Wednesday 13 Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Horror rock has been around for a long time. From "Monster Mash" to the Cramps and the Misfits to White Zombie, the genre is at its best when the artist in question is in on the joke . For every Lux Interior there's a Marilyn Manson, and thankfully in the case of Wednesday 13, former Frankenstein Drag Queen andMurderdolls frontman Joseph Poole represents the latter. This is punk rock filtered through the whiskey-soaked crotch of the late-'80s Los Angeles hair metal scene, and it owes as much to Mötley Crüe and Faster Pussycat as it does Black Sabbath or Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages. Poole fuses Green Day melodicism with pop-metal on the rousing opener "Morgue Than Words," creates a new "horned hand" anthem with the brutal and dumb "Faith in the Devil," and even throws in a salute to the king of "Zombie" rock Roky Erickson on a cover of "Burn the Flames," an obscure cut from 1985's brilliant Return of the Living Dead soundtrack. Fang Bang wasn't created with even the slightest intention of reinventing the genre, but like its' sonic counterpart, Andrew W.K.'s Party Hard, it's got the hooks, the energy, and a big stupid smile on its face that's impossible to ignore. This is the soundtrack to the brain-eating dog days of summer. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Transylvania 90210: Songs of Death, Dying, and the Dead'
Release Date 1/1/2005
Tracks 14
Label Roadrunner
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Although hard to fathom nowadays (since just about every single band is smearing on the eyeliner), there was a point during the '90s when "theatrical metal" was completely dead. But thanks to the success of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, the genre returned from the grave, as both artists proved that wearing makeup didn't automatically make you a pop-metallist like Poison. By the early 21st century, a whole new breed of similarly styled rockers appeared, such as the Murderdolls, whose frontman, Wednesday 13, began issuing solo outings. With Wednesday looking like the offspring of Plasmatics guitarist Richie Stotts, 2005's Transylvania 90210 is his second solo release overall, and sounds quite similar to the recordings from his full-time band. "I Walked With a Zombie" contains expected horror movie-esque lyrics, although the punk-pop riffs bring to mind blink-182. Elsewhere, however, the expected heavy sludge riffage reins supreme ("House by the Cemetery"), while the album closer, "A Bullet Named Christ," is a haunting, piano-based ditty and "Elect Death for President" sounds like an outtake from Antichrist Superstar. Newcomers to the "horror metal" genre should enjoy Transylvania 90210, but longtime admirers of the aforementioned artists will have heard it all before. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'6 Years, 6 Feet Under the Influence'
Release Date 6/28/2004
Tracks 18
Label Universal
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