The Nekromantix were formed in 1989 in Copenhagen by Kim Nekroman after he left the Danish Navy, in which he had been a submarine radio operator. Deciding to launch a new career in music, he initially played drums in a rockabilly band prior to the foundation of Nekromantix. Learning to play the double bass and to sing, Nekroman set about forming a horror-themed psychobilly band with himself as the frontman. The band lineup is currently rounded out by Franc (guitar) and Lux (drums).
The band played two local shows in Copenhagen before appearing in a large psychobilly festival in Hamburg, Germany only six months after the band's formation. This lead to a record deal for their first album, Hellbound. Nekromantix began touring Europe heavily. At the time, the psychobilly scene was largely dominated by English bands. The band recorded a second album in 1991, Curse of the Coffin which resulted in some MTV play. 1994's Brought Back to Life became the only psychobilly album so far to ever be nominated for a Grammy award.
The band was signed to Hellcat Records in 2001, due to record label owner Tim Armstrong of punk rock band Rancid being a long-time fan of the band. Their fifth album and USA debut, Return of the Loving Dead, was recorded in Los Angeles and released in 2002. A sixth album, Dead Girls Don't Cry, was released for Hellcat in 2004, with Nekroman recording bass and vocals in Los Angeles while the Sandorff brothers recorded their respective parts back in Denmark.
In April 2005, the Sandorff brothers departed from the Nekromantix on good terms, citing their reason for leaving as "it wasn't funny anymore". They were replaced with guitarist Troy and drummer Wasted James, both from California-based psychobilly group Rezurex. Wasted James also plays in Tiger Army, and formerly played as the Nekromantix touring drummer. Andy Demize is now drummer for Nekromantix and features on the new 2007 album 'Life Is A Grave & I Dig It!'
Kim Nekroman is married to Patricia Day, ex-guitarist of Danish band Peanut Pump Gun. They play in rockabilly band called Horrorpops together.
Kim Nekroman's signature coffinbass has gone through many incarnations, the first of which being fashioned out of an actual child's coffin. The child's coffin, however, did not produce an excellent sound, so Nekroman built another himself with better acoustics. Over the years he has made a handfull of the instruments, the most recent update being collapsable for easier transportation.
Fantazma
Nekromantix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I closed my eyes and her tears down her cheek land on my chin
Oh no no no
The night I killed her she swore she would come back for me
She said I can't be dead without you, I'll haunt you 'til you swing from that tree
The only way out is death I realized as time goes by
I have to give in to her ghastly demand to see me hang high
every night I get a visit from her disembodied soul
her restless ghost wants me to pay for the life I stole
all she wants is to watch me hanging
see me dangling
at the end of a rope from the old apple tree
Oh so gently she puts a rope around my neck
she assures me the pain will be over in a sec
oh no no no
death is forever, life is not and soon we'll be
together in spirit for always and for eternity
watch us hanging
see us dangling
at the end of the ropes from the old apple tree
watch us hanging
see us dangling
side by side now, my soul mate Fantazma and me
The song "Fantazma" by Nekromantix is a haunting tale of a man who has killed his lover and is now being haunted by her vengeful ghost. The song is sung from the perspective of the murderer who is tormented by his past actions and the ghost of his victim. The song is rich in imagery with a chilling chorus that repeats the phrase "watch us hanging, see us dangling at the end of the ropes from the old apple tree."
The first verse sets the scene with the man's lover whispering goodnight to him before she is killed. Her tears fall on his chin, and she swears to haunt him until he hangs from a tree. The man realizes that the only way out is death, and he must give in to the ghost's demands. The second verse describes how the ghost visits him every night, and she wants him to pay for the life he stole. The final verse depicts the man succumbing to the ghost's wishes, with her gently putting a rope around his neck and assuring him that the pain will be over soon. In death, they will be together in spirit forever.
Overall, "Fantazma" is a dark and brooding song that is both creepy and poetic. The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery of death and ghosts, and the melody is hauntingly beautiful. The song stands out as a classic goth rock anthem and has earned Nekromantix a cult following.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodnight my sweet love, she whispers and touched me
She bid me farewell and kissed me on my face with tears rolling down her cheek.
I closed my eyes and her tears down her cheek land on my chin
I shut my eyes as her teardrops made their way to my chin.
Oh no no no
Expressing hesitation and reluctance.
The night I killed her she swore she would come back for me
On the night of her murder, she swore to return to me.
She said I can't be dead without you, I'll haunt you 'til you swing from that tree
She stated that she would continue to haunt me until I am dead.
The only way out is death I realized as time goes by
I came to realize with time that the only way out of this is through death.
I have to give in to her ghastly demand to see me hang high
I must comply with her eerie demand of seeing me dead by hanging.
oh no no no
Expressing hesitation and reluctance.
every night I get a visit from her disembodied soul
Every night I receive visits from her soul that has left her body.
her restless ghost wants me to pay for the life I stole
Her spirit desires me to suffer the consequences of murdering her.
all she wants is to watch me hanging
All she desires is to witness me hanging.
see me dangling
See me hanging by the rope.
at the end of a rope from the old apple tree
Hanging by a rope tied to an old apple tree.
Oh so gently she puts a rope around my neck
Softly, she puts a noose around my neck.
she assures me the pain will be over in a sec
She guarantees that the agony will be brief.
oh no no no
Expressing hesitation and reluctance.
death is forever, life is not and soon we'll be
Death lasts forever, but life does not, and soon we shall be together in spirit.
together in spirit for always and for eternity
Together in spirit for all time and interminability.
watch us hanging
Observe us dangling.
see us dangling
See us swaying from side to side.
side by side now, my soul mate Fantazma and me
Now, standing next to each other, my soulmate Fantazma and I.
Contributed by Caleb O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chev O'Coileáin
this and my girl are my two favorite off the album, great stuff, some of their best good sound quality too 5/5 RIP Andy Demize
Jelena Tanasin
so disturbing,yet such a calming song.... I LOVE IT! :)
Sara Renteria
i always sing this song whenever im bored lol <33
instrumentalkid18
im 13 and i remember my dad puttin this song on when i was like 8. And I even loved it back then.
Järri johnsi
this is a relaxing song :D
zanechaos
this song is so good everything is perfect but why the long ass silence?
Karsten Blechinger
Loved this BAND forever.. thx God they left us them Songs....
GrimGrease
badass song one of my favorites
Ana
super awesome
Alex- 117
@MrBirtey1 are you kidding me?? this sog is fantastic and one of my favorites from this great band