45 Grave - Sleep In Safety

45 Grave

Sleep In Safety

1983

Deathrock

USA

Tracklist:

1) Insurance From God
2) Evil
3) Partytime
4) Violent World
5) Slice O' Life
6) Phantoms
7) Dream Hits II
8) Bad Love
9) Surf Bat
10) Riboflavin
11) Procession
12) 45 Grave
13) School's Out
14) Partytime (Single Version)
     Tracks 13 and 14 only appear on the 1993 remaster of this album.

     45 Grave is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as progenitors of the horror punk subgenre. Their unique appearance and morbid theatricality also distinguished them as innovators of goth rock as well as "deathrock," a term used to identify a subgenre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics.
     The band was formed in Los Angeles, California during the punk rock movement. The original lineup consisted of Dinah Cancer on vocals, Paul Cutler on guitar, Rob Ritter (also known as Rob Graves of The Bags) on bass, and Don Bolles (of The Germs) on drums. The band evolved out of an industrial music band called Vox Pop, who recorded two singles and played around the Los Angeles area, specifically in the punk institution the Masque. Vox Pop contained all of the members of 45 Grave as well as others, such as Jeff Dahl. Vox Pop continued to coexist with 45 Grave until early 1981. The band's name, despite rumors to the contrary, was lifted from a button.

     Sleep in Safety is the 1983 debut album by the American deathrock band 45 Grave. It is the band's only studio album. The album was remastered in 1993 on Restless Records with two additional bonus tracks.
Stylistically, the album contains punk rock and gothic rock influences, and is representative of the deathrock genre. While not straight horror punk, it utilizes tongue-in-cheek lyrics (such as on "Riboflavin") and sound effects and audio excerpts from horror films (evident on "Slice O' Life"). The album is often considered a landmark in deathrock and American gothic rock and one of finest examples of its genre.

     Personnel
Dinah Cancer - Vocals
Paul Cutler - Lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
Paul Roessler - keyboards, backing vocals
Rob Graves - Bass, backing vocals
Don Bolles - drums, backing vocals