Graveyard Shifters – Head Turns First, Eyes Follow… EP

Finnish punk ‘n roll outfit Graveyard Shifters are set to emerge from their pandemic bunker with their new self released EP, Head Turns First, Eyes Follow…, on August 5th, a release that follows on from the band’s 2019 EP, Welcome To Sherwood. Graveyard Shifters are not another just horror themed band following in the trail of The Misfits, although this release will probably appeal to fans of their late 90’s incarnation. The Finnish quintet deliver a mix of punk, metal and rock ’n fucking roll that sits firmly in the red for the entirety of the Head Turns First, Eyes Follow… EP.

The opening track, Fake It Till You Make It, initially has a kinda doom squall before it kick starts into life with a vibe that is reminiscent of the hyperactive lovechild of Wednesday 13 and Zodiac Mindwarp, that might be the end of the story but there are random elements thrown in, gravelly vocals from the dark side of extreme metal and rock ’n roll piano make unexpected appearances in the full tilt racket before the song closes in an extended and dramatic breakdown. The EP’s title track and Whirlpool both keep the intensity at maximum, before Head Turns First, Eyes Follow… draws to a close in epic fashion with the wonderfully titled Calm Down Before The Storm, arguably the most metallic, and dramatic, instalment of the EP.

This is a soundtrack of full tilt punk ’n roll, albeit one that sits firmly on the rock and metal side of the fence, so if your tastes straddle the occasionally colliding worlds of the heavier end of punk rock and the lighter end of extreme metal then Graveyard Shifters should be right up your alley. Whilst this is an EP that delivers a relentless and overdriven quarter of an hour, I found myself wondering whether this is too metal for the punks and not extreme enough for the metal fans as Graveyard Shifters lurk on the fringes of both worlds. Having said that there is a raw, virulent and hedonistic feel to the Head Turns First, Eyes Follow.. EP that does make you want to experience the fist pumping full metal racket live.

Head Turns First, Eyes Follow… will be available via digital platforms including Bandcamp on the 5th August