Drummer Mac Black calls Black Feratu’s sound metal “ … that goes from punk to sludge and doom,” but Black Feratu’s Evil Is the New Good is best described as rock from the worst side of the tracks. From the opening cut, there are tales of repercussions, ruthless bravado, terrible vices and comprising addictions.

Songs like “Wish a Mother Fucker Would” call back the bravado of Pantera’s “Walk.” There’s addiction too in “Jimmy Da Punk” and “Drunk Sick.” Moody at times—with timing changes aplenty—it has a sludgy, slower moving quality, à la Crowbar or Down. However, Feratu shows Pantera influences in their bravado and fight-the-world outlook in songs like “Regret,” reminiscent of “Walk.”

On the record, Black Feratu shows a softer side—not in content—by covering songs penned by Chris Bennet (Criss Drunk), the late front man for Mystic Fix, a Lafayette ’90s punk staple. The two tracks—“Vampire” and “Fish on a Hook”—are a nice change of pace that show the dark, Southern rock sound of his later band, The LA Phantoms.  “Fish on a Hook” is especially poignant after Drunk’s death: living at full speed, working hard and always caught up in something.

Whether covering Drunk or singing about their own vices, Black Feratu’s style shifts sporadically. They almost can’t make up their mind but it’s not a bad thing. Either way, Black Feratu lets you know you don’t want to get caught in their neighborhood after dark. But, just as tough as those mean streets are, Black Feratu hits harder.