This album is a returning favorite on my recordplayer so i thought it was time to write a proper review for it.
Released on Halloween 2018, The Satanic Rites of The Quintessentials marked the next full-length by Hawaii’s long-running horrorpunk misfits — and, tragically, the last album released during the life of founding member and frontman Rev. Les Hernandez, who passed away the following year. Looking back now, this record feels like a final statement from a band that always did things their own way: fast, loud, weird, and smart.
Recorded at Artemis Audio in Kailua, Hawaii, the album delivers 18 tracks of raw, melodic punk rock with a sharp bite. Gone is the metal gloss that plagues so much modern horror-themed music — instead, The Quintessentials give us stripped-down, three-chord bangers with heavy nods to 50s rock and doo-wop, filtered through Misfits-style choruses and a Ramones-minded approach to songwriting.
Lyrically, it's classic Les Hernandez: some tracks dive into Anton LaVey’s Satanic philosophy (without sounding preachy), others deliver tongue-in-cheek horror-punk tropes, and many showcase a strong streak of black humor and self-mockery. “The Alien Elite,” “Where Dead Things Lie,” and “Sometimes, Dead is Better” are all highlights, while “Thinking of You” and “I Don’t Wanna Be a Brady” bring the tongue firmly back in cheek.
The album also features several guest contributions that deserve a shoutout. “Green-Eyed Hamsters” opens with an excerpt from The Satanic Scriptures, read by Magus Peter H. Gilmore of the Church of Satan. “Rhiannon” — yes, that Rhiannon — is given a haunted punk makeover with guest vocals by Sydney Branch and Rev. Thomas Thorn. And “Vigilante,” the closing track, features none other than David Ingram on vocals (Benediction / Down Among the Dead Men).
The Satanic Rites of The Quintessentials is fun, furious, and smarter than it lets on — just like the band itself. Rev. Les may be gone, but this album proves that his voice still howls from the grave.
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