UMUR
"The Bronx Casket Co." is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by US gothic metal act The Bronx Casket Co.. The album was released through Massacre Records in June 1999. The Bronx Casket Co. was formed in 1998 by Overkill bassist D.D. Verni. On this album he is accompanied by Charlie Calv (Keyboards), Tim Mallare (Drums), Myke "Spy" Hideous (Vocals), and Jack Frost (Guitars).
Verni´s vision for the project was to play a heavy gothic metal style, and that´s exactly what the listener is treated to on this debut album. If you´re familiar with Overkill´s most heavy Black Sabbath influenced riffs, then there are several of those types of riffs on this album. Lead vocalist Myke "Spy" Hideous shifts between sounding a bit like Ozzy Osbourne and a bit like Andrew Eldritch (The Sisters of Mercy). The gothic part of the music is enhanced by the use of atmospheric keyboards and the lyrics, which often touches goth related topics like vampires, immortality, and death.
The material are decent with some tracks standing out a bit more than others, and some tracks being slightly unremarkable, so it´s not a crazy great release, but a fairly solid one. Highlights to my ears are the album opener "Who Lives Forever" and the quite original cover of "Jump in the Fire" by Metallica. "The Bronx Casket Co." features a decent production job, and the performances are solid too (although lead vocalist Myke "Spy" Hideous doesn´t have the strongest voice or the most interesting delivery). A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.