Macabre (band) explained

Macabre
Background:	group_or_band
Origin:	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Years Active:	1985–present
Current Members:	Charles Lescewicz Dennis Ritchie Lance Lencioni

Macabre is an American extreme metal band from Chicago.^[1] Since their formation in 1985, the band has featured the same three members with no lineup changes. The group's style blends thrash metal, death metal, and grindcore (sometimes with nursery rhymes and folk melodies). Lyrically, Macabre have a strong focus on serial killers, mass murderers and humorous elements.^[2] The group is currently signed to Nuclear Blast.

Influences

Macabre's music was strongly influenced by US and UK hardcore, grindcore, and death metal acts, ranging from Venom, The Accüsed, Suicidal Tendencies, and Cryptic Slaughter to Possessed and Napalm Death. Macabre's dark sense of humor alienated casual metal listeners, however it helped to gain a small but strong cult status.^[2]

Some of the serial killers mentioned in their songs are:

• Bob Berdella (The Kansas City Butcher)
• Henry Lee Lucas (The Confession Killer)
• David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)
• Ted Bundy
• Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber)
• Vlad the Impaler
• Ed Gein (The Butcher of Plainfield)
• Charles Manson
• Jeffrey Dahmer (The Milwaukee Cannibal)
• John Wayne Gacy (The Killer Clown)
• Jack the Ripper
• Edmund Kemper (The Co-ed Killer)
• Peter Kürten (The Vampire of Düsseldorf)
• Herman Mudgett (H.H. Holmes)
• Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker)
• Gary Ridgway (The Green River Killer)
• Zodiac
• Joe Ball (The Alligator Man)

Members

• Nefarious (Charles Lescewicz) – bass, vocals (1984–present)
• Dennis the Menace (Dennis Ritchie) – drums (1984–present)
• Corporate Death (Lance Lencioni) – guitar, vocals (1984–present)^[2]

Discography

Studio albums

• Gloom (1989)
• Sinister Slaughter (1993)
• Dahmer (2000)
• Murder Metal (2003)
• Grim Scary Tales (2011)
• Carnival of Killers (2020)

Demos, Video, LP, EP, Compilations

• Shitlist (1987)
• Grim Reality (1987)
• Shitlist (1988, 7")
• Nightstalker (1991, 7")
• Behind the Wall of Sleep (1994, EP)
• Unabomber (1999, EP)
• Capitalist Casualties / Macabre(2001, split with Capitalist Casualties)
• Morbid Campfire Songs (2002, as the Macabre Minstrels)
• Drill Bit Lobotomy (2002, 7")
• Macabre Electric & Acoustic Two CD Set (2004, 2-CD set including the CDs Murder Metal and Macabre Minstrels)
• True Tales of Slaughter and Slaying (2006, DVD)
• Grim Reality (2008) _{− re-issue featuring the remastered 1980s version and a Neil Kernon remix version}
• Human Monsters (2010, EP)
• Slaughter Thy Poser(2012, EP)

Notes and References

1. Birchmeier, Jason "Macabre Biography", AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2015
2. Book: The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal. Colin Larkin. Colin Larkin (writer). Guinness Publishing. 1995. Second. 0-85112-656-1. 208/9.