The Nekromantix is a Danish-American
psychobilly
Psychobilly is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It's been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional countrified rock style known as rockabilly, ram ...
band founded in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in 1989. Their lyrics are generally structured around monster and
horror themes. A central icon of the band's image is founder and frontman
Kim Nekroman
Kim Nekroman is the bassist and lead singer for the psychobilly band Nekromantix and the lead guitarist of HorrorPops. He is from Denmark, and worked for the Danish Navy as a submarine radio operator for eight years before beginning his music ...
's "coffinbass", a custom-built
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
with a body in the shape of a
coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation.
Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewel ...
and a
headstock
A headstock or peghead is part of a guitar or similar stringed instruments such as a lute, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and others of the lute lineage. The main function of a headstock is to house the pegs or mechanism that holds the strings at the ...
the shape of a
cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
. Nekroman has been the sole constant member of the band. The current lineup consists of guitarist Francisco Mesa and drummer Rene "Delamuerte" Garcia, known as a guitarist and singer of the Canadian band "The Brains".
The Nekromantix released five albums on various European record labels during their first decade, then crossed over to American audiences in the early 2000s by signing to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
-based
Hellcat Records
Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid ...
, through which they have released three albums since 2002. Their eighth studio album, ''
What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell
''What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell'' is the eighth studio album by the psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released August 2, 2011 through Hellcat Records. It is the band's first album with guitarist Franc and drummer Lux; Franc replaced touring ...
'', was released in August 2011.
History
Formation
The Nekromantix were formed in 1989 in Copenhagen by Kim Nekroman after he left the Danish Navy, in which he had been a
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
radio operator for eight years.
Deciding to launch a new career in music, he initially played drums in a
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
band prior to the foundation of Nekromantix.
Learning to play the double bass and to sing, Nekroman set about forming a horror-themed psychobilly band with himself as the frontman. Initially consisting of Nekroman, guitarist Paolo Molinari and drummer Jens Brygman, the band took the name Nekromantix.
A centerpiece of the band's image was Nekroman's self-constructed "coffinbass", an upright bass in the shape of a
coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation.
Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewel ...
. The first of these was constructed using an actual child-sized coffin, but over the years he has constructed new models in order to achieve better
acoustics
Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
and collapsibility for easier transportation.
By the time of the band's first official recordings, Molinari and Brygman had been replaced respectively by Peter Sandorff and Sebastian Jensen, who used the pseudonym Peek.
After six months of practice and two local performances in Copenhagen at the Stengade 30 club, the Nekromantix appeared at large psychobilly festival in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany. Their performance earned them a recording contract with
Tombstone Records
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
for their first album ''
Hellbound''. The band began touring Europe and built a name for themselves in the European psychobilly movement, which at the time was largely dominated by British acts.
In 1991 the band released their second album ''
Curse of the Coffin
''Curse of the Coffin'' is the second album by the Danish psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released in 1991 by Nervous Records. A music video was filmed for the title track and received some play on the MTV program ''Alternative Nation''. The a ...
'' through
Nervous Records
Nervous Records is a UK rockabilly music independent record label. It was formed in 1979 by Roy Williams, a DJ on the UK rock'n'roll scene. Nervous Records is credited by many as the leading record label behind the emergence of the British neo ...
and supported it with a music video for the title track which received some play on the
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
program ''
Alternative Nation
''Alternative Nation'' was a television show in the U.S. dedicated to alternative music. It aired on MTV from 1992 to 1997, mostly on weeknights. It was hosted by Kennedy.
History
''Alternative Nation'' began airing in 1992. It was a somewha ...
''.
Lineup changes
In 1992 both Peek and Sandorff left the band. They were replaced by guitarist Jan Daggry and drummer Tim Kristensen, who used the stage names Ian Dawn ("Dawn" being an English translation of the Danish name Daggry) and Grim Tim Handsome. This lineup recorded the album ''
Brought Back to Life
''Brought Back to Life'' is the third album by the Danish psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released in 1992 by Intermusic Records. It was the band's first album to include drummer Tim Kristensen (credited as Grim Tim Handsome) and only album t ...
'', released in 1994, which earned a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nomination for "Best Heavy Metal Album".
Daggry then left the band and was replaced on tour first by Emil Oelund and then by Tormod Holm, until the band found new permanent guitarist Søren Munk Petersen.
The Nekroman/Petersen/Kristensen lineup recorded 1996's ''
Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend''. During this time the band toured most of Europe including Finland, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and France, and also toured Japan. They began to achieve cult status in the United States, where their albums were as yet only available as imports.
At a 1996 festival in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
, Germany, Nekroman met fellow Copenhagen native
Patricia Day
Patricia Day is a Danish musician best known as the lead singer and bass player of the rockabilly/psychobilly band HorrorPops.
Early life
Patricia Day was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Career Bands
Patricia Day began her musical career perform ...
, with whom he launched a new band called
HorrorPops
HorrorPops are a Danish punk band that formed in 1996. The band's sound is rooted in psychobilly, rockabilly, and punk rock.
History
1996–1999: Formation
Band founders Patricia Day and Kim Nekroman first met when Day's now-defunct band, ...
with himself on guitar and Day on double bass and lead vocals. The two would later marry, and their activity with HorrorPops put the Nekromantix on hold for several years, during which time Kristensen and Petersen both left the band.
International success
In 1997 Peter Sandorff returned to Nekromantix, bringing along his brother, Kristian, to play drums. In 1999 the band played a tenth-anniversary performance at Stengade 30 in Copenhagen, where they had performed their first shows after forming the band. This performance was recorded by Danish National Radio for a series of live shows and released the following year as the live album ''
Undead 'n' Live
''Undead 'n' Live'' is a live album by the Danish psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released in 2000 by E.S.P. Recordings. It marked the return of the band's original guitarist Peter Sandorff and the introduction of his brother Kristian as drum ...
''. In 2000 the Nekromantix played their first performances in the United States, beginning with the first annual New York City "Psychobilly Rumble" and continuing with a nine-date tour of the west coast.
In February 2001 Nekroman gave a demo of new songs to
Rancid singer/guitarist and
Hellcat Records
Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid ...
label owner
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. ...
, a longtime fan of the band. The Nekromantix soon signed to the Los Angeles-based Hellcat and released the 2002 album ''
Return of the Loving Dead
''Return of the Loving Dead'' is the fifth studio album by the Danish psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released in 2002 by Hellcat Records. It was the band's first release on the American record label and their first to be widely distributed in ...
''. Recorded in Denmark, it was the band's first album to be widely distributed in the U.S. and helped make them part of an emerging psychobilly movement on the west coast centered around the Hellcat label and spearheaded by bands such as
Tiger Army
Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1996 in Berkeley, California, and its only constant member is singer, guitarist, and lead songwriter Nick 13. The band has released six studi ...
. The album was supported with a music video for the song "Gargoyles Over Copenhagen" and the band toured the United States several times.
Move to the United States
![Nekromantix 2011-08-13 08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Nekromantix_2011-08-13_08.jpg)
Following the release of ''Return of the Loving Dead'' Nekroman relocated to Los Angeles, touring and recording two albums with the
HorrorPops
HorrorPops are a Danish punk band that formed in 1996. The band's sound is rooted in psychobilly, rockabilly, and punk rock.
History
1996–1999: Formation
Band founders Patricia Day and Kim Nekroman first met when Day's now-defunct band, ...
. The Sandorff brothers remained in Denmark, and recording of the Nekromantix' 2004 album ''
Dead Girls Don't Cry
''Dead Girls Don't Cry'' is the sixth studio album by the Danish psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released in 2004 by Hellcat Records. It was the group's last album with founding member Peter Sandorff, who had returned to the band several years ...
'' was done almost entirely in Los Angeles, with only Peter Sandorff's backing vocals recorded in Copenhagen. In April 2005 the Sandorffs left the band leaving only Nekroman in band.
To replace them Nekroman recruited guitarist Troy Russel (Tröy Deströy) and drummer James Mesa (Wasted James) of the California-based psychobilly band the Rezurex. That year the band's third album ''
Brought Back to Life
''Brought Back to Life'' is the third album by the Danish psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released in 1992 by Intermusic Records. It was the band's first album to include drummer Tim Kristensen (credited as Grim Tim Handsome) and only album t ...
'' was remastered and re-released by Hellcat under the title ''Brought Back to Life Again''.
Recent activity
In May 2006 Meza left the Nekromantix, later joining
Tiger Army
Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1996 in Berkeley, California, and its only constant member is singer, guitarist, and lead songwriter Nick 13. The band has released six studi ...
. He was replaced by Andrew Martinez (Andy DeMize) of The Rocketz. ''
Life Is a Grave & I Dig It!
''Life Is a Grave & I Dig It!'' is the seventh studio album by the psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released in 2007 by Hellcat Records. It is the group's only album to include guitarist Tröy Deströy and drummer Andy DeMize, replacing brother ...
'' was released in April 2007. In November 2007 the band announced Tröy Deströy's departure to focus on a solo career. Pete Belair of the Australian band Firebird was announced as the band's new guitarist and performed with them during their 2008 tours, living in Australia complicated things and Francisco Mesa, formerly of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
-based Nightbreed and Ultimo Asalto, joined as a permanent guitarist.
![Nekromantix Satanic Stomp 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Nekromantix_Satanic_Stomp_2008.jpg)
On 11 January 2009, Martinez was killed in an automobile collision.
The following month it was announced that Lux, formerly of Mystery Hangup and Sacred Storm, would be Martinez's replacement. The band's first female member, Lux stated that the Nekromantix would tour North America with
Reverend Horton Heat
The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ''Prick'' magazine reviewer called Heath ...
during the summer and record a new album later in the year.
The band's eighth studio album, ''
What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell
''What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell'' is the eighth studio album by the psychobilly band the Nekromantix, released August 2, 2011 through Hellcat Records. It is the band's first album with guitarist Franc and drummer Lux; Franc replaced touring ...
'', was released 2 August 2011.
The band will support the album with a tour of the United States from July to September 2011.
In April 2014, it was announced that Lux would depart from the band. It was later announced in June 2014 that Adam Guerrero, formerly of Rezurex, would replace Lux as the new Nekromantix drummer. In October 2017, Guerrero departed from the band and Lux returned to fill in for a few shows. In April 2018 it was announced that Rene "Delamuerte" Garcia, from The Brains and BAT! would be the new Nekromantix drummer.
Band members
Current members
*
Kim Nekroman
Kim Nekroman is the bassist and lead singer for the psychobilly band Nekromantix and the lead guitarist of HorrorPops. He is from Denmark, and worked for the Danish Navy as a submarine radio operator for eight years before beginning his music ...
– "
coffinbass",
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
(1989–present)
*Francisco Mesa –
guitars
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
(2008–present)
*Rene "Dlamuerte" Garcia –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
(2018–present)
Past members
*Paolo Molinari – guitars (1989)
*Jens Brygman – drums (1989)
*Peek (Sebastian Jensen) – drums (1989–1993)
*Peter Sandorff – guitars, backing vocals (1989–1993, 1997–2005)
*Ian Dawn (Jan Daggry) – guitars, backing vocals (1993–1994)
*Emil Oelund – guitars (1994–1995)
*Tormod Holm – guitars (1995)
*Søren Munk Petersen – guitars, backing vocals (1995–1996)
*Grim Tim Handsome (Tim Kristensen) – drums (1993–1996)
*Kristian Sandorff – drums (1997–2005)
*Wasted James (James Meza) – drums (2005–2006)
*Tröy Deströy – guitars, backing vocals (2005–2007)
*Pete Belair – guitars, backing vocals (2007–2008)
*
Andy DeMize
Andrew Martinez (March 11, 1983 – January 11, 2009), better known as Andy DeMize, was an American musician. Martinez was the drummer for the bands Nekromantix, Up Syndrome, and The Rocketz.
Biography
Martinez started playing drums at the ...
(Andrew Martinez) – drums (2006–2009)
*Lux – drums (2009–2014)
*Adam "Mighty Mouse" Guerrero – drums (2014–2017)
File:Kim Nekroman live.jpg, Kim Nekroman
File:Francisco Mesa of Nekromantix 2011-08-13 01.jpg, Francisco Mesa
Timeline
Discography
The discography of the Nekromantix consists of eight
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s, two
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, three
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
and three
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
s.
Studio albums
Live albums
Singles
Music videos
See also
*
List of psychobilly bands
This is a list of notable psychobilly bands and artists. Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, pun ...
References
External links
*
Nekromantixat
Hellcat Records
Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid ...
{{Authority control
Danish punk rock groups
Psychobilly groups
Hellcat Records artists
Danish musical trios
Musical groups established in 1989