“There’s nothing weak about it,” states founding bassist
Jerry Only. “Every song is classic and when we go out there,
it’s a blitzkrieg attack. Completely unrelenting. More so now
than ever.”
That credo and determination is key to the Misfits latest,
Famous Monsters. Track for track it’s sonic raw power;
brutal and direct metal-punk music on which passionate,
rough-hewn melodies unwrap tales of terror. These four
imposing figures in slicked black devil-locks, leather jackets
and boots blasting out their hard-hitting horror-music ‘neath
the grin of their trademark Crimson Ghost skull (the
legendary symbol of the group) have taken it to another level.
That’s saying a lot. Then again, how many other bands can
launch an album, a worldwide tour and their own line of
action figures (through 21st Century Toys this Fall) without
losing one iota of the intensity and vitality that’s
characterized their music for over two decades?.
“We wrote forty songs in three months!” the bassist proudly
exclaims of the arduous work that went into Famous
Monsters. It is that day-after-day of endless rehearsals
work-ethic that keeps the Misfits bludgeoning the
competition. After resurfacing in 1995 after a 13 year hiatus,
culminating with a legal battle with co-founder Glenn Danzig
over the right to use and market the Misfits moniker, Jerry,
his brother Doyle, drummer Dr. Chud and vocalist Michale
Graves have made one fact perfectly clear: a revival act this
ain’t. “Whatever doesn’t evolve, withers and dies,” the
bassist states with a smile. “None of the bands we played
with years ago have the same urgency or clout we do. We’re
the band that just won’t die!”
Having formed the band in 1977 with fellow Lodi, New Jersey
teenager, Danzig, Jerry sums up the Misfits’ place in the
world as “a part of American society. Apple pie baseball and
the Misfits!” he exclaims with a grin. Having recorded their
first and now highly collectable 7" single, “Cough-Cool”/”She”
with Jerry on bass and Glenn handling vocal and keyboard
duties, the Misfits created a sound all their own, one allergic
to fashion or trend. While their Ameri-punk contemporaries
were denouncing Ronald Reagan, the Misfits set their sights
on more timeless topics: “Vampires, monsters, alien
invasions,” says Jerry. “C’mon, Frankenstein’s monster and
the wolfman never get played out. That’s one of the reasons
we’ve stuck around as long as we have.”
Teaming again with producer Daniel Rey (Ramones, White
Zombie), who also helmed the band’s 1997 album, American
Psycho, and working with another Ramones alumnus, mixer
Ed Stasium, the band recorded Famous Monsters in a mere
three weeks. Jerry feels it’s a chemistry of “collective
insanity” that gives the band its hyperactive intensity. “It’s
magical,” he admits. “Michale comes in with a very young
and reckless style of writing. Same with Chud. With me and
Doyle, there’s blood involved. It’s that family background
that’s probably kept us going over the past two years. That’s
probably what kept us alive over the past two years without a
label behind us.”
That sheer Misfits tenacity kept the band onstage and in the
public eye after parting ways with Geffen a few short months
after the release of American Psycho and a tour with metal
titans, Megadeth. Nothing could stop them... not even a brief
hiatus from frontman Graves who sat out a European and
South American tour for personal reasons. Empire
Hideous/SS99 frontman Myke Hideous temporarily sat in.
After many months of pursuit by various labels, the band
(with Michale Graves intact) inked with Roadrunner in
September of 1998 to continue the Misfits horror-flecked
musical legacy.
The Misfits material, including full length LPS: Walk Among
Us (1982) and Earth A.D./Wolf’s Blood (1983) has become
the dark soundtrack to many young fans lives: influencing
such contemporaries (or as their called in Misfit vernacular,
“fiends”) as Green Day, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie.
“Rob is a bit like looking in the mirror for me,” says Jerry.
“But the great thing is he’s put his own spin on it.” Along
with the release of various compilations including Legacy of
Brutality (1986) and Misfits (1987) as well as 1995's
CollectionII, a tribute album entitled Violent World featuring
the likes of Prong and NOFX, all of which culminated in the
release of a coffin shaped box containing almost the entirety
of the band’s recorded material, the Misfits have managed to
keep their name very much alive despite years of inactivity,
all of which has set the stage for what Jerry cryptically refers
to as “the return”.
Of course, the most famous Fiends are a group called
Metallica. It was the band’s late bassist Cliff Burton who had
a large hand in re-sparking worldwide interest in the Misfits,
wearing ‘fits shirts onstage and citing them in interviews.
Metallica’s fascination with the band continues to this very
day, including Misfits anthems, “Last Caress”, “Green Hell”
and “Die, Die My Darling” on the recent Garage Inc. covers
album.
Famous Monsters continues the tradition. Its title is taken
from Forrest J. Ackerman’s infamous 70's monster mag.
New songs like “Scream”, “Living Hell” and the anthemic
“Fiend Club” are pure ‘fits fare. “Putting it up against Psycho,
we outdid it,” the bassist bluntly states. “”Like I’ve always
promised, if I put out a record that doesn’t beat the record
before it, that’s it. I don’t belong in the game.” No chance of
that, as the Misfits’ latest platter focuses on a band willing
to take chances and steadfastly sticking to its roots.
Witness the 50's doo-wop influenced “Saturday Night” which
shines from Michale Graves’ empassioned performance.
Even the manic Doyle-driven rockabilly rave “Scarecrow
Man” pushes the envelope.
“I’m really excited about this record,” Jerry states. “I can
lisiten to a song like ‘Forbidden Zone’ and put it right up
there next to ‘Astro-Zombies’ which is my favorite Misfits
song of all time! This record goes back to our roots: it’s got
the DNA of the old days and brings that into the future.
There’s not a weak link...never will be. We’ve got a pretty
high standard to adhere to."
