Sans-zig

While Jerry Only continues to drag the Misfits trademark through the dirt, ex-guitarist Doyle quietly released his surprisingly solid debut LP in mid 2013. For those who crave the sound of the American Psycho-era 'fits, look no farther. Seriously tired of Only's current (and sadly lethargic) version of the Misfits, Doyle's eponymous band is a breath of fresh horror punk air. Recruiting ex-Misfit drummer Dr. CHUD (who is pretty awesome in his own right) and Danzig-esque vocalist Alex Story, Doyle focuses on the blistering fast downstroked power chord progressions that made him famous. Some of the tunes fall a bit short but at least they are not all based on a fucking movie (Misfits' "The Black Hole"? Puke). The bluesy "Love Like Murder" echoes shades of Soundgarden's "Outshined" while my guiltiest pleasure on the record has got to be the oddly Pantera-ish "Cemeterysexxx". Don't be fooled, Doyle's vastly superior version of "Land Of The Dead" is in title only, the songs are totally different; but if I were Jerry I'd be nice to his younger brother this Thanksgiving. Maybe he'll get an audition.

Learn To Bleed

Somewhere In Jersey

Walk Among Us-era Misfits doing what they did best in the shithole suburb of Passaic, NJ. They had just shitcanned Bobby Steele and were now the lean and mean quartet of Danzig, Only, Doyle and Googy. Before the drugs and creative ownership issues tore the band apart, the devilocked punkers put on a great Christmas show for a drunken redneck crowd at the now-defunct Hitsville on Main. I first heard this show on the significantly shittier-sounding Evil Is As Evil Does 7" bootleg-of-a-bootleg - getting a taste of the whole gig is a real treat. Bobby Steele and the Undead fucking suck...

If You Don't Know This Song...

I Got Somethin' To Say...

Ahh bootlegs, what would music afficionados do without them. For a band that had a fairly limited studio output and nowhere near the number of recorded gigs bands played during the tape-swapping boom years later, the Misfits have amassed an impressive catalog of unofficial releases (at least 131 and counting according to Discogs), all of the expected varying quality, rareness, and listenability that comes with the sorry one-shot bootleg. You gotta love this 1992 release from Spain's Decca label (in no way related to the official classic Decca label of the 50's that supported such acts as Bing Crosby and Patsy Cline), through the broken English and mangled/missing song titles (as well as the strange cut-and-paste band photo on the back) we get a "studio mix" of "Last Caress" (still the Misfits most then-famous song thanks to Metallica) and a couple of token live tracks. Interestingly, the record sleeve claims the live material was "recorded alive D.C. Space 31/2/1983" (sic); fortunately an astute historian has tracked down the real source: an '83 gig from the Michigan Union Ballroom in Ann Arbor, MI. For what it's worth, it all sounds fine, "Last Caress" is exactly like one of the many versions you've already heard and the other stuff is typical late Misfits live recordings - sounding like they were recorded on a shitty Walkman. In other words, enjoy.

100 Anos De Gravaçao Sonora

All Hallows' Eve

Absolutely mandatory. Easily the best Misfits record out there - of course it's mostly Glenn overdubbing nearly every instrument but who cares. Every song on this one is a keeper, from the opener "Static Age" the quasi-Elvish "American Nightmares." "TV Casualty" is probably my favorite Misfits song ever. Legendary horror punk from the founders of the genre - doesn't get any better than this for a Halloween soundtrack.

 Come Back

Re-Re-Revisted

Don't ask why but I've been listening to a bit of old-school Metallica lately. And by old-school I mean pre-1991 Black Album Metallica. I've never really heard anything they've released since that era, I'm one of the many who found their gigantic crossover album really dry and dull; I was getting more into death metal at the time and just tapped out of being a Metallica fan. I remember the excitement leading up to the "Enter Sandman" video premiere on MTV and it was... just kinda... OK. As was the album. "Sad But True" wasn't too bad (but upon revisiting it - phew - that is one boring song) and I kinda liked "Don't Tread On Me" but all in all a real letdown. So why am I whining about it 20 years later? Well, it brings me to the Metallica album I liked the most - 1987's Garage Days Re-Revisited. In case you've been living in a cave on Mars with your fingers in your ears for the past two decades, Re-Revisited is a tight 5-song EP of the band covering some of their favorite New Wave Of British Heavy Metal tunes (along with a couple Misfits tracks to boot); but for all intents and purposes I've pretty much considered the obscure songs Metallica originals (in the same way "Hey Joe" is an original Jimi Hendrix tune - any Leaves fans out there can kiss my ass). I know such a statement will raise the ire of the two or three Budgie enthusiasts lurking throughout the Welsh countryside but there's not much I can say to appease other than that Metallica is the sole reason anyone still acknowledges them or most of the other bands named below (much thanks to the internet as well). With that being said, I thought I'd throw together a compilation of all those original songs for nothing else but to have something a little different to listen to. Included are "Helpless" by Diamond Head, "The Small Hours" by Holocaust (my favorite track), "The Wait" by Killing Joke, "Crash Course In Brain Surgery" by Budgie, "Last Caress" and "Green Hell" by the good ol' Misfits and "Run To The Hills" by Iron Maiden. Along with that I compiled the originals of a bunch of other popular Metallica covers - all before the godawful Garage, Inc. abomination in the mid-90's. "Turn The Page"? Excuse me while I fucking vomit. Here's Diamond Head doing "Am I Evil?" and Blitzkrieg with "Blitzkrieg" (both bonus tracks on the Kill 'Em All CD), Diamond Head (again) with "The Prince" (found on the B-side of my "One" cassette single), "Breadfan" by Budgie (B-side on the "Eye Of The Beholder" cassete single), Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" (Metallica's contribution to 1990's Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary double CD) and Anti-Nowhere League's "So What..." from the "Sad But True" cassette single (thanks to the sadly defunct Colostomy Grab-Bag for the album cover idea). And with that purchase came the end of my Metallica fandom. I've tracked down some pretty fine quality tracks, I think completists will be pleased. Enjoy.

$5.98                         $6.66

 
Currently watching: The Night Porter

Currently listening to: Queen A Night At The Opera

Jag Har Något Att Säga

Sorry loyal followers, summer's ending in just a few weeks and I've got absolutely no time at all these days to keep up with posts. There's a million records I try to remind myself to upload but just don't got the fucking time, mang! Anyways, I took a few minutes to pull out this classic from the archives, Sweden's own Glanzig. An awesome Misfits/Danzig cover band who either takes themselves way too seriously or not seriously enough. Fuck all those Misfit cover comps floating around on the internet - this is the real shit. Enjoy.

Go Go Gothenburg

Currently watching: Bad Teacher

Currently listening to: Dead Infection The Lethal Collection