Polkadot Cadaver – Purgatory Dance Party

(Rotten Records, 2007)

Polkadot Cadaver comes from the strange and creative minds of Dog Fashion Disco. Vocalist Todd Smith is the closest thing I’ve heard to Mike Patton and on Purgatory Dance Party Patton’s influence is noticeable. However, where Dog Fashion Disco had a large Mr. Bungle feel to them, this sways more towards Tomahawk with a heavy dose of programmed drums. There is more to Smith, Stepp, and the rest gang being rip-off artists though; there is a whole lot of originality and mind-boggling themes going on here.

After an acoustic introduction, singer Smith shows off his Patton-esque vocal chords on A Wolf in Jesus Skin which also has the classic Dog Fashion Disco keyboards. Title track Purgatory Dance Party is about, and sounds like exactly that; a purgatory dance party. Picture a group of brainwashed sinners getting together to let off some steam. Deathwish carries on this morbid theme, keyboards more appropriate for a funeral introduce the story of a girl who will soon be joining the party, while Phantom Limb does the same except this time the keyboards would be better suited to a circus.

By now the dark theme is pretty well implemented, however Long Strange Trip to Paradise has a fun electric pop feel giving off a humour similar to that of the Eagles of Death Metal but here sounds more like the Eagles of Experimental Metal. Bring Me the Head of Andy Warhol is well and truly a pop song, but with an anti-Hollywood spin. Think Britney Spears meets Tomahawk (the chorus sounds exactly like Pop 1).

The only thing which saves Chloroform Girl from being a boring, radio friendly karaoke hit is the dark, disturbing, and downright weird lyrics; I guess that’s the point. This leads us to the heaviest opening and strongest song on the album What’s the Worst Thing that Could Happen?. The changes in tempo and vocal range make this standout; Smith whispers, growls, howls, and provides some striking harmonies to great effect. Brainwash is more of their bizarre take on pop, Pure Bedlam for Halfbreeds could be considered avant-garde metal, and Sole Survivor ends with twenty minutes of the word “Satan” on repeat… no need… but every need.

Despite the dark, death-like theme of the album Polkadot Cadaver manage to maintain an fun, upbeat feel throughout, and in doing so create a sound best described as death pop.