Most of the stuff I come across is the more electronic type music that the scene seems to be heading toward. I guess this is to be expected as live performances are downplayed in favor of club DJ's playing the music instead. However, I noticed how strong the trend became once at the Whitby Gothic Festival when a running joke being told about some of the bands was, "Don't be afraid of the big thing behind the singer. It's called a drum kit."

      With that thought I set out to find out if any bands were still putting out Gothic Rock musicbyou know, with instruments and everything. It was this search that led me to horror punk and Blood And Guts Records.

      While not a very well known sub-genre, horror punk has been around for a pretty long time. Horror movies and the themes involved seemed a pretty obvious avenue for punk rock. The Misfits were probably not the first band to really explore it, but they are definitely the most popular. Zombies, serial killers, ghosts, mutilations and of course plenty of blood are all included in horror punk. There is also an identification with the bad guys as well, as villains are always much more interesting than heroes. Misfits songs often incorporate the point of view of the killer, such as "Die Die My Darling" and "Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?"

      Blood And Guts Records is a small indie label that specializes in horror punk bands. Some of the bands include the Serpenteens, Vladimirs, Casket Casie, T-Virus and Rival Skulls. The Vladimirs were the first band I came across when doing a search on CD Baby. Their music is twisted fun, with the CD entitled Serpent Girl and Songs to Shed the Skin. "Serpent Girl" is a specifically hard-rocking tune that catches you right off the bat.

      The cool thing about horror punk that the Vladimirs capture is the classic rock and roll style. The Ramones were good at that on songs like "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker," where there are heavy elements of a 1950s-style sound. The Vladimirs do that as well on songs like "Death Of The Party" and "Nobody No More," where even with the horrific subject matter of the lyrics, the songs still sound fun.

      T-Virus has an excellent song that I caught off the Blood And Guts Myspace page called "Caroline." The other cool thing about horror punk is that even songs about death sound romantic. This is reflected in "Caroline" and a song from T-Virus' 2003 demo, Dead Girl.

      The Serpenteens are a slightly more pop-sounding band, as identified by their self-proclaimed genre, monsterpop. While the music didn't get me as much as the Vladimirs, they were definitely more accessible for new people who might not be as into the scene.

      Blood And Guts Records are definitely worth checking out. For a small label they have a decent number of bands, so there should be something for everyone. The main thing is they are a break from all the electro music, real guitars, live drums, the works.

      Check out their website at www.bloodandgutsrecords.com or their Myspace page at myspace.com/bloodandgutsrecords.