Until 1977, the cemeteries of New Jersey had never been so disturbed—at least not until the creatures began to walk among us. When the children of fear poured all of their inner unrest into their music, everything changed. Halloween never ended for them... Inspired by the horror films they devoured, they injected fear into their fun-filled music. While everyone else claimed Punk was dead, Jerry Only and Glenn Danzig said, “Even if we die, we’ll rise from the grave to keep it alive,” and in 1982, with the release of their debut album Walk Among Us, Misfits began to spread their bone-chilling joy.
While the UK was being shaken by the UK82 movement, out in the wild west, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein was laying the foundations of American Hardcore with his guitar riffs. If we look at the album as a whole, none of the tracks are particularly different from each other—they're all built on single chords and simple melodies. Yet somehow, despite the sameness, the album radiates an overwhelming sense of fun. And while delivering that fun, they still scream, “I want your skulls!” Despite its basic structure and short 25-minute runtime, the album is packed with speed, aggression, fun—and of course, horror. Misfits were also a band that truly knew how to wield power chords.
Tracklist
1- 20 Eyes
2- I Turned into a Martian
3- All Hell Breaks Loose
4- Vampira
5- Nike A Go Go
6- Hatebreeders
7- Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?
8- Night of the Living Dead
9- Skulls
10- Violent World
11- Devils Whorehouse
12- Astro Zombies
13- Braineaters
Right from the opening track, “20 Eyes,” Glenn Danzig howls “I’ve got 20 eyes in my head”—who knows what he was on. The second track, “I Turned into a Martian,” continues in the same tempo and feels like a direct continuation of the first. Danzig uses a surprising variety of vocal tones, and at times, there are even hints of Blues in his delivery. One of the band’s hallmarks is the use of gang vocals throughout the album, especially in the choruses.
Track three, “All Hell Breaks Loose,” stands out slightly with its more prominent, shaky basslines and tight drumming. Following the apocalyptic calm of this track is “Vampira,” a song that blends Punk and Rock ’n’ Roll elements with playful guitar tones and Danzig’s combat-ready vocals.
Arguably the album’s most intense song is “Mommy, Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?” Danzig completely loses it here, practically yelling “Mommy, can I go out and kill someone?” This feral, high-tempo track throws Ska Punk and even touches of Grindcore into the mix, delivering a raw and abrasive assault on the ears.
“Night of the Living Dead” was inspired by the 1950s horror film White Zombie. The vocal style in this song resembles the reaction of a bunch of bratty kids who just saw their big brothers wearing monster masks. And those big brothers respond with “Skulls,” screaming “I want your skulls, you little punks!” In the chorus of “Skulls,” Danzig unleashes perhaps his most delicious vocal tone on the entire record.
As we enter the final quarter of the album, Jerry Only and his brother Von Frankenstein go completely off the rails, blending Rock ’n’ Roll, Ska, Blues, Heavy Metal, and even a dash of Thrash into the last few tracks for a wonderfully messy concoction. “Astro Zombies” features classic Punk rhythms decorated with echoing Rock ’n’ Roll vocals—because apparently, the Misfits weren’t content with Earth’s zombies; they had to chase the ones in space too.
The final track, “Braineaters,” comes at you with full-on hooligan energy—possibly even laying the groundwork for what would later become Skinhead Oi! It sounds like an anthem for a gang of fans leaving the pub and beating up rival supporters on the way to an away game.
While the grown-ups scoffed, “Punk is dead, just let it go,” Misfits used the moonlight to carve themselves into the souls of children...