The Monsters – Masks

MONSTERS, THE – MASKS is the debut full-length from this Swiss garage punk band, originally recorded in 1989 in three days at Schweinesound Studios and first released by Bernese label Record Junkie Records in an edition of 666 copies that sold out and was never reprinted. What you’re getting here is the 2013 reissue on Voodoo Rhythm Records, reconstructed from the original two-inch master tapes after twenty-four years of silence.

MONSTERS, THE – MASKS: The Record and Its History

The Monsters formed in Bern in 1986, and Masks was made a year after their debut EP Nightmares. The three-day recording session at Schweinesound Studios produced an album that got enough attention on the Bernese scene to sell out its original pressing completely. The label that released it, Record Junkie, had Beat-Man working in the shop, and when Record Junkie collapsed, Beat-Man went on to found Voodoo Rhythm Records. The 2013 reissue is his act of archaeology: pulling the original master tapes from the cellar, remixing them into current audio standards, and bringing back a record that had been effectively unavailable for a generation of listeners.

Voodoo Rhythm and the 2013 Pressing

Voodoo Rhythm Records is Beat-Man’s label, and it has become one of the most significant homes for underground garage, primitive rock and roll, and related wild music from Europe. His connection to this record is direct and personal, which is reflected in the care taken with the reissue. The CD comes in a double gatefold cover without plastic except for the disc itself, and includes a twelve-page booklet. That presentation reflects a serious commitment to the artifact, not just a quick licensing reissue.

For the Garage Punk Collector

If you follow Voodoo Rhythm’s catalog or work in the European garage punk territory that the label has documented for thirty years, the Monsters belong in your collection. Masks is where they started, and the 2013 reissue is the definitive way to own it. Original copies of the Record Junkie pressing are extraordinarily scarce. This is the accessible version of a record that was essentially lost for two decades.