Nekromantix
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Short description Template:Infobox musical artist
The Nekromantix is a Danish psychobilly band founded in Copenhagen in 1989. Their lyrics are generally structured around monster and horror themes. A central icon of the band's image is founder and frontman Kim Nekroman's "coffinbass", a custom-built double bass with a body in the shape of a coffin and a headstock the shape of a cross. Nekroman has been the sole constant member of the band. The current lineup consists of guitarist Francisco Mesa and drummer Mike Mata.
The Nekromantix released five albums on various European record labels during their first decade, then crossed over to American audiences in the early 2000s by signing to Los Angeles–based Hellcat Records, through which they have released three albums since 2002. Their eighth studio album, What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell, was released in August 2011.
History
Formation
Nekromantix were formed in 1989 in Copenhagen by Kim Nekroman after he left the Danish Navy, in which he had been a submarine radio operator for eight years.<ref name="houston">Template:Cite news</ref> Deciding to launch a new career in music, he initially played drums in a rockabilly band prior to the foundation of Nekromantix.Template:Citation needed
Learning to play the double bass and to sing, Nekroman set about forming a horror-themed psychobilly band with himself as the frontman. Initially consisting of Nekroman, guitarist Paolo Molinari and drummer Jens Brygman, the band took the name Nekromantix.<ref name="starkult">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="thursby">Template:Cite web</ref>
A centerpiece of the band's image was Nekroman's self-constructed "coffinbass", an upright bass in the shape of a coffin. The first of these was constructed using an actual child-sized coffin, but over the years he has constructed new models in order to achieve better acoustics and collapsibility for easier transportation.<ref name="thursby" /> By the time of the band's first official recordings, Molinari had been replaced by Peter Sandorff.
After six months of practice and two local performances in Copenhagen at the Stengade 30 club, the Nekromantix appeared at large psychobilly festival in Hamburg, Germany.<ref name="Brackenridge_p132">Template:Cite book</ref> Their performance earned them a recording contract with Tombstone Records for their first album Hellbound. The band began touring Europe and built a name for themselves in the European psychobilly movement, which at the time was largely dominated by British acts.<ref name="starkult" /> In 1991 the band released their second album Curse of the Coffin through Nervous Records and supported it with a music video for the title track which received some play on the MTV program Alternative Nation.Template:Citation needed
Lineup changes
In 1992 both Jensen and Sandorff left the band. They were replaced by guitarist Jan Daggry and drummer Tim Kristensen, who used the stage names Ian Dawn ("Dawn" being an English translation of the Danish name Daggry) and Grim Tim Handsome. This lineup recorded the album Brought Back to Life, released in 1994, which earned a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Heavy Metal Album".<ref name="starkult" />
Daggry then left the band and was replaced on tour first by Emil Oelund and then by Tormod Holm, until the band found new permanent guitarist Søren Munk Petersen.<ref name="FAQ">Template:Cite web</ref> The Nekroman/Petersen/Kristensen lineup recorded 1996's Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend. During this time the band toured most of Europe including Finland, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and France, and also toured Japan. They began to achieve cult status in the United States,Template:Citation needed where their albums were as yet only available as imports.
At a 1996 festival in Cologne, Germany, Nekroman met fellow Copenhagen native Patricia Day, with whom he launched a new band called HorrorPops with himself on guitar and Day on double bass and lead vocals.<ref name="Brackenridge_p136">Template:Cite book</ref> The two would later marry, and their activity with HorrorPops put the Nekromantix on hold for several years, during which time Kristensen and Petersen both left the band.
International success
In 1997 Peter Sandorff returned to Nekromantix, bringing along his brother, Kristian, to play drums. In 1999 the band played a tenth-anniversary performance at Stengade 30 in Copenhagen, where they had performed their first shows after forming the band.Template:Citation needed This performance was recorded by Danish National Radio for a series of live shows and released the following year as the live album Undead 'n' Live. In 2000 the Nekromantix played their first performances in the United States, beginning with the first annual New York City "Psychobilly Rumble" and continuing with a nine-date tour of the west coast.<ref name="starkult" />
In February 2001 Nekroman gave a demo of new songs to Rancid singer/guitarist and Hellcat Records label owner Tim Armstrong, a longtime fan of the band.Template:Citation needed The Nekromantix soon signed to the Los Angeles–based Hellcat and released the 2002 album Return of the Loving Dead. Recorded in Denmark, it was the band's first album to be widely distributed in the U.S. and helped make them part of an emerging psychobilly movement on the west coast centered around the Hellcat label and spearheaded by bands such as Tiger Army. The album was supported with a music video for the song "Gargoyles Over Copenhagen" and the band toured the United States several times.
Move to the United States
Following the release of Return of the Loving Dead Nekroman relocated to Los Angeles, touring and recording two albums with the HorrorPops. The Sandorff brothers remained in Denmark, and recording of the Nekromantix' 2004 album Dead Girls Don't Cry was done almost entirely in Los Angeles, with only Peter Sandorff's backing vocals recorded in Copenhagen. In April 2005 the Sandorffs left the band leaving only Nekroman in band.<ref name="aversion">Template:Cite news</ref> To replace them Nekroman recruited guitarist Troy Russel (Tröy Deströy) and drummer James Mesa (Wasted James) of the California-based psychobilly band the Rezurex. That year the band's third album Brought Back to Life was remastered and re-released by Hellcat under the title Brought Back to Life Again.
Recent activity
In May 2006 Meza left the Nekromantix, later joining Tiger Army. He was replaced by Andrew Martinez (Andy DeMize) of The Rocketz. Life Is a Grave & I Dig It! was released in April 2007. In November 2007 the band announced Tröy Deströy's departure to focus on a solo career. Pete Belair of the Australian band Firebird was announced as the band's new guitarist and performed with them during their 2008 tours, living in Australia complicated things and Francisco Mesa, formerly of Barcelona-based Nightbreed and Ultimo Asalto, joined as a permanent guitarist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 11 January 2009, Martinez was killed in an automobile collision.<ref name="in memoriam demize">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="oc register 3">Template:Cite web</ref> The following month it was announced that Lux, formerly of Mystery Hangup and Sacred Storm, would be Martinez's replacement. The band's first female member, Lux stated that the Nekromantix would tour North America with Reverend Horton Heat during the summer and record a new album later in the year.<ref name="lux joins nekromantix">Template:Cite web</ref> The band's eighth studio album, What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell, was released 2 August 2011.<ref name="Yancey">Template:Cite web</ref> The band supported the album with a tour of the United States from July to September 2011.<ref name="Yancey" /> In April 2014, it was announced that Lux would depart from the band. It was later announced in June 2014 that Adam Guerrero, formerly of Rezurex, would replace Lux as the new Nekromantix drummer. In October 2017, Guerrero departed from the band and Lux returned to fill in for a few shows. In April 2018 it was announced that Rene "Delamuerte" Garcia, from The Brains and BAT! would be the new Nekromantix drummer.
Band members
| 1989 |
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|---|---|
| 1989–1993 Template:Small |
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| 1993–1995 Template:Small |
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| 1995–1996 Template:Small |
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| 1997–2005 Template:Small |
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| 2005–2006 |
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| 2006–2007 Template:Small |
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| 2007–2008 |
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| 2009–2014 Template:Small |
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| 2014–2018 Template:Small |
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| 2018–2019 |
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Current members
- Kim Nekroman – "coffinbass", lead vocals (1989–present)
- Francisco Mesa – guitars, backing vocals (2008–present)
- Mike Mata – drums (2019–present)
Past members
- Paolo Molinari – guitars (1989)<ref name="FAQ" />
- Sebastian Jensen – drums (1989–1993)
- Peter Sandorff – guitars, backing vocals (1989–1993, 1997–2005)
- Ian Dawn (Jan Daggry) – guitars, backing vocals (1993–1994)
- Emil Oelund – guitars (1994–1995)
- Tormod Holm – guitars (1995)
- Søren Munk Petersen – guitars, backing vocals (1995–1996)
- Grim Tim Handsome (Tim Kristensen) – drums (1993–1996)
- Kristian Sandorff – drums (1997–2005)
- Wasted James (James Meza) – drums (2005–2006)
- Tröy Deströy – guitars, backing vocals (2005–2007)
- Pete Belair – guitars, backing vocals (2007–2008)
- Andy DeMize (Andrew Martinez) – drums (2006–2009)<ref name="in memoriam demize" />
- Lux – drums (2009–2014)
- Adam "Mighty Mouse" Guerrero – drums (2014–2017)
- Rene Dlamuerte Garcia – drums (2018–2019)
- Mike Mata - drums (2019-present)
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Kim Nekroman
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Francisco Mesa
Timeline
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Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_coffin_bass id:backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:album value:black legend:Studio_album id:live value:gray(0.7) legend:Live_album id:bars value:gray(0.95)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1989 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1989
LineData =
at:12/01/1989 color:black layer:back at:07/30/1991 color:black layer:back at:09/01/1993 color:black layer:back at:06/01/1996 color:black layer:back at:03/01/2000 color:live layer:back at:02/12/2002 color:black layer:back at:04/27/2004 color:black layer:back at:04/10/2007 color:black layer:back at:08/02/2011 color:black layer:back at:10/21/2016 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Nekroman text:"Kim Nekroman"
bar:Molinari text:"Paolo Molinari" bar:PSandorff text:"Peter Sandorff" bar:Dawn text:"Ian Dawn" bar:Petersen text:"Søren Munk Petersen" bar:Destroy text:"Tröy Deströy" bar:Belair text:"Pete Belair" bar:Mesa text:"Francisco Mesa" bar:Jensen text:"Sebastian Jensen" bar:Handsome text:"Grim Tim Handsome" bar:KSandorff text:"Kristian Sandorff" bar:James text:"Wasted James" bar:DeMize text:"Andy DeMize" bar:Lux text:"Lux" bar:Guerrero text:"Adam Guerrero" bar:Garcia text:"Mike Mata"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Nekroman from:01/01/1989 till:end color:vocals
bar:Molinari from:01/01/1989 till:04/30/1989 color:guitar
bar:PSandorff from:05/01/1989 till:01/03/1992 color:guitar bar:PSandorff from:05/01/1989 till:01/03/1992 color:backing width:3 bar:Jensen from:01/01/1989 till:01/03/1992 color:drums
bar:Dawn from:06/01/1992 till:01/06/1995 color:guitar bar:Petersen from:06/01/1995 till:12/01/1996 color:guitar bar:Petersen from:06/01/1995 till:12/01/1996 color:backing width:3 bar:Handsome from:06/01/1992 till:12/01/1996 color:drums
bar:PSandorff from:03/01/1997 till:04/01/2005 color:guitar bar:PSandorff from:03/01/1997 till:04/01/2005 color:backing width:3 bar:KSandorff from:03/01/1997 till:04/01/2005 color:drums
bar:Destroy from:04/01/2005 till:11/01/2007 color:guitar bar:Destroy from:04/01/2005 till:11/01/2007 color:backing width:3 bar:James from:04/01/2005 till:05/01/2006 color:drums bar:DeMize from:05/01/2006 till:01/11/2009 color:drums bar:Belair from:11/01/2007 till:07/01/2008 color:guitar bar:Belair from:11/01/2007 till:07/01/2008 color:backing width:3
bar:Mesa from:07/01/2008 till:end color:guitar bar:Lux from:02/01/2009 till:04/01/2014 color:drums bar:Guerrero from:06/04/2014 till:11/01/2017 color:drums bar:Garcia from:03/20/2018 till:end color:drums
</timeline>
Discography
Template:Infobox artist discography
The discography of the Nekromantix consists of eight studio albums, two live album, three singles and three music videos.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | ||||
| Independent <ref name="allmusic charts">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Billboard Independent">Template:Cite web</ref> |
Heatseekers <ref name="allmusic charts" /><ref name="Billboard Heatseekers">Template:Cite web</ref> | |||
| 1989 | Hellbound<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | — | — | |
| 1991 | Curse of the Coffin<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
|
— | — | |
| 1992 | Brought Back to Life
|
— | — | |
| 1996 | Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
|
— | — | |
| 2002 | Return of the Loving Dead<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
|
— | — | |
| 2004 | Dead Girls Don't Cry<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
|
43 | — | |
| 2007 | Life Is a Grave & I Dig It!<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
|
— | 21 | |
| 2011 | What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell<ref name="Yancey" />
|
— | — | |
| 2016 | A Symphony of Wolf Tones & Ghost Notes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
|
— | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
Live albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Undead 'n' Live<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2019 | 3 Decades Of Darkle
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Jack the Stripper" | Brought Back to Life |
| 1996 | "Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend" | Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend |
| 2004 | "Dead Bodies" | n/a |
| "n/a" denotes singles that are not from albums. | ||
Music videos
| Year | Song | Director | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Curse of the Coffin" | Curse of the Coffin | |
| 2002 | "Gargoyles Over Copenhagen" | Return of the Loving Dead | |
| 2007 | "Horny in a Hearse" | Life Is a Grave & I Dig It! |