Misfits: The Devil’s Rain
The Devil’s Rain is the first full length collection of new material from the Misfits in more than a decade. That statement should be qualified, though, given all the line-up changes the Misfits have made over the years. The original Misfits – your cool (but weird) older cousin supported by wearing that cool (but scary) skull t-shirt – were led by Glenn Danzig. Their songs were about monster movies, killing babies, and warning people that they might get bitten by them. Danzig sang these songs in a distinctive 50’s Rock n’ Roll baritone, with absolute conviction, like a hell-bound heartthrob.
Jerry Only, one of the original members, won the right to perform under the Misfits name in an out of court settlement. The iteration of the Misfits on The Devil’s Rain is led by Only, with support from guitarist Dez Cadena of the legendary Black Flag and Murphy’s Law drummer Eric Arce. Faithful to the original Misfits sound, with the addition of some metal-style solos, the band makes a valiant attempt at capturing the essence of what made the original Misfits so legendary. Something is missing, though, and the result is a shell of what made the original material so great, like a Misfits haunted house where the costumes just aren’t quite right.
There are songs about monsters and aliens and pacts with Satan on The Devil’s Rain. There are even moments when Only gets within spitting distance of Danzig’s trademark croon for which the Misfits are known, but the Danzig ‘tude eludes him. While there are fun moments, such as “The Black Hole”, which finds Only waxing philosophical on the limits of the known universe, the album ultimately feels like phoned-in fan service.
Rating: 6.0/10
MP3: Misfits “The Black Hole”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!