once again is the former THE CRAMPS bassist Chopper Franklin, and the absolutely insane mix of doom country, rock, industrial music and spoken-word passages is still kinda trashy (to the insane bad Billo cover, which refreshingly tops the unsightly layouts of almost all HAYSEED DIXIE albums). It’s innovative alright and not homogeneous: a classic Bluegrass song like the opener “Wild Witch of the West” and then one with extremely distorted vocals on “One for the Gut”, (which strangely enough reminds me of TURBONEGRO’S “Ass Cobra”), are worlds apart. Definitely a plate that you can sort on the shelf under “Special Interest”. – Christian Krüger
“Scalped” Review in Uber Rock (UK) – ‘The Hellbilly Genre’
As a sub-genre, the hellbilly genre seems to lie somewhere between bluegrass, country, NOLA-style doom and traditional rock ‘n’ roll. Most popularly brought to global attention by artists such as Hank Williams III, it is a musical style which can, at first, be difficult to understand and then digest. Take, for example, the reaction of her good self when she walked into the UR studio and first heard this particular opus blasting from our tower block sized speaker system: “what the fuck is that shit?” she demanded to know as I turned the mixer up another notch…
“That shit”, as herself so eloquently put it, is the fifth album from POTBH, a band who don’t believe in giving much away, from the bandanas across their faces in all their publicity photos to the paucity of information on both the press release which accompanied the CD and on their Facebook page: it doesn’t even say where they’re from – although the reference to “Black Hills” in their name should be a huge pointer… but, you never know and should never take anything for granted. For all we know, they are either a bunch of hicks from Nowhereville in North Dakota, or a bunch of rich college grads from Hollywood playing at being the former – although, I must admit, I sincerely doubt it!
Whatever the case, POTBH have produced an album that veers from out and country to the lunatic fringe industrialism of Ministry: this is probably understandable, as the only piece of information the band proffer about themselves is that their music would be the result of “Glenn Danzig and Al Jourgensen stayed up all night listening to old Porter Wagoner and Hank Sr. records and drinking homemade corn liquor”. Maybe a bit OTT – but, hey, what band doesn’t overhype themselves – but you get the picture…
My problem with ‘Scalped’ is that there are two songs which absolutely kick ass heavier than a size 11 New Rock to your tailbone. The first is opener ‘Wild Witch Of The West’, which pumps and thumps like a moonshine-fuelled culchie; driven by a snarly snare and characterized by a punked-up banjo, and featuring a lascivious guest vocal from Mather Louth, it sets a mood that almost immediately dissipates. Yes, ‘Raised On Fire’ is a suitable slice of fiddle-fuelled arson, ‘Dr Dealer’ is a leather-clad metallic monster, and ‘Torchy’ is cute in its amalgamation of metal and country grooves – but the album then, from the loud but unfulfilling abrasiveness of ‘Blow It Up’ onwards, slowly peters out until the bonus track of ‘The Reckoning’ drags it kicking and screaming back to life, with its Nick Cave-like Gothicism, hard-ass thrashy guitar riff, snarly snare-led percussive drive and spoken vocal.
Phantom Of The Black Hills – ‘Scalped’ (Ratchet Blade Records/Cockroach Media) By Mark Ashby Read the full review HERE.
“Wild Witch of the West” Video is Live
The new Phantom of the Black Hills video for Wild Witch of the West is live, it is the first music video from the new Phantom of the Black Hills album Scalped, out 8/25/17 on Ratchet Blade Records. It was directed by Chopper Franklin and features Mather Louth from the Heathen Apostles. Wild Witch of the West is an unofficial sequel to the Heathen Apostles video for Fist City, and contains footage from that video shot by Harmony Gerber.
Check out the Pre Sale for Scalped by clicking HERE.
New POTBH Gothic Outlaws T Shirt Design
The Phantom of the Black Hills has released a new T Shirt design, it features an image of the notorious gothic outlaws playing from their upcoming Wild Witch of the West music video. Order now from the POTBH merch store and receive a free sticker and music download. Click HERE to check it out.
New “Scalped” Promo Trailer & Pre-Sale
Both the Scalped pre-sale and promo trailer have launched today, the trailer has snippets of some of the new songs and the pre-sale has two great deals, including a free album and early delivery of Scalped. You can check them out HERE.
Cover Art For Upcoming Album “Scalped” Is Released
The cover art for the upcoming Phantom of the Black Hills album Scalped has been released, it is the fifth album for the band and is produced by Chopper Franklin for Ratchet Blade Records. Scalped will be released on August 25th and will be proceeded by the release of the Wild Witch of the West single and music video on August 11th. Check back for more info on this incendiary album.
Shooting Wrapped on “Wild Witch of the West” Video
Shooting has wrapped on the shooting of the new Phantom of the Black Hills Wild Witch of the West video, the first single off of the new album Scalped, out August 25th, 2017 on Ratchet Blade Records. The video was directed by Chopper Franklin and features Mather Louth of the Heathen Apostles (who also contributed vocals to the song), check back for the release date.
Mather Louth and Phantom of the Black Hills Collaboration
The Heathen Apostles’ Mather Louth is singing on the new Phantom of the Black Hills album Scalped, released online on Friday August 25th, 2017 on Ratchet Blade Records. She sings on Wild Witch of the West, the first single from the record and will also appear in the music video. The brick and mortar release date is Friday the 13th of October. Chopper Franklin is producing, check back for more details.
New POTBH Album Out In Summer 2017
A new Phantom of the Black Hills album will be released this summer on Ratchet Blade Records. The album, which is as-yet untitled, will be the band’s fifth and first since 2014’s Moonshine Bright. Check back for more info.
“Moonshine Bright” Reviewed On No Depression
Review of Moonshine Bright on No Depression, read it online HERE:
“Phantom of the Black Hills, one of the outlaw music scene’s favorite bands of renegade pickers, strummers, pluckers and bangers, is back with a new album on Ratchet Blade Records, Moonshine Bright. Continuing to terrorize the musical wagon trail of the current roots revival with their sound of doom country, frontier-core, and hellbilly punk, Phantom of the Black Hills’ most recent collection of songs is as powerful and violent as the fiery blast of an old blunderbuss, with each deadly projectile hitting a different mark.
Throughout Moonshine Bright, Phantom of the Black Hills lays down some mean distorted chords, plenty of pickin’ and strummin’, hillbilly fiddin’, strong drums, and gritty outlaw vocals. The opening song, which is also the title track, is as dirty and intoxicating and homegrown as the contents of the musical barrel in which it was distilled. “Hellbetties Risin’,” the first single from Moonshine Brightand a raw cowpunk offering with male and female vocals, is as sharp as the edge of a boot knife. “In Hell” is a lawbreaker anthem which rides like hell for the horizon, loot in hand, putting some distance between oneself and the hangman’s noose, yet knowing full well that, when the time comes, hell will be one’s ultimate destination. “The Storm is my Shelter” is about as close to traditional country music as this band gets, but it is still pretty far removed from the purist idea of the genre, which is decidedly a good thing. The closer, “A Life for an Eye,” is a little different from the rest of the album in that it is garagey roots rock and dark country punk hybrid.
Moonshine Bright by Phantom of the Black Hills is available from the Ratchet Blade Records webstore here.”
BY JAMES G. CARLSON
Phantom Remix On New Heathen Apostles Album
The Phantom of the Black Hills has done a remix of the Heathen Apostles song The Reckoning for their new album Requiem For A Remix, out now on Ratchet Blade Records. The album also includes remixes by Chopper Franklin and Almighty Watching, click HERE to preview and purchase. Below is a sampler video for the album, the POTBH remix begins at 4:20 (yes that’s right).
POTBH Featured In New Heathen Apostles Video
The Phantom of the Black Hills have cameos in the new Heathen Apostles video for their version of Loretta Lynn’s Fist City. The two bands are both on Ratchet Blade Records and Fist City is the latest video from the Heathen Apostles new album Fire to the Fuse. Click HERE to preview the album.
If you cannot watch Youtube videos in your area click HERE to watch on Vimeo.
POTBH Video Cameo For Heathen Apostles
The Phantom of the Black Hills have made a cameo in the upcoming Heathen Apostles video, their version of Loretta Lynn’s Fist City. The Phantom does meet a violent end, but don’t worry, he lives to fight again! The video debuts on Monday October 26th, check back for more details and links.
