The Monsters

Masks - Master tape copy - 1989

(Plasma Records)

Per Bandcamp, a mere 66 copies of this cassette were manufactured. Preserved hereon is a surly Swedish amalgam of rockabilly-gone- lunatic and coarse garage punk. The resultant product is spartan psychobilly exultant in its antisocial bearing.

Masks was the still-active band's first full-length issuance, in 1989. They oozed gutter charm and, one suspects, didn't give a toss whether they ever reached general public ears. They knew what they had was peculiar; they'd intended as much.

Collectors are advised that at this writing, only five copies from that original 66 are yet available. The group's Bandcamp page asserts that each box is "unique, handmade, numbered, and signed by [group leader] Beat-Man."

Technical details are specified on the same page: "1/4 reel-to-reel tape pure analogue transfer from the original studio recordings that were made Aug. 1988. No digital effects, level adjustments, or post-processing. You get what is on the studio tape."

Relish it for what it is: a snapshot of obstreperous misfits off the streets of Bern, ones for whom only Rock'n'Roll offered outlet. 

Recommended: "Addams Family," "Teenage Werewolf," "Real Monster Theme," "Rosemary McCoy," "Snake Out," "I Love My Car," "Psycho's What You Need," "Wild Thing"

Video: "Snake Out"

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