Misfits Walk Among Us CD

The Misfits: Glenn Danzig (vocals); Doyle (guitar); Jerry Only (bass); Arthur Googy (drums).
Recorded at Mix-O-Lydian, Boonton, New Jersey.
The Misfits (U.S.): Doyle (guitar); Jerry Only (bass guitar); Arthur Googy (drums); Glenn Danzig.
Personnel: Glenn Danzig (vocals); O.C. Doyle (guitar); Arthur Googy (drums).
Audio Remixers: Glenn Danzig; Chris D. ; Pat Burnett.
Recording information: Mixolydian Studios, Boonton, NJ.
Photographer: Glenn Brown.
The Misfits' 1982 debut full-length, Walk Among Us, rapidly became a legendary effort of U.S. punk, the more so because it so willfully violated many rules which were already ironically straitjacketing the scene. Utterly devoid of political confrontation or social uplift, embracing a costume sense that might have given Kiss pause and generally coming across like the horror-movie nightmares they looked like on the cover, the Misfits just wanted to entertain and do their own thing -- and that they did, brilliantly. Nearly every song on the album -- 13 total, delivered in a light-speed 25 minutes -- is a twisted classic, with the band's trademark '50s/'60s melodies run through a punk/metal meatgrinder on full display. The higher-budget (in very relative terms) recording meant a slightly cleaner and brighter sound all around, but nothing about Walk Among Us is slick, especially in commercial 1982 terms. One song title says it all: "All Hell Breaks Loose." Danzig's gift for creepy, strong, and attractively dark singing was long since established and he uses it brilliantly, making the over-the-top lyrics all the more enjoyable, while Doyle, Jerry Only, and Arthur Googy kick out the jams on Danzig's songs big time -- check out "Hatebreeders," "Violent World," and the crazed "Skulls." Everything ends with the giddily ridiculous "Braineaters," in which the chanting voices of the band bemoan their constant diet of cerebella and ask for intestines instead, but the real freaked-out highlight comes smack dab in the middle with "Mommy Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight." Taken from the show that made up the Evilive release, it starts out on the edge and, after Danzig delivers the title sans instruments, turns into an explosion of rhythm and feedback that should have killed everything within 50 feet of the amps. ~ Ned Raggett
If the Misfits were one of the greatest punk bands then WALK AMONG US s perhaps one of the greatest records in punk history. While STATIC AGE and EARTH A.D. showcased a band searching for an identity like a vampire for its next victim, WALK AMONG US is almost sheer perfection. With a solidified lineup, fully grown-out devillocks (the Misfits trademark long spike of hair in the front) and the stabilizing presence of the somewhat pedestrian but agile Arthur Googy on drums, uber-Misfit Glenn Danzig was finally able to match his zombie-Elvis to a worthy musical foil.
From the manic opening of "20 Eyes" to the monster football chorus of "Braineaters," there is nothing less than a sublime moment on this album from start to finish. "Astro Zombies" or "I Turned Into a Martian" sound like songs to raise the dead by. A special bonus is perhaps the tenderest love song to decapitation ("Skulls") in recent memory. Finally back in print after years of being a collector's item, WALK AMONG US is a classic of any genre and a must-have for any serious punk fan.

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