Review - Toria and The Terror 'The Operating Table' EP

Toria and The Terror

The Operating Table

EP, out May 15th from We Are Horror Records

Barely a week goes by at the moment without another storming entry into the current wave of UK horror punk - we're living through a golden age of the New Wave of UKHP, bands emerging and gaining wider recognition, releasing essential records and starting to take on the established scenes from around the world. At the forefront of this are the bands signed to We Are Horror Records - now with a renewed UK focus - a home grown label spreading fear, horror and spine chilling jams across these cursed islands and across the seas. Numerous UK acts have appeared on past compilations from the label (as punk rock always has done, compilations have proved essential gateways to discovering new bands) and one which has stood out, alongside the release of three standalone singles, are Liverpool's Toria and The Terror (currently based over in Tokyo), a ferocious force blending the theatrical gothic side of horror punk with the always outspoken empowerment of the marginalised and forgotten in the very best traditions of the feminist-led punk legacy of this country. The unholy trinity of past single releases have been essential - the caustic anger of 'I Want Blood', the skin crawling terror and insanity of 'Worms for Brains' and  the haunting 'Funeral' have mixed metal, goth and riot grrrl influences, wrapped them up in a horror punk cape and battered listeners who may have come expecting some good ol' fashioned horror punk melodies with something altogether more dynamic. 

News of the band's first EP release was therefore pretty exciting. When bands aren't rigid in their stylistic output you never know what quite to expect, so on firing up 'The Operating Table' I wasn't sure whether to expect gothic rock influenced tales of woe, anger-fueled riotous punk rock or something else entirely. Amazingly, all of the above - and more - weave their way into what is quite simply an excellent EP. It starts with a bang - 'Frankenstein Girl' is a fuzzy, metal meets garage punk tale of self-loathing and the perils of celebrity worship. It seethes with anger, barely containing the rage as it courses along, always threatening to explode and take the world with it as Toria screams 'with every little stitch I become a new bitch'. Few bands can properly blend the horror aesthetics with pointed social commentary (possibly the best example of a UK band doing so would be The Ruined, which is never a bad comparison) but the band do it superbly here. 

The second song ('The Morgue') takes a different tact, an atypical horror punk song blending influences from horror surf, psychobilly, 60s horror shock rock akin to Lord Sutch and a spooky vibe, all coupled with the teetering-on-the-edge of madness style that is somewhat a signature of the band. It's a marked departure from the bands previous output, but is enormous fun showing how varied their influences are, and is the sort of instantly likeable song that brings to mind their fellow Liverpudlian icons Zombina and the Skeletones. 

The final track of the release has appeared before - on WAHR's 'The Kids are all Fright' comp last year. I absolutely raved about it then, an intense cover of the classic Bauhaus song 'Stigmata Martyr' that sounds like Bikini Kill covering the goth rock pioneers and time has not diminished it's impact. It's a spine-chillingly powerful slice of blasphemous gothic riot grrrl noise.

With the two opening tracks set to appear on the bands upcoming debut album 'Wicked Hymns', and with the pedigree of their earlier releases and the bands range of influences and sounds, Toria and The Terror are set to take the horror punk world by the scruff of it's metaphorical neck before tearing it off, all whilst wearing a blood-soaked smile. An absolute class release from a band who brings something different to the table and who could very well be the UK's biggest horror punk export in the years to come. 

You can pre-order the digital release on the WAHR website and it will be on all the usual streaming and download services come the 15th may. Whilst over on WAHR pick up some band merch and the previous single releases. You can follow the band over on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and over on WAHR's Bandcamp page (and give the label a follow over on Instagram and Facebook too!)

Random classic reviews - a trio of Murderland!

Thanks to an Instagram post from Esmeralda's Ghost (check out the new album!) I felt I had to revisit the glory that is California's own weavers of tales of serial killers, gore and comic book horror Murderland. As a band which re-enforced my love for horror punk but offered something a little different, they remain close to my heart and a personal favourite.

Murderland - Lights Out (Album, 2007)

I first stumbled upon LA's Murderland some time between the release of this, their debut album, and 2011s 'Prelude To A Kill'. I don't remember how exactly - probably some random find when compiling a yearly Halloween mix CD - but I'm so thankful that I did, especially as this remains one of the very best the genre has to offer. At just 7 songs long it's a sharp, short, monstrous attack of fast and melodic So-Cal hardcore and a touch of metal influencing their tales which, fittingly for the superb artwork, could come straight out of an EC comic story. Every song lands brilliantly, each delivering 2 minutes-something of horror-pop-punk with memorable hooks and impeccable story telling. I love this album so much I had it played at my wedding as it was a fave of both myself and my wife, and whilst every track is a banger it's hard not to single out 'October Sky' - a song so near-perfect, so perfectly pitched between emotional resonance and comic book horror, that it deserves a place in any future Horror Punk Hall of Fame (and my love for it outlived my marriage - but we're both still big fans of the band!)

Murderland - Prelude To A Kill (Album, 2011)

Murderland's second album is a classic. Not just of the horror punk genre, but of punk more generally. It's a hill I will absolutely die on. Whilst it was no doubt hard to top 'Lights Out', which was seven songs of near perfection, taken as a whole this just about manages to do so. It's still comic book horror, fast and melodic punk rock that California is so good at producing, with fabulous lyrics, unrelenting hook-laden pop-punk with noticeable thrash elements, but there is so much more thrown in this time. From perfectly placed sound clips to a gore obsession that would not be out of place in the repertoire of your favourite death metal band, this is 13 songs of twisted tales of Americana, of late night seedy motels, dismembered bodies in the bathtub and smiling serial killers. It feels almost like horror punk noir - whilst 'Lights Out' dealt with the ghosts and ghouls, this is a more human sort of terror. Whilst nothing quite tops the glory of 'October Sky' as a stand out track, 'Hacksaw Romance' runs very close. A twisted tale of dismemberment and love, it's like a sickly sweet pop-punk cover of a goregrind track, a masterful macabre monstrosity told with the band's usual tongue-in-cheek humour. One of the very best horror punk releases of all time, an album I would include in a top ten of any punk releases and which was a major factor in me re-embracing the genre around 2011. And yes, this also played in full at my wedding. 

Murderland - Splitsville (Album, 2016)

Described by the band itself as a move away from the pure horror punk of their earlier releases, Splitsville is definitely a more 'mature' third album, a more personal and introspective collection of songs that still pack a punch with solid, infectious punk rock. Being a bit of a fan of turn of the century (...well, that makes me feel old) pop-punk this is no bad thing and this would not look out of place as a Drive-Thru release circa 2001, with a touch of Alkaline Trio vibe running through it, an accomplished and well written album. However this isn't the short and sickly sweet deranged tales of before - whilst there's a splattering of horror punk themes it lacks the gruesome fun of either of it's predecessors and the change up from two minute storytelling perfection to longer more 'emotional' songs lessen it's impact. A solid and highly enjoyable release if you're missing the days of Midtown, The Starting Line, The Movielife and New Found Glory - but it's not the genre classic of either Prelude To A Kill or Lights Out. Must be noted though that there are few bands who could match the intensity and quality of either of those - and for most people who aren't as obsessed as we are with the horror element, Splitsville is a very good release indeed. 

The band are on Instagram and Facebook as well as Bandcamp and Spotify. 

Review - Ultrafiend X - 'Cold Dead Me' single

Ultrafiend X

Cold Dead Me

Single, May 5th 2026

Emerging from the crypts of Sacramento Ultrafiend X are one of the most exciting new bands on the scene at the moment; a melding together of gothic glam metal and horror punk, theatrical darkness, riffs and tales of terror that are dripping with atmosphere all wrapped in a distinctive style and passion that rips through every song. A live album release, as well as several demo tracks, have given way to a year of killer single releases in 2026 which has helped to build the bands momentum that doesn't look like stopping anytime soon.

Their third single of the year (after the excellent pounding horror punk of the lycanthropic loving 'Moonlight Hell' and the soul burningly dark and heavy Danzig-like 'Devil's Lake') is now here, in the form of 'Cold Dead Me' and it's another beast of a song. Going down the more 'traditional' horror punk route, this is a melodic, catchy and energetic song with a touch of nostalgic horror 'n roll, just the sort of thing that every self-suspecting genre-fan will be right at home with. Coupled with their previous singles, and the live/demo output of the past, this release just underlines how accomplished the band are and how excited you should be for the future.

Out now as a single (with some great artwork) to purchase (Bandcamp) and on streaming services (Spotify). Go follow the band over on Instagram too!