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The Bronx Casket Co. was founded in 1998 by Overkill bassist D.D. Verni and guitarist Jack Frost (Seven Witches, ex-Savatage, ex-Metalium). Antihero is their 4th album and it's a more metal, partly because D.D. Verni is now handling the lead vocals and his style needs a little more metal.
The kick off with the title track, a dark up-tempo rocker with a gothic touch. Charlie Calv's keyboard are a kind of counterpart to Verni's vocals - both based on heavy drums and hard riffs. The guitar solos on Antihero are all handled by Symphony X's Michael Romeo. At Bonesaw they add some thrashy riffs and a dash of industrial to their horror metal. D.D. Verni is probably not the best singer, but his vocal style and deep timbre fit well to BCC. Bonesaw has a catchy edge and soon you'll start singing along. After a break they head into a mid-tempo passage, they take you onto through the tunnel of horror - and Bonesaw is just the beginning. With You Look Like Hell they offer another gothic horror metal tune, the keyboard gives this one the special atmosphere. While Sally gives you the creeps, I Never Loved You Anyway is another dark track, for Holy Mother they slow down a bit and create a different atmosphere. But then they speed up and the memorable riff will soon haunt you. Memphis Scarecrow begins with a few lines of Elvis' Are You Lonesome Tonight?, and then they take you South with acoustic and slide guitar. A gothic track with a Southern touch and vocals which will make you shiver. And like the track opened, it's closed. For Selling My Soul they add some industrial sounds and D.D. Verni's vocals sound a bit like Hetfield... Let Me Be Your Nightmare shows that even better.
To cover Queen is always a walk on the razor's edge, but BCC choose Death On Two Legs and metalized the bombastic rock tune. The closer is a cover version of Frank Sinatra's My Way. Well, it sounds quite different and I don't really get into it, but they did it the BCC way, so it's okay.
Some might say the songs are too one-dimensional, that Verni's vocals are too one-dimensional, but if you like the BCC sound and Verni's vocal style, then you'll enjoy the whole album. It's true, some songs seem to be quite alike, but if you listen carefully, then you'll discover the differences. Check out: NYC (Devil's Playground), Bonesaw, Memphis Scarecrow and Sally to get an idea about the new The Bronx Casket Co.!
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