Like the bastard child of Marilyn Manson and Static X with some dope thrown in for good measure, Murder F.M. perfectly fuse metal and industrial together to create ….y’know what? Forget that. You want to get to the nitty gritty? Murder FM is industrial sleaze rock at its finest. Kind of like Matt Kramer or Jason Bieler (The progenitors of The Lizard, look ’em up!) fronting Videodrone if you’re looking for a comparison.
On their latest outing, Happily Never After, Murder F.M. go bigger, badder, and ultimately, better. Opening with “Legion”, Murder F.M. instantly capture new listeners with this perfect, anthemic burst that is not so much a song as it is a call to arms. “We The Evil” is up next and sees vocalist Norman Matthew channeling Brian Warner (Think Portrait Of An American Family era). And if one version of that song wasn’t enough then you’ll be happy to know that some guy named Tommy Lee contributed a bonus remix of “We The Evil” as well. So if that doesn’t solidly convince you to check out these rockin’ Texans then you might be at the wrong web address.
Still with us? Great!
Elsewhere on the album, cuts like “Machine Gun Kisses” is guaranteed to be a rabble rouser in the pit while “Lethal Lovers” is a modern version of an ’80’s ballad with huge chunky riffs, nostalgic guitar soloing and way better production values. Drummer Jason West really flexes his drum chops throughout as do guitarist Matt X3r0 and bassist J6, especially on the low end driven rifftastical groove of “Slaves”
But if you really want to be enticed to lie in bed with Murder F.M., then take a listen to their cover of “Burn” originally by The Cure. As a goth at heart, this song is sacred. Does it need an update/cover? Hells no! But if someone has to do it, and do it right, then Murder F.M. do an admirable job with The Crow soundtrack lead off.
Happily Never After is out on August 7th via Famous Records Global/Pavement. For more on Murder F.M. and to purchase the new record, head on over here and here.