Balzac - Out Of The Grave And Into The Dark (2005)

The Japanese punk-rock outfit Balzac, formed in Osaka in 1992, owes a considerable debt to those early Misfits records released by Caroline back during the golden age of punk. The band pursues a familiar horror-rock aesthetic, the members wear their hair in the ubiquitous "devil's lock" style and even have an eerie band logo similar to the Misfits' grinning skull. Balzac has formed a long-standing friendship with the Misfits and has even toured with the band. That being said, however, Balzac is no mere Misfits tribute band, nor are they overly derivative in their musical style. These Osaka crazy men have forged out a distinctive style that is entirely Balzac in nature, and have actually eclipsed their original influence in both number of albums and singles released and in the scope of the music created.

Precious little Balzac music has hit these shores to date, a situation happily rectified by Out Of The Grave And Into The Dark, released in the US by the Misfits' record label and distributed by the good folks at Ryko. A deluxe package featuring a 22-song CD and accompanying DVD, the set combines Balzac's 2004 Japanese album Comes Out Of The Grave with the band's 2005 EP Dark-Ism. Although various zombies, demons, vampires and such inhabit Balzac's lyrics (or at least those that you can translate – their English web site helps), the band's preoccupation with horror movie themes is overshadowed by its heady blend of three-chord punk and choppy power-pop with metallic overtones. Balzac has talent, no doubt, and some of guitarist Atsushi's impressive fretwork belies the band's minimalist punk rock roots.

As an introduction to Balzac's considerable charms, Out Of The Grave And Into The Dark is a perfect primer to the band's milieu, showcasing their trademark 120mph sound, explosive rhythms and blistering six-string work. At times, as on "The World Without End," the band sounds remarkably similar to rockers such as the London Quireboys or Dogs D'Amour; at other times you'll hear strains of Cheap Trick, the Ramones, the Cramps and, yes, the Misfits. Balzac frontman/songwriter Hirosuke has the perfect punk rock voice, with a range between a poppy whisper and a HC scream. The rhythm section of bassist Akio and drummer Takayuki create a glorious noise, embroidered upon by guitarist Atsushi, a talent that would be a giant star if the band were American independents rather than Japanese shock-rockers.

The bonus DVD included with Out Of The Grave And Into The Dark features several of the band's imaginative music videos, a short horror film and some raucous live performance footage, as well as some other rare "audio only" tracks. Overall, this two-disc set is quite impressive, from the music and video to the abundance of color pics of this creatively photogenic band, lacking only informative liner notes about the band to be a perfect package. If you want some rock & roll cheap thrills with plenty of bite, look no further than Balzac, the best punk rock band that you've never heard! (Misfits Records)

(Click on the CD cover to buy Out Of The Grave from Amazon.com)