If you were to randomly walk into a concert venue while American Werewolves were performing you would be extremely fortunate. The four-piece punk outfit from Cleveland delivers a unique blend of Misfits-worship punk, but with an oh so sweet twist. That twist is their incorporation of early - I'm talking 1950's - rock-n-roll, B-movie keys, and hints of early hardcore.
1968 beings with "Untamed Youth," an upbeat punk anthem not unlike mid-career AFI charged with infectious sing-along choruses. Things keep moving with "American Werewolves," which features eerie organ notes and lots of "whooooooa"s throughout. "Nothing in the Dark" and "1968" both follow in similar fashion, the later of which contains hardcore-esqe sing-alongs.
American Werewolves change up the pace with "For Your Blood." The song opens with vocalist Trevor Moment crooning "If these tears could form a stairway / I would come back from this hell / And I would be right there to catch you / When the devils angels fell / Tears filled by eyes when I first realized that you would bleed" in his best Elvis voice before screaming "for me!" And while the remainder of the song is the essence of punk, that opening segment is what makes the song. Moment again pays homage to 50's pop/rock-n-roll on "I Spit on Your Grave."
The rest of the album is comprised of The Damned influenced punk-rock with a slightly updated sound. Standout tracks include "The Dead Alive (The Dead Have Eyes)," "Monster Movie" and the album closer "Scream a Little Scream."
If the song-titles didn't clue you in, the majority of the lyrical content is based around death, zombies, and the related ilk. This really shouldn't be a surprise as the album's title, 1968, was the year that "Night of the Living Dead" was originally released.
With 1968 American Werewolves have an energetic punk album that isn't afraid to venture down different musical avenues. It is their willingness to experiment that adds to the replay value. So purchase yourself a copy and you'll no doubt find yourself spinning this album year-round, not just during the holiday of terror.
