1017. Misfits / Walk Among Us. 1982. 4/5

There are people out there that believe that punk was born in 1976 and died in 1977. It’s a fallacy of course, though what form of music you believe punk takes on is probably also open to question. If you want the crazy drama-filled remains of the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks. If you want the reggae-infused stuff that comes out in different eras of bands such as The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers. Or do you come to a band such as the Misfits, who could be either punk or could be hard core or could be a mixture, depending on whether you really want to try and box them into a stereotype. Whatever the genre or reason or cause, what is essentially labelled as the ‘debut album’ of the Misfits is a combination that does justice to the massed variety that punk can claim to be.

There’s plenty of evidence hear to suggest that the songs were all written in the midst of their touring schedule or in a live atmosphere, if for no other reason than there is a tremendous amount of crowds surfing in the lyrics. By that, I am talking about the “Woahhh-wooooaahh woah-oooooohhh” that permeates several of the songs throughout the album. It’s there for everyone to hear in songs such as “I Turned into a Martian”, “Hatebreeders”, “Night of the Living Dead” and “Astro Zombies”. On first impressions it would be easy to see why some people could find that this gets on their nerves, and pretty quickly, because it does get to be a constant. Despite this, if you are not able to accept it and let it ride, not only will you not enjoy this album, but you will also miss out on some extremely enjoyable moments.
This is a great collection of songs. With just thirteen of them smashed into 25 minutes you know what you are getting from the outset. It’s hard, fast and scintillating. Packed into the fast basic drumming from Arthur Googy comes the bass and guitar riffs of Jerry Only and Doyle that fly along, and all topped by Glenn Danzig’s wonderfully cultured vocal chords that can move between high range tenor screams and jack-knifes to his low range baritone of his ‘Evil Elvis’ persona. The energy of the band comes across in every song, and despite the very short album span there is a great mixture of tunes within. The opening track “20 Eyes” bashes its way straight through the speakers, the perfect riposte to the punk sound, coming fast and hard with little room for discourse. “I Turned into a Martian” moves along at the same speed, before “All Hell Breaks Loose” picks it up a notch, improving on everything that has come before it. You can hear the influence of 1950’s and 1960’s rock n’ roll in the music, something not lost on the punk and hard core style that this derives from. “Vampira”, “Hatebreeders” and “Braineaters” all make the most of their short length by packing in as much as they can.
Even with the star attractions you can’t miss the excitement. “Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight” is summed up in the title, and after the pregnant pause to chant the title of the song, the band ignites again while Glenn gives you no chance to keep up as he spits out his lyrics. On top of this, “Skulls” remains one of my favourite all time Misfits songs. Simple drums, rhythm and riff, basic vocals on the top, and up tempo melody and chanting singalong lyrics. Both songs have questionable – nay, zero – morals in their lyrics, but they are meant to be in fun and should be taken that way (please note all insistent idiots who read the lyrics and believe they have been written with literal intent).

This is a terrific recording of a band that succeeded in getting the absolute most of out their peak years, before being retired before repetition could set in. That wasn’t to last, but it is these initial years that you can listen to and enjoy just how unique their sound was. It’s not highbrow material, either lyrical or musically. What it is though is a fun way to spend twenty five minutes with easy to sing songs with a bit of crowd support thrown in.

Rating:  “And the blood drains down like devil's rain, we'll bathe tonight”.  4/5