Sometimes people get away with awful things. While everyone agrees there should be punishment for crimes like rape and murder, people often debate what the appropriate consequences should be for committing these kinds of crimes. After Jeff and Darren Geare’s younger sister was viciously assaulted and raped in 2004, it took 12 years for her rapist to be apprehended. Her attacker was finally found guilty and sentenced to 22 years in prison and the ordeal of the trial inspired the Geare brothers to write a script about a revenge-fantasy scenario for crime victims and their families. This concept combined with the Geare brothers’ love of genre film helped them create The Retaliators, which follows a pastor who experiences a tragedy that leads him to discover a bizarre, criminal underworld.

After sending the script to Michael Lombardi, who is well known for the series Rescue Me, Lombardi was cast as the pastor, John Bishop. In addition to starring in the film, Lombardi became a producer and brought in the team behind Better Noise Films and Better Noise Music, which led to the casting of several members of popular rock bands in the film, like Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, and even Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe. The Retaliators blends horror with rock music to tell an intriguing story, which feels a lot like a terrifying, extended music video—for those of us old enough to remember the days when MTV actually played music videos 24 hours a day.

Lombardi plays Pastor Bishop, a respected and well-liked single father who is just trying to raise his 2 daughters to be good people. The pastor is obviously unaware of the dangerous, deranged underworld of drugs and crime beneath their small, quiet community in New Jersey. When his oldest daughter Sarah (Katie Kelly) is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is brutally murdered by a drug dealer named Ram Kady, played menacingly by Joseph Gatt (Game of Thrones), Pastor Bishop is overwhelmed with grief and spends his days praying by Sarah’s bed. The detective assigned to Sarah’s case, Jed, played by Marc Menchaca (The Outsider, Ozark), is not only determined to find Sarah’s killer, but he shares an unusual personal tragedy with Pastor Bishop. 10 years earlier, Jed’s wife was murdered by a sadistic serial killer named Quinn, played sinisterly by Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. Since then, Jed has been on a unique, personal quest for vengeance. In an attempt to help him find retribution, Jed introduces Pastor Bishop to a twisted underground world full of pain and torture.

While the opening scenes of the film (of what appears to be a zombie attack) lend some confusion to the story, once you discover what is actually going on, The Retaliators is quite a fascinating concept. Lombardi is sensational as Pastor Bishop and Jacoby Shaddix gives a shockingly impressive performance as the unhinged serial killer, Quinn. In fact, the film might leave you wondering what an extended backstory on Quinn would be like and what Shaddix could do with the role if given more time. The Retaliators is low budget, but the practical effects are great. There are enough skillful, blood-drenched decapitations and missing limbs flying through the air to satisfy anyone who appreciates a hearty amount of blood and gore. The film’s score, which includes songs from Papa Roach, The Hu, Five Finger Death Punch, Tommy Lee, and more, accentuates the rawness of Pastor Bishop’s journey from grief to revenge, and hopefully in the end, peace.

Featuring intense performances from Lombardi and Menchaca, The Retaliators tells an effective and inspiring story of loss and retribution, which has a satisfying conclusion. Lots of blood and gory practical effects sufficiently add to the brutality of the tale, highlighted by a powerful alternative rock soundtrack, including the theme song ‘The Retaliators (21 Bullets)’, a collaboration between Ice Nine Kills, Asking Alexandria, Ashes to New, and Mötley Crüe. The Retaliators is a compelling addition to indie genre film and ultimately, a thrilling, bloody, rock and roll fable.

CineLife Entertainment and Trafalgar will release The Retaliators in theaters worldwide on September 14.