Real Gone Mu

Between movies and TV shows like The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, and 28 Days (and Years) Later, the 2000s have been something of a golden age for zombie horror. But for our money, every bit as terrifying as those titles is The Devil Wears Prada’s 2010 EP Zombie. In 22 minutes, you’re an aural witness to succeeding stages of the zombie apocalypse, complete with neck-snapping riffs, frenzied vocals, intricate song structures and eerie found sound. If it ever happens, this is what it will sound like. Remastered for vinyl in its first American release to retail since its OG pressing, uncontrollably spreading across the country in radioactive test tube green wax with insert.

A 1964 horror rock classic from the king of the genre, Gary Paxton! Gary was the producer behind the all-time Halloween hit “Monster Mash,” and that song rears its revivified head here (in a little more R&B vein) along with such frightening fare as “Monster Surf Stomp,” “Werewolf Watusi,” and “That Little Old Graverobber Me.” And let’s not forget the classic single, “Riboflavin-Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood,” which was later covered by modern day horror rockers 45 Grave! Very, very collectible stuff that’s been buried in the Capitol vaults outside of a budget cassette release back in the ‘80s, featuring Las Vegas DJ Don Hinson doing excellent Bela Lugosi et al. impressions to producer Paxton’s driving beats. Orange and black pumpkin splatter pressing limited to 2000 copies!

Rusted Root: When I Woke (Rust & Blue) [2 Vinyl LP]

Big Head Todd and the Monsters: Sister Sweetl... [Vinyl LP]

There are zombies…and then there are brain-eating zombies! And Return of the Living Dead was the film where brain-eating zombies got their first lease on, er, life. Co-written by John Russo, who was George Romero’s writing partner on Night of the Living Dead, this 1985 quasi-sequel introduced more “splatstick” humor to the horror formula as well as the indelible image of ghouls groaning “Braainsss” as they shuffle along. All set to a KILLER score featuring the greatest punk and death rock bands of the era, including The Cramps, 45 Grave, The Flesh Eaters, The Damned, Roky Erickson, The Jet Black Berries, T.S.O.L. and SSQ. This 40th anniversary vinyl reissue of this classic soundtrack is just so Real Gone: limited edition sickly green with black “toxic waste” vinyl limited to 1000 rabid copies! Braainsss!

When Freddy Krueger of Nightmare on Elm Street and Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th butted heads (or lost their heads, heh heh) in the 2003 film Freddy Vs. Jason, the result wasn’t just the most financially successful film for either franchise; it was also the inspiration for possibly the greatest heavy metal soundtrack ever. Drawn from the astonishingly deep Roadrunner label roster, the line-up featured songs from Sepultura, Slipknot, Type O Negative, Sevendust, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, Chimaira…the list goes on. Not only that, but fourteen of the twenty tracks were previously unreleased! Nu metal, death metal, metalcore, industrial…whatever alloy of metal you favor, it’s here. Amazingly, this Top 25-charting release has never come out on LP before; our double-LP red smoke pressing comes inside a gatefold jacket and is limited to 1500 bloodcurdling copies. Happy Halloween!

The third time was the charm for Cold, as album #3 went to #3 on the charts. Vocalist Scooter Ward was always (and still is) the band’s biggest asset, so Year of the Spider’s move in a more melodic direction worked both artistically and commercially, even landing them a hit single (“Stupid Girl,” co-written with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo). But take a closer listen, and the emotional depth and vulnerability of Ward’s lyrics really do set Cold apart from its grunge and nu-metal contemporaries. And who doesn’t relate to a song called “Kill the Music Industry?!” Incredibly, this 2003 smash has never been out on LP…we’ve had it remastered for the format, and pressed it in red with white spider web swirl vinyl nestled inside a gatefold jacket. Way overdue release!