Famous Monsters

iTunes Review

The Misfits’ second and final album with Danzig replacement Michale Graves, Famous Monsters adds several classics to the canon of this horror-punk institution. What the Misfits lose in soul due to the absence of Danzig, they more than make up for with the sheer propulsive force of the new songs. “Scream,” “Dust to Dust,” and “Forbidden Zone” come off like classic Misfits songs hopped up on nitro. Even though Famous Monsters is in many ways a more streamlined, conventional punk album than the early Misfits work, there are still a fair number of curveballs here. With the high velocity swing of “Scarecrow Man” the band conjures its own strain of deranged, evil rockabilly, while “Saturday Night” is a fearsome-yet-sweet slow dance. Considering that Danzig was long considered to be the Misfits sole braintrust, Famous Monsters remains faithful to the band’s original intentions, and from front to back is a remarkable consistent collection of punk rock.