I will say at the outset that this is a fantastic album, choc-a-block with neo-rockabilly gems for the 21^st century. The playing is quite remarkably accomplished, with Mark Twang an absolute revelation, and the recording is crystal clear as we have come to expect from Mr. Wilson at Western Star. 

‘Nightmare’ begins with a lick on the oms, then comes the bass slapping relentlessly thanks to Grischa of Demented Are Go fame and then comes the wonderful guitar of the suitably named Mr. Twang. On top of all this are the dulcet tones of Paddy Evans who does a sterling job throughout this lp. This is a very fine opening number.

Second track ‘Body Bag’ begins with a wonderful guitar lick, the vocal melodies on this number work very well with the chorus being especially effective. The guitar solo is splendid my only complaint is that the song is too short.

‘Piece of Art’ has a western feel to it, but it is perhaps my least favourite track on the album, it doesn’t seem to go anywhere.

‘What Love Can Do’, is a fine piece of neo-rockabilly with some lovely country bends. It is a nice mid-tempo love song.

‘Eventually’ has a very nice groove, the slap bass and drums work very nicely, but once again it is the guitar playing that really shines on this song, with a combination of country bends and jazzy licks, it is masterful.

‘Not A Word’ begins very much like a John O’Malley riff from the Nitros, indeed this marvellous track could have appeared on a Nitros’ lp – high praise in my book.

‘Old No. 7’, is an up-tempo number with some nice pedal steel effects as well as a fantastic lead break, it is something of a show-stopper with its lovely false ending.

‘Devil You Know’ has a terrific groove and is a killer song based around a blues riff, but with a very nice middle eight followed by a suitably excellent guitar solo.

‘Sometimes It Kills Me’ sees the band exploring once again its western leanings combined with a rather catchy guitar riff. The guitar-playing here really is of the highest order.

‘Raving Mad’ is another track straight out of the Nitros’ song book. It is another gem. The double-tracked guitars are an especially nice touch on this one.

Title track ‘Scary Mary’ is a very nice blues-based number that bears something of a passing similarity to The Sharks’ ‘Hooker’ as such it is first class. The double bass is beautifully recorded on this.

Final track ‘Get Out Of Hell’ is a bit of a nonsense track to be honest, at least in terms of its lyrical content, but this ought not to eclipse the remarkable musicianship that is on offer here.

I repeat my conviction made at the outset that this is a quite superb example of neo-rockabilly played by a very accomplished band. It is splendid to see the sound of the Nitros resurrected so wonderfully. I just hope that this German-based band will make it to these shores again soon, I am itching to see them live.

Nick Kemp

Buy your copy of ‘Scary Mary’ from Western Star Records