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Blitzkid is an American
horror punk Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered by ...
band from
Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield WV- VA micropolitan area, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020. Geography Bluefie ...
. One of the leading exponents of the horror punk scene, the band is led by singer/guitarist TB Monstrosity and singer/bassist
Argyle Goolsby Argyle Goolsby (born Steve Matthews in 1979) is an American musician, best known for being the lead vocalist, bassist and co-founder of horror punk band Blitzkid (1997–2012). When Blitzkid disbanded in 2012, Goolsby pursued a career as a solo ...
. Active from 1997 until 2012 and reforming in 2020, Blitzkid released five studio albums, appeared on numerous compilations, and toured both nationally and internationally.


History

Goolsby, who credits his late mother for giving him the "dedication" to be successful in music, and Monstrosity, who admits to having had the ambition to make Blitzkid a "huge" band, began playing as Blitzkid in early 1997. Initially the duo were motivated by escaping boredom and creating a soundtrack for skating, but over time developed an interest in expressing thoughts about "universal understanding of the world and yourself and your place in it" by embedding metaphors within the dark imagery of their lyrics. Artist, children's author, and film maker
Gris Grimly Steven Soenksen (born 1975), better known under his pen name Gris Grimly, is an American illustrator and author who mostly writes darkly whimsical children's books. Originally from Nebraska, he spent many years living and working in the Los Ange ...
approached Blitzkid to compose the title track to his 2006 film ''Cannibal Flesh Riot''. The band did this, and also received Grimly artwork to use for a Blitzkid T-shirt design. Blitzkid played 260 live dates in 2006. In August 2007, the band played the heavy metal-oriented
Summer Breeze Open Air Summer Breeze Open Air is an annual German heavy metal music festival. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. The festival draws around 40,00 ...
festival in Germany in front of 40,000 concert goers. Another notable live gig the band played that summer was supporting The Damned in Prague. The Damned are an important influence to the band and to horror punk generally, and are one of the original UK punk bands. Blitzkid were back in Germany one year later, this time taking the main stage at the gothic rock themed
M'era Luna Festival The M'era Luna is a rock festival that encompasses a number of different styles such as metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and ebm. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, Ge ...
, playing before an audience of between 20,000 and 25,000. In July 2010, during their tenth tour of Europe, Blitzkid were one of 34 bands to play the alternative rock
Amphi Festival The Amphi Festival is a music festival that has been taking place since 2005 featuring a wide-ranging program for a heterogeneous audience, albeit primarily fans of alternative, electronic music, and dark music. The number of visitors to the eve ...
in Cologne, for as many as 50,000 attendees. In 2011, Blitzkid were third on the bill of a North American tour with Face to Face,
Strung Out Strung Out is an American punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1989. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of melodic punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They ...
, and the Darlings. This tour helped raise the band's profile in the wider punk community. A reviewer for the ''
Dallas Observer ''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...
'' found the band's "speedy pop-punk with a tinge of metal and classic Misfits" to be "worthy" and "polished", while a reviewer of the Houston show opined that Blitzkid's fusion of "horror punk, '50s rock, and hardcore elements... kicked quite a bit of ass". On the other hand, the advance coverage of the event in
Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...
, while praising the two headliners, dismissed Blitzkid as "gothy-looking mall rockers". Following this tour Blitzkid again played Germany's
Summer Breeze Open Air Summer Breeze Open Air is an annual German heavy metal music festival. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. The festival draws around 40,00 ...
festival in August 2011. During Blitzkid's final European tour in 2012, which also included 14 dates in Germany, seven in the UK, three in the Czech Republic, and two in Slovakia, the band played in Russia for the first time, headlining a one-hour 45 minute show at Moscow's Relax Club. The UK dates included second billing (out of five bands) to
Alien Sex Fiend Alien Sex Fiend are an English gothic rock band, formed in London, England in 1982. The current lineup of the band consists of Nik Fiend and Mrs Fiend. Five of the group's albums and 12 of their singles reached top 20 positions in the UK indie ...
at the November 3 lineup of the
Whitby Goth Weekend Whitby Goth Weekend, abbreviated to WGW or nicknamed Whitby, is a twice-yearly music festival for the gothic subculture, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, organised by Jo Hampshire. Summary Whitby Goth Weekend is an alternative music fest ...
. Citing changing family commitments, Monstrosity announced his intention to leave Blitzkid in 2011, but remain in his side-band, Vagora, which had a less demanding tour schedule. Blitzkid officially broke up by the end of 2012, with Argyle Goolsby embarking on a solo career. As of July 2014, Goolsby and Monstrosity's current musical projects are the bands ''Argyle Goolsby and the Roving Midnight'' and ''A Gathering of None'' respectively. A documentary of Blitzkid's history titled ''Blitzkid: Return to the Living'', directed by Jeff Frumess of Video Business Media, is currently in post production. After having reunited for two nights to appear at the Jason Trioxin tribute shows in Teaneck NJ in June 2019, the band has announced a reunion tour in spring 2020 called the ''Escape the Grave'' tour.


Notable collaborations

Blitzkid has a connection with the original and, by many accounts, leading horror punk progenitors, the Misfits. In 2007, Goolsby played bass and performed vocal duties for
Gorgeous Frankenstein Gorgeous Frankenstein was an American horror punk/ heavy metal band formed in 2005 in New Jersey by Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and his former wife and ex-professional wrestler Stephanie Bellars ( Gorgeous George). History In 2005, Doyl ...
, a project headed by ex-Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. He played with Doyle's band while remaining in Blitzkid, making him one of horror punk's more visible figures. Doyle returned the favor by guesting on "Mr. Sardonicus" on Blitzkid's ''Apparitional'' album. Doyle is one of two ex-Misfits to have collaborated with Blitzkid;
Dr. Chud David Calabrese (born April 4, 1964), known professionally as Dr. Chud, is an American horror punk drummer best known for his work with the Misfits. Life and career Born in Lodi, New Jersey, Dr. Chud attended Lodi High School. His career beg ...
has played drums for Blitzkid at several gigs including the
M'era Luna Festival The M'era Luna is a rock festival that encompasses a number of different styles such as metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and ebm. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, Ge ...
. Chud's playing with Blitzkid can be heard on both the rare Hell Nights Tour 7" picture disk and on the ''Anatomy of Reanimation'' LP. In 2002, Goolsby also played bass for
The Undead The Undead is an American horror punk band formed in 1980 in New York City's East Village by Bobby Steele (vocals and guitar), Chris "Jack" Natz (bass) and Patrick Blanck (drums). They were one of the pioneers in the New York hardcore scene. ...
, the notable horror punk band featuring ex-Misfit
Bobby Steele Bobby Steele (born Robert Charles Kaufhold on March 18, 1956) is an American punk rock musician. He is the current guitar player, songwriter, and sole original member of the punk band The Undead. He has been a member of multiple other bands, m ...
.


Musical style

Blitzkid's melodic approach to the horror punk genre was noted for its strong vocals;
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
has described Monstrosity and Goolsby's singing as "immediately appealing". Not all critics were enamored with their music however; the reviewer for Apoch's Metal Review expressed an unfavorable view of some of the band's non-vocal instrumentation. A third reviewer, in a favorable appraisal, expressed the opinion that lyrical concerns aside, ''Apparitional''-era Blitzkid was not sonically dissimilar to such notable punk rock peers as
Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...
,
NOFX NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
, and
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
.


Impact

Writing about the band's then-forthcoming retirement, Zachary Ehren of the ''
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' remarked that "the legend of their music will continue to live on through their dedicated fanbase and the continuous terror they bring to mothers as their children listen to them across the globe." Another reviewer had a more modest assessment of the band's impact; while conceding Blitzkid had been "in the Horror Punk spotlight ... for quite some time", it was suggested that that particular spotlight does not shine particularly brightly due to the band's "underground tactics". Matt Pathetic, organizer of an annual horror punk festival in
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, reflecting on his perspective of having had the band pester him to be included in 2001, only to become a perennial headliner until their retirement: "Ten years ago a lot of people used to say Blitzkid sounds like the new Misfits. Well, being involved in this scene for a decade, I can say nowadays there's a lot of bands that sound like Blitzkid." But if others see Blitzkid as having left a significant mark, Argyle Goolsby, speaking after the band's last UK gig, is more humble: "I don't have these unreal expectations that we have to have been this ground-breaking blueprint band, I'm not looking for that. I'm just looking for someone to play our CD like ten years from now. When they have a good day. Or a bad day."


Band members

Timeline


Discography


Albums


Demos

*1997: ''Songs for the Aesthetically Challenged'' (re-release in 2010, only downloadable)


EPs

*1999: ''Terrifying Tales'' (re-released in 2012 on
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
Germany) *1999: ''Revisited'' *2003: ''Exhuming Graves and Making Dates'' (split 10" LP with Mister Monster) *2006: ''Everyday Is Halloween'' (split 7" LP with The Spook) *2007: ''Split Personalities'' (split 7" LP with
The Cryptkeeper Five The Cryptkeeper Five (sometimes referred to as CK5) are an American punk rock/rock and roll band formed in 1997 in Trenton, New Jersey. History Vocalist Johnny Ott, guitarist Jimmy Ray, and drummer D.T. Graves (on and off) have been in CK5 sinc ...
) *2008: ''Hell Night's Tour'' 7" picture disc (only 66 copies pressed; features Dr. Chud on drums) *2010: ''Fistfull of Balls Volume 1'' (split with Nim Vind) *2011: ''Head over Hills'' (7" LP)


Misc. releases

*2004: ''Hollow Bodies'' (acoustic live album) *2009: ''Studio Dead'' (live album, only downloadable) *2009: ''Revisited'' (new edition, only downloadable) *2009: ''Rarities'' (rarities album, only downloadable)


Compilations

*2003: ''This Is Horror Punk'' (song: "Lupen Tooth") *2006: ''Horror High presents: Prom Queen Massacre'' (song: "Pretty in a Casket") *2006: ''Fiendforce Cuts Vol 1'' (song: "Terror (in the haunted house)" and "Dementia") *2006: ''Ox-Compilation # 67'' (song: "Terror (in the haunted house)") *2006: ''Sonic Seducer – Cold Hands Seduction Vol 62'' (song: "Mary and the Storm") *2006: ''Zillo Scope Signs & Sounds New 2006/09'' (song: "Carve out a Heart") *2006: ''Cannibal Flesh Riot'' (song: "Cannibal Flesh Riot") *2007: ''It Came from Trafalgar Soundtrack Volume # 1'' (song: "Demon Machine") *2007: ''Paid in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash'' (song: "I Walk the Line") *2008: '' Get acquainted Vol 1'' (song: "I'm a Zombie," "Hate you better" and "Ad Nauseum Memorie (live)") *2010: ''The Sound of Horror – Volume 1'' (song: "Love Like Blood") *2011: ''Ox-Compilation # 95'' (song: "She won't stop bleeding") *2011: ''XtraX Clubtrax Vol 3'' (song: "Jane Doe # 9")


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blitzkid American punk rock groups Century Media Records artists EMI Records artists Horror punk groups Musical groups from West Virginia Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups disestablished in 2012