Misfits Albums Embody True Horror Punk Rock

Most of the Misfits albums are now categorized under horror punk rock. If this is a bit foreign to you, it may be because it is a sub genre of sorts of which this band is widely considered a pioneer of. The group’s transition to its current enduring image however, was not a smooth or easy one.

The original band was the idea of Glenn Danzig who took the name from Marilyn Monroe’s last movie. The band’s first line up in 1977 was made up of Diane DiPiazza, Jimmy Battle and Manny Martinez. DiPiazza and Battle stayed only briefly and Jerry Caiafa, who is now more popularly known as Jerry Only, was recruited into the group. Only and Danzig are the only two members who stayed on with the band for long. To date, the group’s member roster has registered a total of 17 members. The quick line up changes are a definite indication of the band’s troubled history.

Soon after the band was created, they began recording songs for their first album, Static Age. Unfortunately, no one wanted to offer a contract agreement to the group. As a compromise, the band simply released singles. Twenty years more passed before this work saw the light of day in its entirety.

The year following their founding, the band started to move into a dramatic shift that would eventually become definitive. Danzig started to compose pieces that increasingly featured horror themes. The members of the band also eventually transformed on stage as audiences saw more of them in goth clothing printed with skeletons and with devilock hairdos. This was when every single Misfits album from then on was labeled horror punk.

For four years, the band saw more recording and performance action. But it was only really in 1982, five years after they started as a group, that Walk Among Us came out. This was to be their first real full album release since Static Age did not materialize yet at this time. A year after this development though, things
started to take an ugly turn. Danzig, who, up to this point was the prime mover, no longer wanted to continue. He went off tangent and founded Samhain. Band member Only eventually also founded his own group, Kryst the Conqueror.

As fate would have it though, the Misfits didn’t disappear entirely. After band members went separate ways, renewed interest in the group and its music emerged. It was so strong that Only decided he wanted the Misfits back in action. This started a legal battle with Danzig on the opposing end. Before the conflict could really reach the court though, an agreement was set. Only could use the name and logo but Misfits merch rights had to be shared with Danzig. This was even if Danzig no longer wanted to have anything to do with the group.

The band was officially reborn under the leadership of Only but it went through more line up issues. By 2001, Only was the only member left with no prospect for a new Misfit album. Presently however, the official line up listed for the band also includes Dez Cadena and Julio “Robo” Valencia. Their most recent work together is the single Land of the Dead released in 2009.