Released by: Self
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Horror Punk
Links: http://officialdoyle.com/
Line Up:
DOYLE WOLFGANG VON FRANKENSTEIN: Guitar
LEFT HAND GRAHAM: Bass
ALEX STORY: Vocals
DR.CHUD: Drums
Tracklist:
01. Abominator
02. Learn To Bleed
03. Dreamingdeadgirls
04. Headhunter
05. Valley Of Shadows
06. Land Of The Dead
07. Cemeterysexxx
08. Love Like Murder
09. Mark Of The Beast
10. Bloodstains
11. Hope Hell Is Warm
I have been a fan of The Misfits for some time now, thanks to the shirts of Cliff Burton and exposure to covers of their music by Metallica. Then I started following the music of Glenn Danzig when he went solo and basically lost touch with the music of The Misfits. They did continue on and I have heard that the stuff they did was good, but I never really checked it out. Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, long time Misfits guitarist has now released his first ever solo album. I did manage to catch his other band Gorgeous Frankenstein a few years ago opening for Danzig and enjoyed what they did. I also love the Kryst the Conqueror stuff, but that mostly has to do with the inclusion of Jeff Scott Soto on vocals more than anything else.
As for Doyle’s first solo album, Abominator, it took me a few spins before I really started to enjoy it. Initially I thought he was treading very close to the same direction Danzig took on a few albums, but upon closer listen it’s more of a doomier sound with hints of his past punk work with his better known band. However, despite eventually working my way to enjoying it I didn’t love it. Perhaps I’m getting too old, but tracks like “Dreamingdeadgirls” and “Cemetarysexxx” just left me shaking my head at the lyrical silliness. Sure, I know that most of the songs from The Misfits (and to some extent Danzig) revolve around this horror/cartoon style, but it simply no longer appeals to me. Though I do still appreciate the songs I grew up with, I’ve moved on from being interested in investing into newer songs like this. Having said that, tracks like “Headhunter,” “Mark of the Beast,” and “Hope Hell Is Warm” were very inspiring tracks with great punk sensibilities but a more metallic delivery. His guitar abilities truly shine on this release as well. Doyle isn’t necessarily anyone that will be confused with so many shredders out there, but he does come up with clever riffs and has an attack and ferocity all his own.
Old school Misfit fans will likely enjoy this album as there are plenty of hints of his legacy here, but I’m personally not able to love it as much as I likely would’ve 15 years ago or more. Was hoping to catch him on tour with Danzig soon, but the night they’re playing in my area I won’t be able to make, which is disappointing as I think these songs would transfer to a live setting much better than on album. Overall Abominator is a good album that has some great ups and a few downs, but after a couple listens I went from expecting to write a less than rave review to saying that it’s pretty decent.
Written by Chris Martin