With Halloween just around the corner, what better way to get in the mood for all things fiendish than to give a spin to the new one from The Dahmers. These Swedish freaks have been plying their indie ghoul since 2011 and there’s no sign of slowing down on Down in the Basement. As always, this is punk rock with Peter Cushing hiding in your wardrobe.

Fizzy guitars and an (un)healthy dose of reverb are the order of the day as Blood On My Hands lays the album template with more twists and turns than the road to Victor Henry Frankenstein’s laboratory. Murder Ride follows and it’s a rock ‘n’ roll belter; just check that bass workout and those riffs that howl like Chuck Berry stuck on the waltzers.

There’s garage badness to be found on Street of the Dead and Hellacopters inspired riffage on Down on My Knees. The Ripper starts with the much sampled “We wanna be free…” from Easy Rider, and with opening plinky-plonky keys á la Screaming Lord Such, it’s headlong into the rock ‘n’ roll once more. “I always feel like a failure” is the refrain with venom on I Spit on Your Grave.

Mid album highlights include the poppy Howling, the barroom shuffle on Creepiest Creep and The Hives-a-like Reoccurring Dreams. On the final furlong we get a sprinkling of British Invasion rock couresy of Man Obsessed and the folk inspired November, which has echoes of Tyrannosaurus Rex. The finale is entitled The End and it’s the start of all your worst 1980’s synth horror flick soundtrack nightmares.

Down in the Basement is a solid album that has plenty of fun which adds light to the shade. Weighing in at 18 tracks, it’s not a hard listen, however I would’ve preferred a shortened frantic affair. It’s probably worth noting that I have the attention span of a three year old blasted on E numbers, though. In short, if you like your punk rock with a strew of warped horror, then The Dahmers are the band for you. Don’t have nightmares, kids. [cackles into the night] Ginge Knievil

 Check out The Dahmers here