Music Review: Misfits – Land of the Dead
Review by Tony C.
The Misfits is certainly a band that needs no introduction, and I don’t think there is any reason for me go into their long and sordid history. There will be no Danzig versus Graves versus Jerry commentary or proclamations that the Misfits died in 1983. Whether these debates are valid or not does not change the fact that Land of the Dead is the latest release under the Misfits moniker, and let’s face the fact that this release is going to get more attention then every horror rock band out there combined. Land of the Dead is a 2 track single, available via iTunes and on limited edition colored vinyl. Musically, lyrically, stylistically and even production wise these songs have a lot in common with the Famous Monsters album. However the million dollar question is: can Jerry Only really pull off doing lead vocals on new original material?
The title track is obviously the better of the two songs on this single. “Land of the Dead” is a metallic edged punk stomp that is pretty catchy. Pretty good driving guitar sounds and simple 4/4 punk drum beats. You can’t deny that Jerry Only’s vocals have improved significantly. He hits the right notes and is in time but his vocals lack that powerhouse punch and anthemic force that are so key to the Misfits sound. Really weak backing vocals here that really stall this song when they should be mean and loud to help get this song firing on all cylinders. “Twilight of the Dead” is pretty similar in that it is a mid tempo punk song with slightly metal sounding guitars. The vocals on this try to do a crooning warbling 50′s thing but really don’t fit with the tempo of the song and make this sound campier then your favorite local horror movie host. There is, however, some nice guitar from Dez Cadena with good tone and some cool leads.
Land of the Dead is far better then expected, but the biggest disappointment after such a significant wait for new material is that not only do we get just two songs, but we get two songs that very similar. The addition of a faster, harder song would not only work better with Jerry’s vocals, but also might have made this a much better single. With a cool cover done by Marvel Zombies artist Arthur Suydam, colored vinyl, and Misfits records having a reputation for being valuable there is doubt this will do well. Just remember that music is for listening too, not just collecting.
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