MISFITS – FAMOUS
MONSTERS (ROADRUNNER RECORDS)
The Misfits are one of
those bands who are in that awkward position of being better known for their
t-shirts than their records and music.
And that is not necessarily the best situation to be in the music world.
Famous Monsters is
their fifth album that was released in 1999.
Obviously there is not a whiff of Glenn Danzig attached to piece, unless
of course you count the now heavier leanings in the style of the music, which
is not necessarily good.
There is very little
that is subtle about this record. It
now feels an eternity since the band was a punk band although certainly they
are the main embodiment of that thinly sliced genre that is horror punk. However as with ageing punk bands often the
guitars will become heavy (while remaining basic) as the rhythm section slows
down and the vocals grow more theatrical.
So is this a bad
record? To my ears: yes.
It opens with an
appropriate “Kong At The Gates” which sees/hears a gong and a chant that
beckons the Misfits into life.
Unfortunately then comes the sound of heavy metal guitar and ghastly
realisation that there is something wrong.
From here the record
ploughs through a sound more akin to The Exploited and Iron Maiden than Black
Flag. Disheartening there is nothing
frightening about this record other than just how off the boil it sounds. It just swings and this is music that should
not swing.
As they plunder
through eighteen tracks of horror nostalgia the song titles are great, perhaps
the best thing about proceedings, as they rock up with “Hunting Humans”, “Witch
Hunt” and “Fiend Club” which all conjure great black and white TV imagery. Sadly Fantomas this is not.
Maybe horror film
samples could have saved it. That or
narrative.
Context is everything.
If they played All
Tomorrows Parties though, I’d watch them.
Thesaurus moment:
venal.
No comments:
Post a Comment