Review: Drakülas – “Terminal Amusements”

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Dine Alone Records, April 3, 2020 

Drakülas make an absurd and nervy record

I'm not sure what to make of Drakülas and their new offering, .  Drakülas are a bunch of punks coming together to make some conceptual art rock, I suppose.  Featuring members who've done time in bands like Riverboat Gamblers, , Rise Against, Marked Men, and others, they marry some punk energy to bunches of synths in their quest to do something different.

Terminal Amusements is high energy, with choppy angular guitars competing for space with 80's sounding synths on song after song.  The rhythms groove in places, and seem herky-jerky mechanical in others.  There's even a bit of a surf vibe here and there.  Songs like “Sin Will Find You” and the spectacular “Pretty Tommy” speed along like the manic offspring of The Dickies, each catchy as can be.  Three of my personal favorites, “More Of The Same”, “Electric Eliminators”, and single “Level Up”, come off like Devo circa Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!.  Each gets by on nervy anxiety and melody, with “More” and “Eliminators” keeping a panicked pace while “Level Up” slows things down and gets a little poppy.  There's even some stuff that sounds like , with the blistering “Dark Black” coming across like an Unknown Pleasures extra and “Café Hiroshima” wallowing in atmosphere that could sort of fit on Closer.

Terminal Amusements and this whole Drakülas thing is pretty interesting.  The high energy keeps it from ever getting boring, and the music has got a bunch of cool hooks coming from the guitars and synths.  I suppose some might say that the record is missing edge or is maybe low on authenticity.  And I know there's some sort of concept about an arcade in a 1970's dystopia that's supposed to run through Terminal Amusements, a theme that never really lands for me.  But as the record was coming to an end, I didn't find myself caring much about any of that.  I simply decided it had been fun.  And then I listened to it all over again.  

You might like this if:

  • You like nervy high-energy music covered in poppy hooks and rhythms
  • You like absurdist concepts and have an affinity for early post-punk

You might not if:

  • Synths drive you nuts
  • You're trying to avoid any more anxiety in your day