Creature Feature
Creature Feature: Formed straight after a Halloween party, Curtis RX and Erik X produce music that is a combination of rock, Goth and horror movies. Sound interesting? Enter… if you dare.
Creature Feature is made of Curtis RX, the singer and guitar player, and Erik X, who does the keyboard. Creature Feature’s songs are all basically stories set to music and have many disturbing, gruesome and, to people like myself, morbidly funny themes running through them. Examples themes include Edgar Allan Poe, cannibalism, kidnapping and Edward Gorey. Their album is called the The Greatest Show Unearthed.
The album begins with the title song, a story about a show where your heart’s wishes come true – but with a high price. There are about 10 voices symbolising different characters in the show, which I think is really interesting, and I also like the way the song flows and fits together.
Next up is Buried Alive, a song that is clearly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe. The creepy intro is arguably the best part, with a strong heartbeat (probably a reference to the Tell Tale Heart) which soon fades into amazing guitar which in turn segues into the song proper.
Then there’s Aim for the Head, a story of a zombie apocalypse. I think that the lyrics work brilliantly with the theme and I also like the various sound effects in this one. However, even though thematically you can’t get bigger or better than a zombie apocalypse, this isn’t one of the strongest tracks on the album.
Number four is Six Foot Deep, which may as well be called The Tale of a Gravedigger. The track uses an excellent mix of guitar, vocals and synthesiser that makes this one of my favourite songs.
Number 5 is A Gorey Demise. A song that goes through the alphabet, singing of 26 people’s gory demises. These range from being drowned, to buried alive, to rotting in jail, to going insane. This is my absolute favourite song, for its rhythm and inventive ways of dying.
Sixth is Look to the Skies. I have no idea what exactly inspired this, but I think the idea is that something has fallen from the skies and is going to take over our minds. Despite not understanding the story, I like Erik’s synth work creating the mysterious atmosphere.
Next is How to Serve Man, a song that is centred on cannibalism, without specifically mentioning it by name. The slower beat and repeated lyrics make a song that is creepy and fascinating, and reminds you why the band was created: to make Halloween 24/7, 365 days a year.
Track 8 is “Bound and Gagged”, the tale of a kidnapping most foul. I think Curtis worked hard on the vocals on this one, explaining that – unless everything goes according to plan – “you’ll have to check the mail for your daughter’s head”. Then there’s the part where he’s emphasising that “you can run, but you can’t hide…”
With The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth, a song where a nest of radioactive insects are planning to take over the world, I love the lyrics and the themes behind it. However, Curtis’ vocals aren’t at their strongest on this one.
A Corpse in My Bed is disappointing. Although I do like the faster beat, I don’t like the way the lyrics fit to the backing and I don’t like the theme of necrophilia in general. That’s just me! Out of all their songs, I think this one is their worst, and also the most disturbing. Sorry, folks – there’s nothing like a little subjective opinion now and then 🙂
Finally there’s Such Horrible Things. The steady background beat and guitar make this story of a boy who has done many horrible things throughout his life, and does not seem to care, end the album on a morbid high note.
Even though their songs seem to go gruesomely wrong at times, the Greatest Show Unearthed is, overall, a brilliant debut album for Creature Feature. The songs that range from morbidly funny to downright disturbing make a brilliant Halloween soundtrack, or just an interesting mix to your everyday music library. If you’re a fan of horror movies, Halloween, or trying something odd, give Creature Feature a listen. You just might dig them like a grave.
