Review written by Glenn “Terra Shredder” Van Bockstaele.

Lords Of Salem is a German/Mexican rock band whose music is self-described as “DEAD POP SEX ACTION” and whose name is based off the 2012 Rob Zombie horror movie of the same name. “Hell Over Salem” is the band’s debut EP, an independent release sent to us by our friendly German promoter Metal Message Global PR.

The band’s style can easily be described as 80s hard rock injected with some doom, goth and industrial metal topped off with a tongue-in-cheek B-horror theme. The EP begins with “Monster Girl,” a song that starts with some cheesy horror screams and laughter until it shows its true face as an upbeat, swinging rock n’ roll track. Up next is the title tune of “Hell Over Salem,” it starts with dramatic violin and electronic beats and then transitions to the typical guitar, bass and drums to form a darker song with harsher vocals and more emphasis on industrial metal. This tune also has a very catchy chorus that almost feels like a band anthem! Cool stuff!

The EP’s third track is called “Zombie Monkey Woman” and like the previous song mixes LA-inspired hard rock riffs with dark industrial samples inspired by the likes of Ministry and Rob Zombie. A solid tune, but the previous two songs felt catchier and more atmospheric and so they left a bigger impression on me. And finally there’s “Rock N’ Roll Machine,” like the opening tune “Monster Girl” this is a juicy and uplifting rock track without any industrial elements put into it. Instead this groovy high-octane song ends with a sweet guitar solo and another catchy chorus. Along with the title track, this final song serves as the highlight of this short EP, with both tunes showcasing Lords Of Salem’s main strengths of providing both energetic rock beats as well as grim industrial melodies.

Overall, Lords Of Salem’s debut EP has given me a short but very enjoyable industrial hard rock ride! For their first outing, Lords Of Salem have written solid material that’s easy to sing and swing along with. Two songs on the EP put emphasis on dark industrial music while the two others focus on LA-inspired hard rock. It’s a bit like Mötley Crüe meets Rob Zombie and I hope Lords Of Salem will continue further down this direction. In fact, I believe their music could fit very well when you’re watching a grindhouse horror flick like Planet Terror or From Dusk Till Dawn, as long as it’s a film made by Rodriguez, Tarantino or Rob Zombie himself! Here’s the music video for Hell Over Salem’s title track.

80/100