Discover Death Rock with Misfits
A lot of rock bands don’t stay as they are when they began. In a lot of cases, established groups change members quickly. This is especially true for the Misfits, featuring different individuals on their Misfits discography.
Band History
Misfits was formed in 1977 in New Jersey with Glenn Danzig as singer and songwriter, Jimmy Battle on guitar, Diane DiPiazza on bass guitar and Manny Martinez on drums. During its first six years as a band, the band had so many changes in its line-up that it began to take on the look of musical chairs, with Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only as the permanent fixtures. As of last count, there were a total of 17 official members of the Misfits with as many as 8 drummers.
In 1983, group members decided to split. The band however, was brought back to life in 1995. This came only after a long legal tiff over whose right it was to use the name of the band. The legal battle wasn’t much of a surprise since the band did already make a name for itself in the rock and metal genres before it broke apart. Thus, it is to be expected that any group that inherits the Misfits name will have an edge over others.
To date, the group lineup is a mix of old and new. Jerry Only also known as Gerald Caifa is still on board as lead vocals and guitarist. He is joined by Des Cadena on backup vocals and guitar and Roberto Valverde also known as Robo on drums. Given their rocky past, many fans hope the group eventually settles on a more stable lineup.
Albums Out
Many bands are considered posers and copycats. The Misfits however is accurately tagged as the pioneers of the death or horror punk genre. It should be obvious to anyone what this genre is all about. Although it has elements of punk rock, what is most noticeable about is its dark and scary imagery.
For the most part, the band can reasonably be said to have been quite prolific. In three decades, they were able to come up with four extended plays, twelve singles, five music videos, six studio albums, two live albums, one box set and one DVD. Avid fans also count one cancelled Misfits album as part of the groups work.
The group’s work makes an interesting list of albums:
• Walk Among Us- This was actually the third Misfits album to be recorded (Static Age and 12 Hits from Hell were the firsts) but was the first one released in March 1982
• Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood- This was the last album Glenn Danzig recorded with the band and was released in December 1983
• American Psycho- Released in 1997, it was named after the famous novel by Bret Easton Ellis
• Static Age- This was first recorded in 1978 but was only released in its entirety in 1997
• Famous Monster- Long before Lady Gaga’s album, there was the 1999 album by the Misfits
• Project 1950- As befits the name, it is a cover of old songs from the 50s to the 60s
Despite its rocky history, the Misfits hasn’t paled. Fans continue to listen to these pioneers of horror punk and continue to patronize their music merch.
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