Misfits/The Devil's Rain/2011

I was at a buddy’s house in the early nineties when I noticed he had a copy of American Psycho sitting beside his stereo. I asked him if it was any good and he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders and gave me the ole’, “It’s O.K.” The truth is I didn’t care what he said. I had already written it off. I suspect that the truth may also be that he didn’t want to admit that he liked it. We all subscribed to some unwritten and unspoken idea that the Misfits without Glenn Danzig were not the Misfits at all — that “The Misfits: Mach II” represented nothing more than a cash grab on behalf two former members of the original band, both of whom apparently lacked the creativity, ambition, or talent necessary to start their own, new band. The original incarnation of the Misfits was in many ways, pure magical brilliance, an elusive combination of timing and talent that happens to only a handful of bands. And when it happens, those bands become legendary.

So the question must be asked, why would Jerry Only, the sole original remaining member in the Misfits, want to continue operating under the Misfits moniker, knowing that anything they create, no matter how good it may or may not be, will never live up to the legendary status of the original bands output? The obvious answer is that the Misfits brand is a cash cow and that no matter how uninspired any new material may be, the name alone gives it a chance to sell. And if you can’t actually move the albums themselves, you can always sell Misfits posters, t-shirts, coffee mugs, air fresheners, lunch boxes, socks, buttons, belt-buckles, shot glasses, lighters, cell phone cases, beer mugs, incense, and whatever the fuck else you can fit a smiling, money-making Crimson Ghost logo on.

The fact is though, much to the chagrin of  Danzig die-hards, the “Newfits” (The Misfits: Mach II) records were pretty good. American Psycho and Famous Monsters were heavy, thrashing, and damn fun to listen to. It was good to have the Misfits around in any incarnation over a decade after the original line-ups demise. Many fans came on board after Metallica covered Last Caress and Green Hell in 1986 on their Garage Days: The $5.98 E.P., three years after the original Misfits broke up. The “Newfits” gave a new generation of fans a chance to see their heroes in action.

Today, “The Misfits: Mach III” is comprised of original fiend, Jerry Only on bass and vocals, Dez Cadena on guitar, and Eric “Chupacabra” Arceon on drums. This version of the Misfits has been around awhile, but has not released any new material until now. The Devil’s Rain took a few listens to grab me and ultimately it did. The album kicks off with the title track, and it is the best track on the album. The Devil’s Rain is a dark anthem of sorts, featuring a nice driving riff and ominous thunderclouds clapping throughout. It segues nicely into the second track, Vivid Red, which in true punk fashion, clocks in at less than two minutes. It’s a slammin’ tune that when coupled with The Devil’s Rain, makes for a nice opening one-two punch. Land of the Dead follows and is another strong track.

The Devil’s Rain has more of a punk vibe than American Psycho or Famous Monsters, which skewed toward more of a metal sound. However, a few of The Devil’s Rain’s tracks do sound metal. For example, Jack the Ripper actually reminds me of a Paul Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden song — think Phantom of the Opera. It is also one of two tracks, along with album closer, Death Ray, which Dez Cadena sings lead vocals on.  The Black Hole, Twilight of the Dead, and the Ghost of Frankenstein all sound like tracks that could have come from “The Misfits: Mach II” era.

The Devil’s Rain loses some points for the obvious filler in the back half of the record. Monkey’s Paw, Where Do They Go?, and Sleepwalkin’ could have all been left off and the result would have been a tighter, more focused album. The Devil’s Rain features more guitar solos than Misfits fans may be accustomed to, as well as a few moments of 50’s style doo-wop vocals. Jerry Only does a decent job in taking over the lead vocal duties, He doesn’t have the dynamic range of either of the band’s previous singers, but this particular set of songs doesn’t require it either.

The Devil’s Rain is the weakest entry into the Misfits canon of legendary horror-punk. However, that doesn’t make it a bad album. At the very least it raises to the level of the bands “Mach II” nineties output and at times even surpasses it. The songs are not as dark as the bands classic Danzig-era output. At times the music is downright cheesy. However, if you are in the mood, it’ll hit you the right way.

Fair or not, The Devil’s Rain will be judged against the original Misfits material. If it were a Jerry Only solo project, I might think that Jerry has a pretty nifty lil’ solo record on his hands.

But it’s not.

So what we are left with as listeners and fans is a decent record bearing the Misfits name, but lacking the magic, wondering where our loyalties end, and if the name alone means that we owe it a chance. 6.5/10