Misfits - "Devil's Rain" CD Review (Misfit Records) / Halloween Show at B.B. King's

The good news is that Devil's Rain isn't as bad as I feared, given that Jerry Only is the only original member. It is also infinitely better than that Project 1950, which seemed to be a "The Groovy Ghoulies" [the cartoon, not the band] take on doo-wop songs. The bad news is that this new disc has more in common with Project 1950 than either the Graves or Danzig eras and it also sags in the middle as the songwriting doesn't hold up to the disc's 50 minute run-time.

For anyone who hasn't kept up with The Misfits in recent years, Robo has bowed out of the band and the current line-up is Jerry (bass), Dez (guitar) and Eric "Goat" Arce (x-Murphy's Law, Skarhead) on drums. The band kicked off a Fall tour in September and the current set list contains 14 of Devil's Rain's 16 songs:

(from October 4th show at House of Blues, Hollywood)
The Devil's Rain
Vivid Red
Land Of The Dead
The Black Hole
Twilight Of The Dead
Curse of the Mummy's Hand
Cold In Hell
Unexplained
Dark Shadows
Father
Jack The Ripper
Static Age
Bullet
Children in Heat
Nike A Go Go
She
Abominable Dr. Phibes
American Psycho
Shining
Dig Up Her Bones
Scream!
Ghost of Frankenstein
Death Ray
The Monkey's Paw
Halloween
Skulls
Where Eagles Dare
Hatebreeders
We Bite
Death Comes Ripping
Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?
All Hell Breaks Loose
We Are 138

Encore:
Descending Angel
Hybrid Moments
Attitude
Die, Die My Darling

It has been years since I've heard 1997's Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits but I imagine Devil's Rain sounds like something that Pennywise, The Bouncing Souls, NOFX and Goldfinger (who all contributed songs to Violent World) would have come up with if they had been asked to write a Misfits-style song. Producer Ed Stasium gives the disc a high-gloss shine which leaves this current lineup of the Misfits sounding like a cross between Bad Religion or Pennywise and some of the bouncy "second stage" bands from any year of Warped Tour.



Lyrically, Jerry mines the expected b-movie horror themes with songs like "Monkey's Paw", "Jack the Ripper" and "Ghost of Frankenstein". The lyrics aren't deep (and sometimes repetitive) but one can't hold that against Jerry as "138" and "Where Eagles Dare" from the Danzig-era of the band aren't any better. When the band is "on" (with songs like "Land of the Dead", "Dark Shadows" and "Monkey's Paw"), their brand of power-punk sounds great. The two songs that Dez sings ("Jack the Ripper" and "Death Ray") mix things up with a bit of old-school punk teeth. The problem is that the middle of the disc sags into a bland mix of horror-punk.

The Misfits are playing their annual Halloween show at B.B. King's with JuiceheaD (who record for Jerry's Misfits Records) opening. The show is all ages and tickets for the show are $28 in advance and $32 DOS.

Links:
The Misfits

The Misfits Play B.B. King's on Halloween

My first thought when I saw this show announced was "who cares? The Misfits' last gasp was with Michale Graves." I just can't see paying $30 to see Jerry, Robo and Dez sing the Misfits songbook. Seeing Dez sing "Damaged" era Black Flag was fun in the past but I have 'been there and done that'. As for The Misfits' songs, Jerry simply has a terrible voice.

Here is where it gets interesting...according to Wikipedia it has been loosely confirmed that Michale Graves and Doyle will be returning for the 2007/2008 studio album. Dez Cadena has stated that two guitars will be featured on the new album, thus implying Doyle will be playing on the new album, although no real concrete evidence exists to back up this claim. A rumored title for the new record as been "The Return of the Fiend". Jerry Only has not yet commented on the status of the album. However, Michale Graves was quoted to say, "There are other projects also in the works that are very hush-hush. News that will blow your mind, but has to be kept under-wraps for now. Let’s just say the end of this year will be a big one for Graves fans."

It will be very interesting to see who the special guests are for the Halloween show. Don't hold your breath though that it is Doyle and Graves -- it may just be Franche Coma.

Links:
Misfits' Website

Marky Ramone and Osaka Popstar Release Christmas Single

Marky Ramone and Osaka Popstar have just released a new Christmas single entitled The Christmas That Almost Wasn't. This is the theme to a 60s b-movie with the same name. (This is one of those movies that was supposed to be family-oriented and heart warming but it is so bad that it's quite funny. Here is a link to a dead-on review of the film.) As bad as the movie is, Osaka Popstar's single is great. This single is also on Osaka Popstar's full-length CD Osaka Popstar & The American Legends Of Punk.

Osaka Popstar is Marky Ramone, John Cafiero, Ivan Julian, Dez Cadena and Jerry Only.