Melodic Mayhem: Shadow Windhawk
Every genre of music has artists or bands that really stand out as the defining acts. I’m talking about the people who absolutely live and breathe the music that they make.
When most people think of horrorpunk, The Misfits are the first band that comes to mind. For those who are a little more familiar with the genre, Blitzkid may also come to mind. The further you get into the genre in the current day, there is one artist that stands out as someone who bleeds the genre. I speak, of course, of the one and only Shadow Windhawk.
Easily one of the most divisive and controversial figures within the horrorpunk community, Windhawk has ignored all of the drama and just pushed forward, tirelessly creating some of the best horrorpunk over the past few years. Originally a member of SLC band DieMonsterDie, Windhawk left that band to blaze his own trail several years ago. He would release a one-off acoustic album based on the classic David Lynch television show “Twin Peaks” entitled Tales From the Black Lodge. While this was not a smash success, it did find its fans, but it would be his next move that would launch him into the stratosphere of the biggest names in horror music.
Putting together his own band, Windhawk released Casket Spray in 2014 under the band name of Shadow Windhawk and The Morticians. The album came out of nowhere to become one of the best horrorpunk albums of the year. After some shifts in the band, the “Morticians” name was relegated to the touring band, and future releases would be simply under the name Shadow Windhawk. Casket Spray would see a quick re-release with an additional song entitled “The Never Dead,” a tribute to The Tall Man from Phantasm, shortly before Angus Scrimm’s unfortunate death.
2016 Would see the release of Windhawk’s sophomore effort, Cremation Garden. Featuring songs inspired by everything from the “Curse of Thorn” from the later Halloween movies to a great party track based on Return of the Living Dead, Cremation Garden served to further cement Windhawk as a force to be reckoned with in the horrorpunk scene. Another highlight of the album is “Sleep,” a tribute to the late, great Rowdy Roddy Piper and his role in the cult classic They Live.
Currently Windhawk is working on his next album, tentatively titled The Funeral Cortege, which will be the final installment in his “Funerary” trilogy of albums. Windhawk will be debuting the first single from the album, “Unpleasant Dreams,” on September 17th. Why that date? Well, the song is a tribute to Elvira, and the 17th just happens to be her birthday. I have been privileged enough to get an advance copy of the track as it will also be appearing on the upcoming horrorpunk compilation album I am putting together for my site The Deadhouse entitled The Deadhouse Presents Cuts From The Slab, which you can find more information about here.
Getting back to the song, it’s a fast and rocking tribute to everyone’s favorite Mistress of the Dark. It’s a song that is undoubtedly in Windhawk’s personal style, while also showing the growth he has made over the past few years. There is also a bit of an influence you can feel from Windhawk’s time as the guitarist for Argyle Goolsby’s Roving Midnight touring band. I’ve been listening to the song on repeat for several days now, and it just seems to get better and better with every listen. I am excited to have this song on the aforementioned album, and I assure you that once the song drops, it will only serve to make the wait for the new album a little more unbearable.
You can check out Shadow Windhawk’s official website to get your hands on the first two entries in the “Funerary” trilogy, and be sure to give him a “like” on his Facebook page to stay up-to-date with the man and his music. And make sure you check out the video below for the song “1428” from Casket Spray, which serves as a tribute to the late, great Wes Craven.
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