Review - Haddonwood - Deadcase

Haddonwood

Deadcase

Album, released 31st October 2025

Haddonwood hail from the North East of England, that current hotbed of horror punk talent, and have been steadily releasing tracks for all of 2025, each teasing the eventuality of this debut album release which arrived, fittingly, on Halloween. With a stated goal to deliver anthemic, energetic and catchy horror punk covering a wide variety of horror themes (and boasting a literal skeletal drummer, which must be unique) and a good reception to their earlier releases, this is certainly a band on the up - so how does the album hold up? Is it yet another top UK horror punk release this year? Time to take a look.

It all starts with the build up of Welcome to Haddonwood with whispered voices in the background and the approach of a siren wailing, before kicking right into Bleed, a blood soaked pulsating, mid tempo horror punk tune which sets the tone for the bands sonic onslaught. Final Girls name checks slasher icons as it goes for the jugular again with catchy punk rock and is one of my favourite tracks on the album.

Rum and Blood is an anthemic number, the first I heard of the band earlier in the year, and is a sing-along track in the best tradition of horror punk and this is followed by the last single released - Nightmares has an 80s slasher feel which fits the obvious inspiration taken from the exploits of Freddy Kreuger. It broods along at a slower pace but is another enjoyable example of the bands style. F.E.A.R follows this up and is another catchy one perfect to singalong too, before the album launches into All I Want is You - an ode to Scream that is another great example of the brooding, traditional horror punk sound that Haddonwood is going after.

Christine injects a bit of rock n' roll into the mix, another ode to classic horror (John Carpenter's/Stephen King's same named movie) and a fitting choice, and it's a memorable one again. These boys definitely deliver on their 'catchy horror punk' brief, and this is even more apparent with the next track. Despite being the longest on offer here, Shake takes the classic horror punk sound with a bit of added synth and comes up with an effective, infectious song and one of the best on the album. 

The release is rounded off with the only previously unreleased song Bride of Blood. It's actually a bit of a banger, with a bit of a sinister sound but still catchy and displaying the same influences the band have previously displayed. The touches of synth in the background work well and it's the most atmospheric track on offer here. It's a solid ending to an album which is enjoyable throughout. Sure there are a few quibbles; the 'drumming' is weak (although obviously a skeletal drummers lack of muscles makes this a difficult task...), a couple of songs could be a tad shorter - but it's very much a personal choice.  

Some examples of the excellent artwork on offer on the bands single releases. All done by davekc.art.

Deadcase is another example of the current state of the UKHP scene, a solid horror punk release not afraid of mixing the influences up a bit. It's a strong debut and certainly whets the appetite for what comes next for the band. 

The album is available digitally on the normal services, including streaming on Spotify which I've embedded below. Give the band a follow on Instagram here; hopefully I'll get to catch the band down south at some point!