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.
Out Comes The Batz
Nekromantix Lyrics
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Contaminated by the blood
Dripping for the knife
Of a hatchet man
A self-destructive (cruel) act
In the name of a god
That is used to justify a
Holy battle plan
It's going down now
No hope for pow wow
You can't expel the devil from his dwell
There ain't no sanctuary safe enough
No shelter built strong and tough
To protect against this earthly hell
Out comes the batz
They're leaving their cave
Soon they'll be outta sight
Out comes the ratz
They are leaving the ship
Swimming off into the night
Out comes the vultures
Fleeing human discommend
In this mayhem of dismay
There'll be no tomorrow
This is the end
And tomorrow, no today
A game of sick monopoly
Polluted by the appetite
For cash and to control
A flock of sheep
An atrocious quest for peace
A certain route to genesis
It's hard to comprehend
The power of such a creep
So it went with a blast
No future no more past
The song "Out Comes The Batz" by Nekromantix delves into the dark and disturbing reality of war, the bloodshed, and the destruction that follows. The lyrics describe the nauseating smell of waste and blood, contaminated by the self-destructive act of a hatchet man in the name of a god to justify a holy battle plan. There is no hope for those who are affected by it as there is no sanctuary safe enough or shelter built strong enough to protect against the earthly hell of war. The batz and ratz, symbolizing the escapees from the cave and the ship respectively, represent the victims of war who try to escape from this chaos. However, there is no escape as even the vultures flee the human discommend, and in this mayhem of dismay, there'll be no tomorrow, and the end is near.
The song also touches upon the greed and appetite for power and control over others, which plays a significant role in the occurrence of wars. The atrocious quest for peace often leads to a certain route to genesis that cannot be comprehended by any sane individual. The power of such evil and creepy people is hard to understand and often results in a blast with no future or past.
Overall, "Out Comes The Batz" is a powerful and impactful song that shines a light on the horrors of war and the devastating effects it has on people's lives.
Line by Line Meaning
The nauseating smell of waste
The putrid scent of garbage and filth
Contaminated by the blood
Mixed with blood, indicating violence
Dripping for the knife
Dripping with blood, from being stabbed or cut
Of a hatchet man
Of a hired killer or assassin
A self-destructive (cruel) act
An act that harms oneself and others
In the name of a god
In the name of a deity or religion
That is used to justify a
That is exploited to legitimize
Holy battle plan
A violent strategy sanctioned by religion
It's going down now
It's happening now
No hope for pow wow
No chance for a peaceful resolution
You can't expel the devil from his dwell
It's impossible to remove evil from its root
There ain't no sanctuary safe enough
There's no place that's truly safe
No shelter built strong and tough
No building or structure strong enough to withstand the chaos
To protect against this earthly hell
To shield oneself from this hellish reality
Out comes the batz
The bats are emerging
They're leaving their cave
They're abandoning their home
Soon they'll be outta sight
They'll disappear soon
Out comes the ratz
The rats are coming out
They are leaving the ship
They're abandoning the vessel
Swimming off into the night
Disappearing into the dark
Out comes the vultures
The vultures are appearing
Fleeing human discommend
Escaping human disapproval and condemnation
In this mayhem of dismay
In this chaotic and discouraging situation
There'll be no tomorrow
There won't be a future
This is the end
The situation has reached its conclusion
And tomorrow, no today
And there won't be another day, only today
A game of sick monopoly
A twisted game of control and power
Polluted by the appetite
Corrupted by the hunger
For cash and to control
For money and command
A flock of sheep
A group of followers who are easily influenced
An atrocious quest for peace
A terrible desire for peace at any cost
A certain route to genesis
A particular path to the beginning or origin
It's hard to comprehend
It's difficult to understand
The power of such a creep
The influence of such a repulsive person
So it went with a blast
It ended explosively
No future no more past
No future and no past, only an abrupt end
Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.