Koffin Kats – Forever For Hire

Since their inception six years ago, The Koffin Kats have become one of the most active psychobilly bands in the scene.  The Michigan trio has managed to release close to an album a year amidst a relentless touring schedule, making their enthusiasm and dedication comparable to the early years of pioneer acts like The Meteors.

Forever For Hire, the band’s fifth formal recording, marks the Kats’ departure from long time label Hairball8, and finds them joining the Stomp Records family.  After even a quick listen it’s clear that signing to Stomp was the right choice.  For one, the label offers the group the opportunity for polishing their sound – after all, this marks the first Koffin Kats album with a crack team of producers and mixers on board.  Coupled with the fact that Stomp provides their artists with creative freedom, the Kats have access to the aforementioned technical opportunities without sacrificing their gritty execution.  The result is a tighter and more focused work, one of the outright best psychobilly releases of the year, and certainly the Kats’ best work to date.

Forever For Hire is very much a natural progression for the band.  2008’s Drunk In The Daylight found the band experimenting with a harder, less confined feel; Forever For Hire further develops these changes.  Of course the band’s horror and psychobilly roots remain at their core, but their new sound feels “bigger,” having been “filled out” with sharper guitars and stronger choruses boasting punk inspired “woahs” and meaty gang vocals.  Tracks like “Forever For Hire” even find the band entering anthemic territory.  Mixing gang vocals with lead vocalist Vic Victor’s Nim Vind-like croon works wonders, giving such tracks a near sing along quality.  Others like “Graveyard Tree Zero” showcase a quickening, punk-like pace, while for others, like “Domination Final,” Vic slowly plucks at his upright bass for a more traditional psychbilly sound.

Lyrically the Kats branch out from their typical blend of horror and humour, tackling some fairly heavy subjects.  While on the surface track names like “Saw My Friend Explode Today” might seem comical (in a morbid kind of way), it soon becomes apparent that the band is tackling a different kind of horror: war.  Now for whatever reason, psychobilly is typically a politically neutral genre, but with the Kats’ quick wit, following such a rule feels like quite the waste.  For example, the band describes war as “sound[ing] like popcorn/smell[ing] like death,” creating a thought provoking juxtaposition of imagery.

In their most serious track, “Heading Off To Battle,” the band demonstrates a keen understanding of how to reinforce their message with instrumentation.  The track starts with drummer E. “Ballman” Walls opening with a marching beat that perfectly communicates the fearful yet stone-faced march of a soldier heading off to battle.  The tempo remains at an eerily calculated mid-range pace, echoing the inevitable and unavoidably tragic outcome hinted at when Vic chants “A fight I never picked.  Ideals I don’t share.  But choices I won’t get.”  When the track eventually reveals that the soldier indeed “won’t be coming home,” that sense of helplessness compounds, forcing the listener to confront war’s flawed logic.  Convention be damned, these tracks contain powerful messages enhanced by their horror and psychobilly backdrop.  Other bands ought to take note.

With the Kats label change providing greater distribution opportunities, Forever For Hire has the potential to be the underground’s favourite breakout hit.  A slick production value, dedication to their roots, and a keen sense of social awareness make The Koffin Kats a gem in the genre.  An absolute no brainer for old fans, as well as newcomers who like a little punk with their billy.