Rating: NN
If the Darkness can ride a gimmick to superstardom, then why not some small-town Ontario boys? At least I really hope the Matadors’ shtick is a gimmick. While this rockabilly trio mixes Dick Dale, Link Wray and the Stray Cats in a fairly straightforward manner, they’ve also come up with their own legend that reads like a Dan Brown book. It’s some intense deal-with-the-devil shit that has an associate of “the Lucifarian Brotherhood of Baphomet” visiting mainman Joel Parkins, who becomes convinced that he and his mates will rule the world if they play Lucifarian gospel music. Factor in songs like Devil’s Mistress and Creeping Demon and you get the title of that Flatlanders album More A Legend Than A Band.
The Matadors rock the Kathedral Saturday (December 18).
