Murder Tag – Full Moon/Eternal (2021)
Supernatural themed supergroup, Murder Tag, bring forth the spirit of 80s and 90s goth and grunge rock in their debut sing ‘Full Moon/Eternal’. The single, released under Brooklyn Drum Collective Records, offers two tracks paired together like haunting twin sisters.
The band was born under the full blue moon of Halloween 2020, after channelling the dark energy of a horror film produced, written and conjured by artist Jen Meller. During the film’s creation fellow actors and contributors Mike Borchardt (guitarist and backing vocalist), Stephanie Gunther (vocalist and bassist) and Carlo Minchillo (drummer, guitarist and keyboardist), say they “became possessed by a melodious spirit”. It urged the chosen three to form the band and become the musical medium for the film’s chilling soundtrack.
The horror story from which the band was birthed emanates throughout its first single, the two tracks evoking the supernatural in the form of dirge and song. ‘Full Moon’ has a creeping, ominous melody dragged along by dirty, crunching bass lines. Gunther sings about the depths of hell and the surrounding darkness with soul-searching and otherworldly prowess. The drums are eerie and slow and something in it all reminds me of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’, though less psychedelic and more macabre. It’s as if the song was recorded in an old, decrepit church hall.
The second track on the debut single, ‘Eternal’, is a more upbeat, unhurried headbanger. Gorgeous in its gory details, an ode to the dead or perhaps the eternal undead. The band and music would have fit nicely playing a live set in Sunnydale’s 90s nightclub, The Bronze, and conjures up images of vampires and immortal beings.
It sounds as though the trio has been playing together for a lifetime, not simply since 2020. Evidently, Murder Tag is a meeting of like-minded lost souls with a plethora of musical exploits. Borchardt is the vocalist and guitarist of Nihiloceros and guitarist in Treads. Gunther is the vocalist and bassist of Desert Sharks and Minchillo the drummer of The Planes, Glass Slipper and creator of the Brooklyn Drum Collective. Drawing on influences such as Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins as well as The Crow soundtrack, the tracks are certainly pointed at those with an interest in the dark arts and undertones of music.
For some gloriously unearthly and gruesome tunes, check out Murder Tag on their official website, Spotify, Facebook and Instagram.
