We recently reviewed Prowler’s latest EP The New Blood, and boy was it ever a revelation to me. The band is more of a concept built around the genres of metal and horror, utilizing horror films as their lyrical inspiration. Surely this is the perfect band for HMS to champion and yes they are my current favorite band of late.
After You is Prowler’s foray into a full length effort with 9 tracks of horror obsession taken to the next level. All hands are on deck here; as we get blistering numbers of thrash fueled riffs and lyrics that pay homage to some classic horror films of the past. We open with “The Dead Rise Again” (referencing Night of the Living Dead) and it will get the first pumping right away. We follow with sturdy numbers for “Friday the 13th” and “Say Hello to the Nite” paying homage to Friday the 13th and The Lost Boys respectively.
For me though the crown jewel among this batch is “What’s Your Pleasure” utilizing a killer riff and sampling from some of Pinhead’s most iconic lines from the film Hellraiser. I am going on record to boldly say this is even a better version than the one Entombed wrote many years back. This song is that good as far as I am concerned. Other notable mentions go out to “Haddonfield” (paying homage to Halloween) and “Knives for Fingers” (A Nightmare on Elm Street). Of course the album gets capped off with “The Tall Man” an ode to one of my favorite horror flicks of all time Phantasm.
Prowler’s first full length is pure genius as far as I am concerned. The pedigree of horror films they drew upon for musical inspiration is strong and every track is smoking hot, coupled with riffs aplenty. I dig their core sound and firmly champion these guys as hall of fame entrants if HMS ever gets to that stage in our existence. In the meantime though, buy a copy of this record and let the music speak for itself, as it continues to reference some classic horror films that most of us fans grew up with.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
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