We are opening door number 21 on the Moshville Times Advent Calendar (check out the playlist which goes back a few years), and today we have a cover of what is arguably the most sacred text in the British Christmas canon. Yes, someone has taken on Slade’s “Merry Xmas Everybody”, and that brave soul is none other than Wretched Graverobber.
For the uninitiated, Wretched is the shovel-wielding frontman of Indiana horror-punk outfit Grave Robber. While his day job usually involves songs about zombies, reanimators, and other B-movie pleasantries, he occasionally steps out of the crypt for some solo shenanigans. This track comes from his Christmas Spirit EP, a collection that proves even ghouls like to unwrap presents (though we’re afraid to ask what’s inside them).
Covering Slade is a risky business – Noddy Holder’s voice is practically a national monument – but Wretched tackles it with the kind of grit and gravel you’d expect from a man who spends his time in graveyards. It’s a punked-up, horror-tinged rendition that keeps the stomp of the original but adds a layer of dungeon-dwelling filth to the proceedings. It’s festive, sure, but in a “Santa Claus might actually be a werewolf” kind of way.
If you want to shake up the office party playlist and scare the accounts team, stick this on between Wham! and Mariah. It’s chaotic, it’s loud, and it screams “IT’S CHRISTMAS!” in a way that might actually wake the dead.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Wretched Graverobber / Grave Robber: facebook | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | tiktok | youtube | bigcartel
