Necromantix

Nekromantix are a psychobilly band that formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1989.

After spending eight years as a submarine operator in the Royal Danish Navy, lead vocalist/stand-up bassist Kim Gaarde first attempted to drum in a rockabilly band, before becoming interested in psychobilly. He adopted the stage name "Kim Nekroman," built his signature coffin-shaped stand-up bass (aptly referred to as the coffinbass), and started Nekromantix. The band lineup is currently rounded out by Troy (guitar) and Andy (drums), but from 1989 to 2005 featured brothers Peter (guitar/vocals) and Kristian (drums) Sandorff.

The band played two local shows in Copenhagen before appearing in a large psychobilly festival in Hamburg, Germany only six months after the band's formation. This lead to a record deal for their first album, Hellbound. Nekromantix began touring Europe heavily. At the time, the psychobilly scene was largely dominated by English bands. The band recorded a second album in 1991, Curse of the Coffin which resulted in some MTV play. 1994's Brought Back to Life became the only psychobilly album so far to ever be nominated for a Grammy award.

The band was signed to Hellcat Records in 2001, due to record label owner Tim Armstrong of punk rock band Rancid being a long-time fan of the band. Their fifth album and USA debut, Return of the Loving Dead, was recorded in Los Angeles and released in 2002. A sixth album, Dead Girls Don't Cry, was released for Hellcat in 2004, with Nekroman recording bass and vocals in Los Angeles while the Sandorff brothers recorded their respective parts back in Denmark.

In April 2005, the Sandorff brothers departed from the Nekromantix on good terms, citing their reason for leaving as "it wasn't funny anymore". They were replaced with guitarist Troy and drummer Wasted James, both from California-based psychobilly group Rezurex. Wasted James also plays in Tiger Army, and formerly played as the Nekromantix touring drummer. Andy Demize is now drummer for Nekromantix and features on the new 2007 album 'Life Is A Grave & I Dig It!'

Kim Nekroman is married to Patricia Day, ex-guitarist of Danish band Peanut Pump Gun. They play in rockabilly band called HorrorPops together.

Kim Nekroman's signature coffinbass has gone through many incarnations, the first of which being fashioned out of an actual child's coffin. The child's coffin, however, did not produce an excellent sound, so Nekroman built another himself with better acoustics. Over the years he has made a handfull of the instruments, the most recent update being collapsable for easier transportation.