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Walk Among Us (The Misfits, 1982)


Rebel the Wolfgirl

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*rises up from my grave with a loud cackle* Hello there, boils and ghouls! Renegade the Zombiecorn here! On today's spectacularly spooky episode of Renegade's Music Reviews, we're going to be looking at the quintessential horror punk band, the Kings of Halloween themselves, the Misfits. Now, if you know about me, I love schlocky horror and sci-fi films and everything associated with them (including music). No other bands do it better than The Cramps and The Misfits. I've always had a particular attachment to the latter band, since my biological dad, for all of his faults (rooted in his pretty crappy childhood and struggles with bipolar disorder), loved them-and more specifically the classic lineup of Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only, and Wolfgang Doyle Von Frankenstein. So instead of going into detail on the troubled production of their debut (technically third) album, I'm just going to get down to business and say: Rob, even if we never got along, you still tried to do right by yourself and me, and while I certainly can't forgive you for some of the things you did, I understand they weren't entirely your fault.So I'm dedicating this review to you. Rock the fuck on, and have a happy Halloween, wherever it is you ended up.

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This review is dedicated to Robert Mason Boswell. He may no longer be with us, but I'll never forget my roots in music can be traced back to him in some way.

(1977-2019; R.I.P.)

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Misfits_-_Walk_Among_Us_(pink_cover).jpg

ALBUM NAME: Walk Among Us

ARTIST NAME: The Misfits

RECORDED: June-December 1981; January 1982

RELEASED: March 1982

LABEL: Ruby/Slash Records

PRODUCER: Self-produced

GENRES: Punk rock, Pop punk, Horror punk

PERSONNEL: Glenn Danzig (lead vocals; rhythm guitar on "Vampira", "Devil's Whorehouse" , and "Astro Zombies", overdubbed guitar except in "Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?" , drums on "Braineaters"), Jerry Only (bass, backing vocals), Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (lead guitar, backing vocals on "Hatebreeders", "Devil's Whorehouse", "I Turned Into a Martian", and "Night of the Living Dead" ), Arthur Googy (drums)

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TRACK LISTING:

20 Eyes: 1:41

I Turned Into a Martian: 1:41

All Hell Breaks Loose: 1:47

Vampira: 1:26

Nike-A-Go-Go: 2:16

Hatebreeders: 3:08

Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?: 2:01

Night of the Living Dead: 1:57

Skulls: 2:00

Violent World: 1:46

Devil's Whorehouse: 1:45

Astro Zombies: 2:14

Brain Eaters: 0:56

TOTAL ALBUM LENGTH: 24:38

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1. 20 Eyes: The opening track is the moment everything about this album (and the Misfits in general) is established - heavy, yet melodic Ramones-styled riffs, minimalistic song lengths, Danzig's powerful, Elvis-styled howls, harmonizing backing vocals from Jerry and Doyle, and most importantly, the B-movie inspired lyrics. Something about the Misfits' lyrics to note is that they use B-movies as a blueprint rather than basically setting a plot synopsis to music, which makes them rather unique and allows them to be more creative and a number of times, have a deeper meaning.

2. I Turned Into a Martian: This one takes 20 Eyes' blast of energy and runs with it, though Danzig uses the theme of a man suddenly turned into a hostile alien to explore the idea of loss of identity, which is something that is actually terrifying.

3. All Hell Breaks Loose: Influenced by the 1972 horror film Twins of Evil, this song is pure, ballsy fun. Lyrically, it just described the sorts of mayhem punks can get into; in short "all hell breaks loose". If any song could fit the Misfits as a band, it's this one.

4. Vampira: It's no secret that Danzig and the boys love Ed Wood and his magnum opus Plan 9 from Outer Space; hell, their label is NAMED after it! So what better way to show that love than to pay tribute to the more serious fifties equivalent to Elvira? Here, Danzig...well, basically sings about how much he wants to get in between Vampira's legs (hey, have you seen her? Who wouldn't!?). Oh, and he references the original title of Plan 9 in the opening.

5. Nike-A-Go-Go: Breaking away from the established conventions for a moment, this is the first song on the album to go over 2 minutes (and the next song, Hatebreeders, goes into 3 minute territory). Not only that, but Danzig goes into the deeper meaning pool again, this time digging into the actual horror behind the B-movies the band loves so much - the Cold War and fears of nuclear annhilation. In this case, Danzig, through the band's catchy and authentic punk, describes Project Nike, which was a project by the U.S. Army to develop anti-aircraft missiles. The ideas of Hatebreeders build upon the ones found here.

6. Hatebreeders: In this song, the Misfits to into more detail on the real horror of the Cold War - in this case, the true motivation behind all the paranoia and the race between the U.S. And Soviet Union to top one another in whatever it is they did. Simple and to the point, it was hard for the other side. And the message still rings true today; the poles have simply shifted to protecting America's own interests. But let's not debate about this here. Go somewhere else for that.

7. Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight: This track is actually a pretty interesting one, since it was recorded not in the studio, but at a real concert. Moreover, it's still relevant nowadays due to the subject matter - kids killing others. In this case, the boy in the song cracks under the pressure of his mother's parental reinforcement, and takes out his anger by killing those he feels has wronged him. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? That's something I love about the Danzig-era Misfits. Like all punks, they cared about social issues and the horrors of real life; they just used schlock imagery to conceal it and avoid taking sides.

8. Night of the Living Dead: This song was released as a single around 3 years before Walk Among Us was released in 1979. And I'm actually shocked it didn't get any kind of airplay - it's absolutely perfect. Focusing on the classic horror film of the same name, this tune is sure to get stuck in your head and not leave your (heh heh) brain.

9. Skulls: Probably one of the Misfits' most famous and popular songs, this tune has such a happy, almost doo-wop like melody with incredibly morbid lyrics. What else can I say?

10. Violent World: This one, as it turns out, is actually based on a magazine that was (as the title suggests) fueled by violence and exploitation; As with several of the other songs on this album, there's a socially relevant message buried underneath the campy lyrical content - we, as a society, seem desensitized to extreme violence, especially when it comes to media's obsessions with it. Coming from someone who loves trashy and exploitation media, I think Danzig asks a good question here - do we even have limits as to what we can tolerate, and if so, have we crossed them?

11. Devil's Whorehouse: Seeing as I've recently become a fan of Hazbin Hotel, this song would fit PERFECTLY in there, especially in regards to my buddy @Spider Demon's favorite character. It's got a nice...pffft...beat, and the Misfits acting so enthusiastic about how much they "sin" there just adds to the "cut loose and relax" and almost advertising jingle feeling of this song.

12. Astro Zombies: Probably the Misfits ' OTHER most famous song thanks in part to the bands that have covered it over the years, this is probably the Danzig era's most blatant attempt at a B-movie homage. Based on a 1960s film of the same name, it's written from the perspective of the villain; a disgruntled scientist who creates Frankenstein-esque zombies from the parts of murder victims. The zombies end up escaping and murdering people. That's pretty much it.

13. Braineaters: The final track on the album is probably the shortest one yet. Naturally also dealing with zombies, it brings us back to where we started and never let up on with this album. Short, fast-paced, melodic, and overall an alright conclusion.

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FINAL THOUGHTS: What else is there to say? This is the quintessential classic Misfits album, and it just keeps on rocking until the very end. Fun, frenetic, but also with a layer of social commentary, no other Misfits album does it better. It's one of my favorite albums of all time, and I highly recommend it.

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FINAL SCORE:

10/10

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