Dedicated to Don Coscarelli's PHANTASM movies...

05 - Morningside Graveyard

Inspired by a great italian scientist of the XIX century...

03-An embalmer's lullaby

Cover of The Adverts' 1978 masterpiece...

04-I surrender

09 - Last Words

03 - Love On Red Yesterdays

The Mugshots are a bunch of grue-vy ghoulies from Italy. The Italians used to make lots of really awesome splatter flicks back in the 80's, so it stands to reason that spaghetti-horrorpunk oughta be just as distinctively weird and violent. That's my theory, anyway. And what do you know, The M-shots mostly deliver the grosseries, albeit from a much different angle than you'd expect from a Halloween-y band like this. Not a whole lot of Misfits murderbilly going on in these grooves, as the Mugshots take their sinister cues mostly from the twitchy deathrock of the Damned, and drag it through a twisty funhouse of frothy new wave and (ahem) spooky prog-rock passages. Key tracks like “ Pissed in Hell ” and “ Amateur Pictures ” cover the usual serial killer gags, but they bounce and roll around like mental patients in a very scary rubber room, making for a decidedly off-kilter listening experience. You know, like that part in the spook-house where they suddenly turn out the lights and scream in your ear. Far out, man.
SLEAZEGRINDER

09 - Deliria

08 - Le Patetique

04 - Amateur Pictures

02 - Pissed In Hell

01 - Prelude To An Infernal Descent

Taken from The Mugshots' "House Of The Weirdos" (2005).
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07 - Dr. Bloodmoney

Captain Sensible (The Damned), Charlie Harper (UK Subs), Daniel Ray (producer of The Ramones and The Misfits), among the others, have praised them, and they are not wrong: The Mugshots is one of the coolest bands in today's European scene. After launching a full-length, more horror-punk influenced, the Italians bring us now with an 10" EP with four tracks, including their own version of "I Surrender" by The Adverts, this version approved by TV Smith himself. On vinyl - red, 180 grams, beautiful - the Mugshots appear darker than in the past, going over the side of goth punk horror, filling the music with keyboards and withthat kind of spirit similar to the Damned's "Machine Gun Etiquette" times. One of the best releases of 2010, a band that does very well what they wand and improves with each release. It is not exaggerated to say that they are Italy's coolest band nowadays.
ZONA PUNK

In disguise

02-Beauty in her eyes

01-In disguise

What happens when you stick together some italian musicians with a key-guitar player of the Seventies such as Dick Wagner? Maybe that they sign an EP on which Alice Cooper and Lou Reed's right hand is emerging with great solos above a Melodic Rock context. 
Even though the band is asserting to be influenced by Progressive Rock, what you copiously get here is great choruses, with vocal arrangements that even remind of Gospel (or Pink Floyd) and synths, more atmospheric rather than soloist. 
Pleasant, obsessive, even desperate, the four original tunes can be enjoyed in a breath and their version of a Cooper song looks like a John Lennon ballad.
THIS IS ROCK

Love, Lust And Revenge

03-Curse the Moon

02-Under My Skin

01-Nothing At All

Final performance, on flute and saxophone, by Black Widow's Clive Jones.

Frozen

When a band is described as horror punk, we usually expect to hear another Misfits, but The Mugshots from Italy isn’t the case.
This band indeed has some Misfits influence, but alongside with it there surprisingly appear new wave, Alice Cooper’s shock-rock attitude and a
bunch of other unpredictable references.
GRAVE JIBES

no title

06-Postmortem

05-Damsel of death

04-195 Melrose Avenue

03*Caring

02-Doctor is out

01-Prelude to medical fetish

Though based in Italy, The Mugshots were born in New York City in 2001 when lead
singer, Mickey E. Vil, visiting the United States, chose the band’s name after listening to an Alice
Cooper record.

As their name would suggest, dark crime stories have infused the band’s lyrics from the very
beginning.

As the Mugshots’ line-up was developing over the next few years, the band released two
full-length albums, “House Of The Weirdos” and “Weird Theater” plus an EP, titled “Doctor Is
Out”. Then in 2009, the band’s present line up was consolidated. In 2010, The Mugshots released a
limited edition EP titled “In Disguise” through an independent Italian record label. This EP was
made available on both red vinyl and CD and garnered enthusiastic reviews around the world.
In 2012, The Mugshots teamed up with the legendary Dick Wagner, producer and performer
for such great rock icons as Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Ray Manzarek, Kiss,
Aerosmith and many others. This collaboration resulted in another EP on which Wagner arranged,
co-wrote and played lead Guitars.

Throughout their career, The Mugshots have shared the stage with The Stranglers, The
Damned, UK Subs, Brian James, Tv Smith, Baz Warne, The Lords Of Altamont, Demented Are
Go, Koffin Kats, Zombina & The Skeletones, among many others.

It is my honor to be good friends with The Mugshots. I like their music, their lyrics and their
attitude. I highly recommend them!

The Mugshots

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