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Horrified
Album cover with decomposing skull
Studio album by
Repulsion
ReleasedJuly 10, 1989[a]
RecordedJune 1986
StudioLarry Hennessy's basement studio (Flint, Michigan)
Genre
Length29:04
Label
Producer
  • Doug Earp
  • Repulsion
Repulsion chronology
Horrified
(1989) 		Excruciation
(1991)

Horrified is the only studio album by American grindcore band Repulsion. The album was recorded for US$300 at the basement studio of engineer Larry Hennessy over the course of three to four days in June 1986. Horrified features fast songs combining elements of thrash metal, death metal and hardcore punk; blast beats, and bloody, gory lyrics inspired by horror films and comics. The album was initially released as a demo titled Slaughter of the Innocent, but failed to attract record label interest, resulting in Repulsion's disbandment in September 1986.

After circulating in tape trading circles, Horrified was given an official release with its present title and adjusted artwork through Necrosis Records, a sublabel of Earache Records owned by Bill Steer and Jeff Walker of Carcass, in July 1989. The album is widely considered a classic and highly influential grindcore album and has been credited with pioneering the goregrind subgenre; retrospective reviews acknowledge its influence whilst also describing it as an enjoyable listen. In 2009, Decibel ranked Horrified as the greatest grindcore album of all time, with Terrorizer ranking it as the second-greatest American grindcore album.

Background

[edit]

In 1984, Matt Olivo and Scott Carlson formed the band Tempter in Flint, Michigan.[1] In the fall of 1984, they briefly renamed themselves Ultraviolence before settling on Genocide.[2] The band recorded its first demo, known as Armies of the Dead, in November 1984.[2] In the spring of 1985, following a period of lineup instabilities, Carlson and Olivo agreed to disband and merge Genocide with Chuck Schuldiner's Death.[3] In August 1985,[2] only weeks after they arrived in Altamonte Springs, Florida, drummer Kam Lee left Death. Unable to find a new drummer, the band attempted to work on new material. Carlson and Olivo found themselves at creative odds with Schuldiner; Carlson said that the latter wanted to take things in a more technical and guitar-oriented direction, while he and Olivo wanted to "completely thrash out".[3] After returning to Flint, Carlson and Olivo reformed Genocide and recruited drummer Dave "Grave" Hollingshead, a punk rock drummer whom they heard about from a newspaper article about a grave robbery.[3] Hollingshead's musical background in funk and new wave differed from those of his bandmates, who were primarily into heavy metal.[4]

In October 1985, Genocide recorded the Violent Death demo and began playing local shows around Flint.[3] Hollingshead initially struggled to play to the speeds Genocide wanted, leading him to play what they described as a "cheating beat"—"hitting the hi-hat every other time he was not hitting the snare".[3] Within a few months, his drumming speed rapidly increased; Carlson said the lyrics of "The Stench of Burning Death", "Six Feet Under", and "The Lurking Fear", which were meant to be played at a slower, Slayer-esque speed, became "garbled".[5] In January 1986, Genocide recorded The Stench of Burning Death demo at WFBE Studios with the help of guitarist Aaron Freeman, who was made a permanent member thereafter.[6] The band attempted to shop the demo to various record labels, who responded with indifference and viewed the band as too extreme and uncommercial.[6] According to Carlson, the demo was rejected by Combat, Metal Blade, and New Renaissance Records.[1] In May 1986,[7] Genocide changed their name to Repulsion, after the Roman Polanski film of the same name, due to the existence of several other bands under their former name.[8]

Development

[edit]

Olivo said that 75–80% of the songs on Horrified were written while Repulsion was known as Genocide.[9] All but eight of the album's songs are taken from the band's previous demos,[2] and most were completed before Freeman joined the band.[9] The intro of "The Stench of Burning Death" was taken from the chorus of an old Repulsion song titled "Crack of Doom".[10] "Six Feet Under",[1] "Decomposed", and "The Lurking Fear" were written during Carlson and Olivo's time with Schuldiner and Death in Florida.[11] Carlson and Olivo were primarily responsible for the album's writing, either through the former bringing in a complete song that the latter would contribute to or both of them combining their ideas in equal measure.[4] Freeman contributed to the writing of "Eaten Alive",[10] "Acid Bath",[9] "Crematorium",[9] and "Splattered Cadavers".[12] Carlson later described his and Olivo's organization style as a "dictatorship" that he believed was not enjoyable for Hollingshead.[9] Although he said Repulsion "kind of ended up using [him] as a drum machine", Olivo felt Hollingshead brought in his own influences, such as with his use of downbeats when playing blast beats.[13] Freeman highlighted Hollingshead's use of swing beats on "Slaughter of the Innocent" and "Bodily Dismemberment" as representing his experience in hardcore and funk bands.[13]

In June 1986, Repulsion recorded Horrified, then known as Slaughter of the Innocent,[7] at the basement studio of engineer Larry Hennessy.[14] According to Freeman, the album was recorded in three to four days, with two days spent on drums and another two days on guitars and vocals.[15] Carlson said the recording marked the first time Repulsion's members had to be isolated from one another, which "threw everybody off" and made the band less "tight" than they had been during rehearsals.[4] Repulsion self-funded the album's recording due to the lack of label interest.[7] Doug Earp, the owner of a local record store called Wyatt Earp, paid the recording costs of US$300; the band did not pay him back until the album was released.[16] Carlson said that Repulsion had intended to release Slaughter of the Innocent as an album rather than a demo, either through their own or an established label, but were unhappy with Hennessy's recording.[1]

Hollingshead recorded his parts in the studio's utility room with a Tama Rockstar drum kit. Olivo tracked his parts in the control room with a Vantage Flying V; Freeman also used a Gibson Flying V.[15] Situated in a room between Hollingshead and Olivo, Carlson recorded his parts—intended as scratch tracks—with a Squier P Bass into a Boss distortion pedal connected to a DI box at the recording console,[17] so Hollingshead could hear them while recording drums.[18] He described the resulting sound—which William York of AllMusic called "an unholy mess of distorted sludge"—as a "happy accident".[19][20] The guitars and bass tracks were re-recorded thereafter. According to Carlson, the re-recorded bass tracks were lost when Hennessy "blew over" them during the recording of guitar solo overdubs, resulting in his scratch tracks being used on the final album.[17][b] Prior to recording, Carlson caught strep throat but continued to practice vocals and "didn't let [his] voice heal properly", resulting in it permanently moving to a higher register after the studio sessions.[14]

Composition and lyrics

[edit]

Horrified consists of 18 songs with a running time of just under 30 minutes,[21] with its tracks averaging around one to two minutes in length.[19] Carlson cited Discharge as an influence on the album's length, stating that the band "needed 30 minutes, we figured—we were really into punk bands—and Discharge albums were about 30 minutes long, so we figured '18 songs'."[9] Musically, the album has been described as both grindcore and death metal.[22][23] Revolver's Eli Enis viewed the album as a "missing link between mid-Eighties American thrash and early English grindcore",[24] while Alex DiStefano of the Phoenix New Times described it as a "hybrid" of death metal and hardcore punk.[25] Backed by raw production,[21] the album's songs are fast-paced[19][26] and show few signs of groove[19] and melody.[26] They feature thrash metal riffs and blast beats,[19][25] as well as "noisy whammy-bar-eruption solos"[19] reminiscent of Slayer.[21][26] Carlson's distorted bass was influenced by Motörhead, Discharge, and Venom.[20] At the time of Horrified's recording, Hollingshead said he was listening to "death metal, anything fast—Slayer, Metallica, Sodom, [Corrosion of Conformity], D.R.I., GBH, [and] Black Flag."[4] Alexander Santelt of Metal.de described the album's drumming as "chaotic, yet extremely driving".[21]

J. Bennett of Terrorizer described the lyrics of Horrified as "blood soaked".[27] DiStefano said that they tell stories of "cannibalism, rancid corpses, zombies, blood, gore, the horrors of war, and the apocalypse."[25] Santelt writes that while the lyrics are primarily focused on "gore horror", songs such as "Slaughter of the Innocent" show elements of "socially critical hardcore".[21] In a 2012 interview with BrooklynVegan, Carlson said that his lyrics were "a product of [his] surroundings", with some songs "conveying real fears and emotion while others are just pure exploitative fun."[20] He drew influence from splatter films such as Dawn of the Dead and Evil Dead, horror comics like Tales from the Crypt and Twisted Tales, and the bands Crucifix and Discharge.[1][20] He credited the latter with influencing the lyrics of "The Stench of Burning Death", "Slaughter of the Innocent", and "Pestilent Decay".[1] Carlson's vocals, influenced by Cronos and Jeff Becera,[14] were called "brutal" by Distefano[25] and likened to a guttural, "zombie-fied version" of Slayer's Tom Araya by Enis.[24] York called them a "mid-range sneer" that would differ from the "exaggerated Cookie Monster style of much later grindcore".[19]

"Slaughter of the Innocent" is about the end of the world and was musically written by Carlson and Olivo with Discharge and Celtic Frost in mind.[28] According to Carlson, "Decomposed" is the "ballad of a flesh-eating zombie".[28] Selected as one of the album's highlights by York,[19] "Radiation Sickness" was described by Joe DiVita of Loudwire as "a frenzied attack of clanging cymbal bashing and gnashing guitars".[29] Decibel's Gregg Pratt described "Splattered Cadavers" as "speedgrindmayhem".[30] The lyrics of "Festering Boils" were taken—largely unaltered—from a "rough draft" written by Carlson's friend Jim Mark.[12] "Crematorium" was the last song written for Horrified, being completed days before recording commenced.[9] The song's lyrics were written by Carlson, Freeman, and Dejecta vocalist Lee Williams,[31] the latter of whom Carlson later called its "main songwriter".[1] "Driven to Insanity" was inspired by Re-Animator[31] and features a "victorious", galloping punk riff.[30] "The Lurking Fear" was titled after the short story of the same name by H.P. Lovecraft, although its lyrics "have nothing to do with it", according to Carlson.[32] "Black Breath" was inspired by the Nazgûls of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series and is the only song on Horrified to not feature a blast beat.[33] Carlson wrote the lyrics of "Maggots in Your Coffin" after its title was suggested by Tom Puro, a friend of Repulsion.[1][33]

Release

[edit]

Repulsion hoped the Slaughter of the Innocent demo would garner them label attention, and its subsequent failure to do so left them feeling confused and disillusioned.[1][7][34] In July 1986, Hollingshead left Repulsion to join the Army, which Carlson attributed to him and Olivo constantly pushing him to play faster.[1][35] The band recruited Tom Puro as a replacement drummer that month.[6] By this point, Carlson felt that Repulsion had said all that they needed to with Horrified and were creatively burnt out.[1][35] The band subsequently disbanded following one final performance in September 1986.[6] At Earp's request, the Horrified lineup would reunite twice thereafter to perform at the Fallout Shelter in Flint on November 7, 1987, and January 1, 1988.[6] In a 2016 interview with Echoes and Dust, Carlson said that Hollingshead's departure and the birth of Freeman's son shortly after the recording of Horrified resulted in "a transitional period [that] we just never recovered from", and believed at the time that the album "would just be forgotten forever" after record labels showed no immediate interest in Repulsion.[34]

In the intervening years, the Slaughter of the Innocent garnered a following in tape-trading circles from bands including Napalm Death and Carcass[36] and "aspiring extremists" such as Nickie Andersson, Lee Dorrian, and Fenriz of Darkthrone.[37] At the urging of Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury, who was pen pals with Freeman, Digby Pearson of Earache Records contacted Repulsion in early 1989 with an offer to release their album.[38] Carlson said that, ironically, Earache was one of the few labels Repulsion did not send their demo to, as they had only put out two releases at the time—a reissue of The Accüsed's debut album and a flexi release by Heresy.[39] With some funding from Pearson,[40] Slaughter of the Innocent was remixed in March 1989 at Silver Tortoise Soundlab in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Carlson, Freeman, and Jonas Berzanskis.[41] Hennessy was supposed to work on the mix, but Repulsion could not contact him when it was time to do so.[38] Around this time, Jeff Walker and Bill Steer of Carcass expressed interest in signing Repulsion to a record label they wanted to form to exploit the Enterprise Allowance Scheme.[42] Walker said that Pearson was afraid that—like Heresy had done in the past—Carcass was attempting to secede from Earache.[42] Ultimately, Walker and Steer agreed to release Repulsion's album through their own Earache sublabel, Necrosis Records.[38][42] Prior to its release, Carlson changed the name from Slaughter of the Innocent to Horrified, which he considered a better fit for its cover artwork.[38] The album was released through Necrosis and Earache on July 10, 1989.[43]

Artwork

[edit]

The cover of Horrified, illustrated by Carlson in the style of EC Comics, was inspired by a story in Twisted Tales about a "burned up kid who comes back from the dead on Halloween and goes trick-or-treating."[40] Mike Grossklaus, who worked on its layout, initially drew the album's cover,[38] which Carlson described as a "sort of psychedelic blur of a photo of a guy getting his head blown off".[1] Earache rejected Grossklaus' cover,[1] and Walker ended up handling the artwork uncredited. According to Carlson, Walker enlarged and painted over his illustration to depict a "rotten, green zombie", unaware of its intended representation of a "burned up kid".[40] Phil Skarich, whom Carlson knew from a band he was in called From Beyond, drew the liner notes artwork.[1]

Olivo, who was stationed in Germany with the Army at the time of its release, recalled that his first thought upon receiving a copy of the album was "'Goddamn, this is shitty looking!' [...] that cover is just fucking awful", although he was happy with the rest of its packaging.[39] In a 2004 interview, Carlson criticized the cover for deviating from its intended idea and said it was "terrible and we're stuck with it cos that's what people have seen."[1] Conversely, Freeman considered the cover to be the "better choice" in hindsight, calling it Repulsion's version of Eddie.[44] Bennett described the cover as "iconic".[39]

Reception and legacy

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[19]
Metal.de10/10[21]
Metal Hammer4/5[45]

Over time, Horrified came to be seen as a landmark grindcore release,[46] and is widely regarded by as a classic and highly influential album by the genre's fans;[19] according to Justin M. Norton of About.com, "many consider [it] the most influential grindcore album ever".[47] In 2009, Decibel's Andrew Bonzanelli ranked Horrified first on the magazine's list of "The Top 30 Grindcore Albums of All Time", calling it the genre's "first, and definitive" album and crediting it with "legitimizing the blast beat by employing it in bulk".[48] Terrorizer ranked it as the second-greatest American grindcore album, stating that Repulsion was "directly and indirectly responsible for [the existence of] every other band" on their list.[49] Horrified has also been credited with pioneering the goregrind subgenre,[30][50][51] with Greg Pratt of Decibel describing it as the source of inspiration for "every goregrind band on the planet".[30]

Embury and Mitch Harris both cited Horrified as a massive influence on Napalm Death,[44][52] who also covered "Maggots in Your Coffin" on their 1999 covers EP Leaders Not Followers.[19] Entombed recorded a cover of "Black Breath" for a 7" single in 1994.[39] Anders Björler of At the Gates credited his experience listening to Horrified at the house of bandmate Tomas Lindberg with exposing him to grindcore and death metal.[44] Brutal Truth bassist Dan Lilker said he was surprised at the speed of Repulsion when he first heard the album in demo form in the mid-1980s;[9] vocalist Kevin Sharp considered Carlson's bass tone to be genre-defining for grindcore, comparing it to the influence of the Ramones' "riffing" on punk music and Dave Lombardo's "Reign in Blood beat" on thrash metal.[53] Soilwork drummer Dirk Verbeuren expressed admiration for the album, which he considered a "grindcore milestone".[15] Mortiis cited the album as an influence.[54] Critics have also described Horrified as laying the groundwork for other bands including Cannibal Corpse,[21][26][36] Death, and Pestilence.[21]

Reviewing the album for Metal Hammer in 1993, James Sherry acknowledged Horrified's influence on bands such as Napalm Death and Carcass whilst describing it as a fun listen that was "as chaotic, dangerous and downright repulsive as music can get... for now."[45] In his retrospective review for AllMusic,[c] York said that the album could still be enjoyed as a "direct blast of youthful, horror-inspired thrash/grind mayhem" without having to consider its impact or legacy.[19] Kerrang! stated in 2019 that Horrified's "agitated pace is also what gives [the album] its charm, and for a generation of kids uninterested in a lot of extreme metal's technical obsession, the record became influential beyond anyone's wildest dreams."[50] In 2021, Alexander Santelt of Metal.de wrote that the album "remains absolutely relevant today, both as a historical audio document and the birth of [grindcore], but also as a still incredibly entertaining, [...] primitively antisocial, yet charming and catchy blast."[21]

Aftermath

[edit]

Repulsion reunited in 1990 and produced two demos and an extended play, Excrutiation (1991), through Relapse Records.[2] The EP's success led Relapse to re-release Horrified in 1992,[55] with new artwork and the bonus track "Black Nightmare", taken from Repulsion's Stench of Burning Death demo.[6] In a 2004 interview, Carlson and Freeman said that the album had sold 6,000 copies through Earache and another 5,000 through Relapse.[1] The band disbanded at the end of 1992, due to Carlson losing interest and moving out of Flint.[56]

On February 4, 2003, Relapse reissued Horrified again with a bonus CD consisting of various demos and other recordings titled Rarities.[57] Shortly after its release, Repulsion were offered a headlining slot at the final Milwaukee Metalfest, leading to their reunion; the band has continued to tour and perform, primarily at festivals, since then.[58] In 2009, Repulsion performed the album in its entirety in New York City with Pig Destroyer and Brutal Truth.[59] The band initially reformed with its Horrified line-up; by 2013, Carlson remained its sole constant member.[39]

To date, Horrified remains Repulsion's sole album.[60] When asked about the possibility of recording new material in a 2012 interview with BrooklynVegan, Carlson said that if "the material and motivation ever come together, I think [Repulsion] could do something that would not tarnish our name".[20] In the 2016 edition of Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore, he said that new material would have to come naturally instead of forcing it, but otherwise believed audiences would not be interested in it.[61]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Repulsion.

Standard release
No.TitleLength
1."The Stench of Burning Death"1:33
2."Eaten Alive"1:38
3."Acid Bath"1:30
4."Slaughter of the Innocent"1:32
5."Decomposed"1:21
6."Radiation Sickness"2:04
7."Splattered Cadavers"1:24
8."Festering Boils"1:52
9."Pestilent Decay"1:03
10."Crematorium"1:29
11."Driven to Insanity"1:39
12."Six Feet Under"1:11
13."Bodily Dismemberment"1:45
14."Repulsion"1:44
15."The Lurking Fear"1:09
16."Black Breath"2:16
17."Maggots in Your Coffin"1:45
18."Horrified"2:04
Total length:29:04
1992 reissue bonus track
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
19."Black Nightmare"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)2:07
Total length:31:11
2003 reissue Disc 2: Rarities
No.TitleOriginal album[62]Length
1."Armies of the Dead"Genocide 11/84 Rehearsal Demo (a.k.a. Armies of the Dead)2:24
2."Satan's Whores"Genocide 11/84 Rehearsal Demo (a.k.a. Armies of the Dead)2:36
3."Crack of Doom"Genocide 11/84 Rehearsal Demo (a.k.a. Armies of the Dead)2:30
4."Armies of the Dead"Genocide Violent Death Demo Autumn '851:43
5."Six Feet Under"Genocide Violent Death Demo Autumn '851:33
6."Violent Death"Genocide Violent Death Demo Autumn '851:05
7."The Lurking Fear"Genocide Violent Death Demo Autumn '851:34
8."Crack of Doom"Genocide Violent Death Demo Autumn '852:00
9."Horrified"Genocide Violent Death Demo Autumn '852:32
10."The Stench of Burning Death"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:30
11."Decomposed"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:34
12."Slaughter of the Innocent"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:50
13."Eaten Alive"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:50
14."Six Feet Under"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:19
15."Crypt of Terror"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:48
16."The Lurking Fear"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:19
17."Festering Boils"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:56
18."Pestilent Decay"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:14
19."Black Nightmare"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)2:03
20."Bodily Dismemberment"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)1:55
21."Horrified"Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86 (a.k.a. The Stench of Burning Death)2:14
22."Radiation Sickness"Genocide Live 5/14/862:06
23."Black Breath"Genocide Live 5/14/862:17
24."Excrutiation"Repulsion Excrutiation EP/Demo3:31
25."Helga (Lost Her Head)"Repulsion Excrutiation EP/Demo3:25
26."Rebirth"Repulsion Excrutiation EP/Demo3:06
27."House of Freaks"Repulsion Excrutiation EP/Demo2:42
28."Depraved"Repulsion 1991 Final Demos2:59
29."Face of Decay"Repulsion 1991 Final Demos3:15
30."Something Dead"Repulsion 1991 Final Demos3:31
Total length:65:25

Personnel

[edit]

Personnel adapted from liner notes.[41][62]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Horrified

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Horrified is a series of cooperative board games published by Ravensburger, in which 1 to 5 players aged 10 and older work together to defend a town from rampaging monsters by collecting items, guiding non-player characters, and solving unique puzzle-like challenges specific to each creature, with gameplay lasting approximately 60 minutes. The inaugural title, Horrified: Universal Monsters, released in 2019, pits players against seven iconic horror figures from Universal Studios films, including Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolf Man. Subsequent entries expand the theme to diverse monster sets: Horrified: American Monsters (2021) features cryptids like Bigfoot and the Chupacabra; Horrified: Greek Monsters (2023) draws from mythology with beasts such as Medusa and Cerberus; Horrified: World of Monsters (2024) incorporates global legends including the Sphinx and Cthulhu; and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons (2025) integrates fantasy creatures like the Beholder from the renowned role-playing game. Across the series, players manage an action economy to advance individual monster terror tracks while mitigating overall terror levels, with variable difficulty and modular setups ensuring high replayability; the games have garnered acclaim for their accessible yet strategic cooperative play and thematic immersion.

Background

Band formation

Repulsion traces its origins to the band Tempter, formed in 1984 in , by vocalist and guitarist Matt Olivo, alongside bassist Sean McDonald and drummer James Auten. Operating as teenagers in an industrial city, the group drew from the nascent and scenes, practicing in local basements amid limited resources and opportunities. Flint's metal and punk underground was underdeveloped, with few dedicated venues like Harpo's or Blondie's and sparse bands such as Gore and Halloween, fostering a DIY among young musicians who often had to create their own outlets for expression. By late 1984, Tempter underwent a brief name change to Ultraviolence before evolving into Genocide later that year, marking a shift toward heavier death and thrash metal influences inspired by bands like Slayer and Celtic Frost. The updated lineup for Genocide featured Scott Carlson on vocals, Matt Olivo on guitar, Sean McDonald on bass, and a new drummer, Phil Hines, reflecting early adjustments as the members experimented with faster tempos and more aggressive structures. As amateurs with no professional recording experience or releases, the band focused on honing their sound through informal rehearsals, embodying the raw, unpolished energy of the era's underground movements. Genocide's formative period intersected with broader connections in the scene, particularly through ties to of . In mid-1985, Carlson and Olivo relocated temporarily to to join after seeing an ad in a , where they bonded closely with Schuldiner over shared musical tastes and humor, contributing to early sessions before returning to Flint later that year due to lineup shifts in involving Kam Lee's departure. This brief stint exposed them to new ideas but reinforced their commitment to the band back home, solidifying their place in Michigan's emerging punk-metal hybrid underground without any formal output at the time.

Early demos and influences

Repulsion's earliest output came in the form of a recorded in November 1984 under the moniker, captured in a basement using rudimentary equipment like a and featuring tracks such as "Armies of the Dead," "Satan's Whores," and "Crack of Doom" that showcased raw thrash elements. The following year saw the 1985 demo Violent Death, also recorded under and featuring raw, aggressive tracks that blended thrash and nascent elements. This self-recorded effort, captured in guitarist Matt Olivo's basement using rudimentary equipment like a , showcased the group's evolving speed and brutality, with songs emphasizing horror imagery and unrelenting riffs. The following year, Repulsion solidified their sound with the Slaughter of the Innocent demo in June 1986, which served as the foundational recording for their debut album Horrified. Produced on a modest of $300 at Larry Hennessy's basement studio in , the tape included tracks like "The Stench of Burning Death" and "," delivering a chaotic mix of grinding riffs, blast beats, and guttural vocals that pushed boundaries. The band's sound drew heavily from UK punk acts such as Discharge and GBH, whose raw energy and rhythms informed Repulsion's fast-paced aggression and anti-establishment ethos. Additional influences included horror-infused pioneers like Possessed, whose dark, Satanic themes and technical ferocity shaped the group's lyrical and sonic horror elements, as well as the emerging intensity seen in Napalm Death's early work. These inspirations converged to create a hybrid style that rejected polished metal conventions in favor of visceral, punk-driven extremity. Through the underground tape-trading networks of the mid-1980s, Repulsion's demos circulated widely among metal enthusiasts, fostering a dedicated cult following despite lacking major label support. Fans exchanged copies globally, from fanzines to personal collections, amplifying the band's reputation in scenes dominated by thrash and hardcore, and paving the way for their enduring influence in extreme music.

Production

Songwriting and pre-production

The songwriting for Horrified primarily drew from material developed during Repulsion's formative years, with most tracks originating from demos recorded between 1985 and 1986, including early versions captured in guitarist Matt Olivo's bedroom using rudimentary equipment like a jam box. These songs, initially written under the band's prior moniker Genocide, were refined to amplify their speed and intensity, evolving into a grindcore style characterized by frantic tempos and aggressive structures to match the capabilities of drummer Dave Hollingshead, who joined in 1986. The process unfolded at a rapid pace, yielding 18 songs over seven to eight months through extensive rehearsals that emphasized raw energy over complexity. Collaboration was central to the album's creation, with vocalist and bassist responsible for the lyrics, often inspired by horror films and comics, while Olivo and Hollingshead contributed key riffs and song structures. This division allowed the band to build tracks around simple verse-chorus formats, prioritizing short, explosive bursts—most clocking in under two minutes on average—to maximize impact and aggression. Additional songs like "Maggots in Your Coffin" and "Black Breath" were incorporated just before finalization, further honing the material through live performances that tested and sharpened its brutality. Pre-production occurred entirely on a self-funded basis in makeshift home setups, reflecting the band's financial constraints in Flint, Michigan, where access to professional facilities was nonexistent. Rehearsals took place in basements, focusing on tightening the arrangements without external resources, though limited equipment—such as a single power outlet for all gear—posed ongoing hurdles. The band faced significant challenges in securing support, including rejections from major labels like Combat Records and Metal Blade Records, which deemed their demo too extreme even compared to contemporaries like Sodom. These setbacks, compounded by the amateur recording quality, delayed progress but ultimately preserved the album's unpolished, visceral edge.

Recording process

The album Horrified was recorded in June 1986 at engineer Larry Hennessey's home studio in , a modest setup that aligned with the band's DIY . The sessions were self-funded through contributions from local record store owner Doug Earp, with a total budget of approximately $300, reflecting the constrained resources available to the then-obscure outfit. Hennessey, a friend of the band with experience in radio and commercial recordings, handled engineering duties, guiding a raw, lo-fi production approach designed to preserve the intensity of Repulsion's live performances. The band employed basic gear, including a 388 8-track recorder supplemented by a 4-track setup for rehearsals and initial captures, alongside inexpensive or borrowed equipment such as a Tama Rockstar , a Vantage Flying V guitar amplified through a Marshall Mark II 100-watt head and no-name 4x12 cabinet, and a Precision bass run direct to console with a Boss distortion pedal. Production emphasized minimal overdubs—primarily limited to vocals and select guitar parts—with the core tracking completed live in the room over just a few days: drums in 1-2 days without a , followed by guitars, bass, and vocals in another 1-2 days. This technique highlighted distorted guitar tones and the pioneering blast beats of drummer Dave Hollingshead, capturing the band's aggressive energy in an unpolished, gritty sound that defined early . As guitarist Matt Olivo recalled, "We just went in and recorded it live... it was all about capturing that energy," while vocalist delivered vocals with such ferocity that Hennessey reportedly fell out of his chair laughing during the sessions. Following the recording, the master tape remained unreleased for three years, as Repulsion disbanded in late amid personal and financial strains, leaving the material to circulate informally through tape trading before its eventual 1989 issuance.

Musical content

The Horrified series is a and does not feature musical content or elements.

Release

Original release

Horrified was released on May 29, 1989, by Necrosis Records, a short-lived imprint founded and operated by Jeff Walker and of the band Carcass. The label served as a sub-imprint of , focusing on underground acts. The album's path to release stemmed from the band's 1986 demo tape, Slaughter of the Innocent, which circulated widely through the underground tape-trading network and garnered attention in the burgeoning and scenes. Despite initial lack of major label interest during the band's temporary disbandment, the demo's acclaim led to its posthumous issuance as a full-length LP via , which had scouted promising material from the tape-trading circuit. The original edition was issued as a 12-inch vinyl LP at RPM and as a CD, featuring all 18 tracks from the demo in a remastered form, with no digital versions available at launch. Promotion for the release was sparse and grassroots-oriented, primarily disseminated through word-of-mouth within the community and coverage in independent fanzines that supported the tape-trading underground. This approach aligned with the era's DIY ethos, relying on scene enthusiasts rather than formal marketing campaigns.

Reissues and distribution

In 1992, Relapse Records issued the first CD reissue of Horrified, marking the album's transition to wider compact disc availability beyond the original vinyl and cassette formats. This edition preserved the core tracklist while benefiting from improved production quality for broader distribution. Relapse Records followed with a significant remastered reissue on February 4, 2003, available in both LP and CD formats, which included a bonus disc featuring live tracks, early demos, and updated liner notes providing historical context on the band's formation and recording. The remastering enhanced the album's raw grindcore sound without altering its aggressive dynamics, and this version became a benchmark for subsequent editions. A 2013 reissue by introduced a limited-edition 180-gram vinyl pressing, available in various color variants such as slime green and red/black merge, emphasizing high-fidelity pressing for collectors. This edition maintained the remastered audio from 2003 and included an insert replicating the original artwork, contributing to renewed interest in physical formats. In 2025, released a colored vinyl edition as part of ongoing commemorations, featuring translucent green pressing to celebrate the album's enduring legacy. This reissue coincided with expanded , making Horrified widely available on platforms like and since the early 2010s, significantly boosting global accessibility beyond physical sales.

Artwork and packaging

Cover art

The cover artwork for the Horrified series features thematic illustrations of the game's monsters set against dramatic, horror-inspired backgrounds, designed to evoke classic aesthetics while appealing to family audiences. The inaugural Horrified: Universal Monsters (2019) cover, illustrated by the studio Phantom City Creative with color work by Justin Erickson, depicts iconic figures like , , and the Wolf Man emerging from a foggy townscape, using a vibrant yet eerie color palette of deep blues, reds, and greens. Subsequent releases maintain this style but adapt to their themes: Horrified: American Monsters (2021) showcases such as and the in a 1950s American small-town setting, with illustrations by Brazilian artist Victor Maristane emphasizing folklore-inspired menace; Horrified: Greek Monsters (2023) presents mythological beasts like and against ancient ruins, blending classical motifs with dynamic action; Horrified: World of Monsters (2024) integrates global legends including the Sphinx and in a diverse, adventurous tableau; and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons (2025) highlights fantasy creatures such as the Beholder, Mimic, and Red Dragon in a dungeon environment, confirming additional monsters like the on its cover illustration. These covers, produced in with Ravensburger's design team, prioritize immersive, non-gory horror visuals to suit the game's 10+ age rating and cooperative gameplay focus.

Additional design elements

Packaging across the Horrified series follows Ravensburger's standard format: sturdy, full-color boxes approximately 12 x 12 x 3 inches, featuring the thematic on the front and component lists on the back, with no shrink-wrap on some initial printings to reduce use—though this has led to reports of minor handling marks. Inside, each edition includes a double-sided modular game board (e.g., town layouts for Universal Monsters, varying terrains for later sets), sculpted miniatures of monsters and heroes (7-10 per game, painted in thematic colors), 70-90 illustrated cards for items, events, and challenges, custom dice, placards, movers, and a fabric bag for drawing tokens. Artwork for components, credited to studios like Grim Moon Studios and artists including George Doutsiopoulos, Raph Lomotan, and Tom Moore (especially in World of Monsters), features detailed, hand-drawn illustrations that enhance puzzle-solving and narrative immersion without excessive violence. Rulebooks (16-20 pages) provide setup diagrams and monster-specific challenges, with glossy full-color printing. Expansions and promo packs, such as the Warlock Promo Pack (2025), use similar cardstock and artwork styles. Digital versions on platforms like replicate the physical components with high-fidelity scans of boards, cards, and minis, while the website offers downloadable rulebooks and promotional images as of November 2025.

Reception

Initial critical response

Upon its 2019 release, Horrified: Universal Monsters received widespread acclaim from board game critics and players for its accessible cooperative gameplay, thematic immersion in classic horror, and replayability through modular monster challenges. Reviewers praised its family-friendly mechanics, often comparing it favorably to Pandemic for its puzzle-like tension but with a lighter, campy horror tone that appeals to broader audiences. Tom Vasel of Dice Tower highlighted its value and engaging co-op elements in a positive review, noting it as a strong entry for new gamers. The game earned nominations for the 2019 Golden Geek Awards in Best Thematic Board Game, Best Family Board Game, and Best Cooperative Game categories on BoardGameGeek. It also won Best Co-op Game at the 2019 Diamond Climber Awards. On BoardGameGeek, it holds a rating of 7.8 out of 10 from over 19,000 users as of November 2025, reflecting strong community approval. Some early critiques noted occasional balance issues with certain monster setups leading to overly easy or frustrating plays, but these were generally seen as minor compared to the game's innovative item-collection and NPC-guiding .

Legacy and influence

The Horrified series has become a cornerstone of modern cooperative board gaming, influencing the design of thematic co-op titles with variable challenges and high replayability. The original game's success led to expansions and standalone sequels, including Horrified: American Monsters (2021, BGG rating 7.6/10), Horrified: Greek Monsters (2023, 7.5/10), Horrified: World of Monsters (2024, 7.4/10), and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons (2025, 7.8/10 from early ratings). Critics have lauded the series for evolving the while maintaining accessibility, though later entries received mixed feedback for feeling formulaic despite fresh monster themes. Its impact is evident in family gaming circles, where it has been credited with introducing horror elements to cooperative play without overwhelming complexity, inspiring similar games like Pandemic: Hot Zone variants. The series' modular design has encouraged community-created content and crossovers, such as the 2025 Dungeons & Dragons edition, broadening its appeal to RPG fans. As of 2025, over 20,000 ratings across the series on BoardGameGeek underscore its enduring popularity and role in revitalizing thematic co-ops.

Aftermath

Band reunions and activities

Repulsion disbanded in June 1986, shortly after recording the material that would later become the album Horrified, primarily due to a lack of interest from record labels in their grindcore sound. The group remained inactive for several years, with members pursuing other musical endeavors during this period. In 1991, Repulsion staged an informal reunion, performing live shows in their hometown of Flint, Michigan, including appearances on local public access television. This brief reactivation also led to the recording of two self-released demos, Rebirth and Final Demo, though these were criticized for lacking the raw intensity of their earlier work. The reunion was short-lived, and the band disbanded again by the early 1990s amid logistical challenges and personal commitments. The band reformed fully in 2003, prompted by growing interest in their catalog following reissues of Horrified. This reunion coincided with the release of the "Excruciation" 7" single on ' Singles Series, featuring two new tracks that revisited their signature style. The lineup at the time included original members on bass and vocals, Matt Olivo on guitar, and replacements for the original second guitarist and drummer, allowing the group to embark on a series of live performances across the and . Further activity resumed in 2016, when Repulsion toured with much of their original lineup, including Carlson and Olivo alongside drummer Chris Moore. Highlights included a at the in , , where they delivered high-energy sets drawing heavily from Horrified. The 2017 European tour extended this momentum, featuring festival appearances and club shows that solidified their status as pioneers, though the band maintained a focus on live performances rather than new recordings. Throughout these reunions, Repulsion has faced ongoing challenges with lineup stability, as original members like guitarist Aaron Freeman and Hollingshead have stepped away at various points due to personal reasons, leading to rotating personnel for tours. In later years, Chris Moore has filled in for live duties, contributing to a more consistent but evolving configuration. Band members have remained active in side projects outside of Repulsion. Guitarist Matt Olivo co-founded the supergroup Expulsion in 2017, alongside members from Exhumed and , releasing the album Nightmare Future on Tankcrimes Records. Vocalist/bassist has collaborated with acts like and Death Breath, channeling his growling vocals into stoner-doom and contexts. Despite this activity, Repulsion has not released a new studio album since Horrified, with the band prioritizing occasional tours and archival releases over fresh material as of 2025.

Modern recognition

Relapse Records offers a deluxe reissue of Horrified featuring remastered audio, bonus tracks from the band's early demos and EPs, and expanded packaging. This edition highlights the album's raw production while preserving its chaotic energy, making it accessible to contemporary audiences through various formats including vinyl and CD. The reissue availability coincided with renewed critical retrospectives, such as Distorted Sound Magazine's August 2024 feature, which examined Horrified's role in pioneering grindcore's visceral sound and its enduring appeal amid evolving extreme metal landscapes. By the mid-2020s, Horrified continued to garner recognition in genre compilations, including Metal Hammer's essential albums list, underscoring its foundational status without any new material from Repulsion since the original release. The album's availability on streaming platforms has sustained its , with millions of plays reflecting its influence on subsequent generations of musicians.

Game components

The "Horrified" series features modular components that support cooperative gameplay, including a double-sided game board, sculpted monster miniatures, hero placards or tiles, item tokens, dice, cards for challenges and perks, and movers for heroes, villagers/legends, and other elements. Components vary slightly by edition to reflect thematic differences, but maintain core compatibility for mixing monsters across games. All editions include instructions and a fabric bag for drawing items.

Components by edition

Horrified: Universal Monsters (2019)

This inaugural edition includes components themed around classic Universal horror monsters.
ComponentQuantity/Description
Game board1 double-sided board depicting a town
Monster mats6 (for , , , , , the Mummy, the Wolf Man)
Monster figures7 sculpted miniatures
Hero placards7
Hero mover bases48
Item tokens24
Villager movers20
Dice6 (3 combat dice, 3 standard)
Fabric bag1
Cards75 (guidance, item, terror)
Instructions1 rulebook
Total components support 1-5 players.

Horrified: American Monsters (2021)

Focused on American cryptids, this edition replaces villagers with "legends" movers.
ComponentQuantity/Description
Game board1 double-sided board
Monster mats6 (for , , , , , )
Monster figures7 sculpted miniatures
Hero placards7
Hero mover bases48
Item tokens24
Legend movers20
Dice6
Fabric bag1
Cards75
Instructions1 rulebook
Compatible with the original for hybrid playsets.

Horrified: Greek Monsters (2023)

Drawing from , this version introduces lair tokens and more item tokens.
ComponentQuantity/Description
Game board1
Monster mats6 (for , Chimera, Cyclops, , , Hydra)
Monster figures6 sculpted miniatures
Hero tiles7
Hero standees7
Legend standees10
Bases19
Item tokens60
Lair tokens4
Dice6
Fabric bag1
Cards75
Instructions1 rulebook
Designed for increased puzzle complexity.

Horrified: World of Monsters (2024)

This global legends edition has fewer base monsters but more modular cards and a double-sided insert.
ComponentQuantity/Description
Game board1
Monster mats5 (for , , , Sphinx, Yeti)
Monster figures4 sculpted miniatures
Monster cards30
Challenge cards31
Perk cards20
Hero tiles7
Hero standees7
Legend standees20
Item tokens40
Dice6
Fabric bag1
Double-sided insert1
Instructions1 rulebook
Emphasizes mix-and-match with prior editions.

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons (2025)

Integrating , this edition includes a "" bag and , released as of November 2025.
ComponentQuantity/Description
Game board1
Monster mats6 (for Beholder, Mind Flayer, , , Mimic, )
Monster figures6 sculpted miniatures
Monster cards30
Perk cards20
Reference cards5
Hero tiles
Hero mover bases48
Item 24
Villager movers20
Dice3 custom
Horrified Haversack1
Fabric bag1
Instructions1 rulebook
Tailored for fantasy themes while retaining series mechanics.

Production and design

Components are produced by with high-quality plastic miniatures and thick cardstock for durability. No additional session contributors are noted; design emphasizes and thematic immersion. Artwork varies by edition to match monster themes, created by in-house teams. Reissues or expansions may include promo items, but core components remain consistent across print runs as of 2025.

References

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  2. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/282524/horrified
  3. https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US/products/games/board-games/horrified-american-monsters-60001940
  4. https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US/products/games/board-games/horrified-greek-monsters-60002045
  5. https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US/products/games/board-games/horrified-world-of-monsters-60001974
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  60. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/423434/horrified-world-of-monsters
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