American Psycho (The Misfits)

Given that vocalist/songwriter Glenn Danzig was the main reason why I got into the Misfits in the first place, I've been rather reluctant to check out the albums that the band has since recorded without him. Now that I have finally given the era a chance, I can safely say that it's not as bad as people may say as long as you try to keep an open mind. . .
In terms of style, I like to think of this album as being a cross between "Walk Among Us" and "Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood"; the aggressive riffs are kept in check by poppy vocals and the lyrics still their violently campy touch. It is also the first album to feature drummer Dr. Chud and vocalist Michale Graves.

Abominable Dr. Phibes: Starting the album off is an atmospheric instrumental that I like to think of as a lyricless "Earth A.D.". It features unusual sound effects in the beginning, doomy guitar and bass harmonies, and some solid drum fills.
8 out of 10

American Psycho: The title track is one of the strongest tracks on the album. It features rapidly delivered vocals and crunchy riffs during the verses, an awesome sing-a-long chorus, and whoa-oh's during the pre-chorus that sound eerily similar to the main melody of "Black Horse And A Cherry Tree". . .
10 out of 10

Speak Of The Devil: This track comes in with more dark chugging guitars, slightly goofy vocal lines dominate the verses, and the chorus provides a simple but sweet refrain. A fun though average track.
7 out of 10

Walk Among Us: Due to "Walk Among Us" being the only Danzig-era album without a title track, I guess they figured it'd be necessary to put one on here. The introduction features some building guitars, the verses continue with more energetic guitars and vocals, and the chorus is another sing-a-long.
7 out of 10

The Hunger: Bright guitars and pounding drums open this song's introduction, the verses bring more drawn out vocals, and the chorus continues with slightly piercy vocals above the usual chug. Another average track.
7 out of 10

From Hell They Came: One of my personal favorites. It comes in with another dark chug and building drums, the verses continue with more crooning vocals, and the chorus is one of the catchiest on the album.
9 out of 10

Dig Up Her Bones: Call it blasphemy, but this may be my favorite Misfits song of all time (In an attempt to justify my claim, Graves wrote this song back in 1991 before he had anything to do with the Misfits). The introduction opens with spooky sound effects before an infectious guitar chug takes its place, the verses continue with more melodic croons into the mix, and the chorus just might be the strongest on the album. Quite an underrated effort that even sounds good accoustically (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHPvAPDIT0o).
10 out of 10

Blacklight: Dissonant guitar chords and erratic drum fills open this song before the regular chug comes back in, the verses keep the melodic vocals flowing, and the chorus offers a solid refrain. Not a lot to say about it otherwise.
7 out of 10

Resurrection: A neat drum pattern opens this song before more of the same comes in, the verses bring in the piercy vocals, and the chorus is pretty decent. I do wish the band would go with more of the experimental ideas that open each song. . .
7 out of 10

This Island Earth: Another chug opens this song nicely, the verses continue with lower pitched vocals, and the chorus is more of the same. Solid though one of the weaker songs on the album.
7 out of 10

Crimson Ghost: Unsettling guitar squeals and a great bass solo open this song before going into an even darker mid-tempo riff, the verses continue with more furious riffs and quickly sung vocals, the chorus is a simple but erratic sing-a-long, and the song's climax brings in some great chants. A welcome change from the last few tracks. . .
8 out of 10

Day Of The Dead: A dissonant guitar groove opens this song's introduction nicely, the verses continue with the usual chug and some unusually echoing vocals, the chorus is another melodic bit with some odd hand claps in the background, and the song closes out in an almost bluesy fashion. Perhaps the weirdest track on the album.
7 out of 10

The Haunting: Another typical track. It features more driving riffs, odd vocal lines, chanted vocals during the chorus, and painfully generic lyrics. Not much else to say about it. . .
7 out of 10

Mars Attacks: Being a fan of the Tim Burton film, I consider this song to be something of a highlight. It opens with spacy sound effects soon joined by a happy chug, the verses continue with restrained vocals, and the chorus is another catchy bit with some interesting vocal/guitar trade-offs. A pretty good track.
8 out of 10

Hate The Living, Love The Dead: The verses suddenly comes in with dissonant guitar/vocal trade-offs and the chorus features some weird but interesting vocal contrasts. A pretty unique track though perhaps a little too dissonant to be a true highlight. . .
7 out of 10

Shining: This song comes in right away with an energetic drum beat and bright guitar/vocals soon coming in, the verses continue with some unusual guitar/vocal trade-offs, and the chorus keeps the heaviness flowing with some great vocal lines. Another solid song.
8 out of 10

Don't Open Til Doomsday: Don't be fooled by the track's eight minute length for it's actually two songs in one. The first portion features a softer introduction before descending into the poppy chugs, the verses continue with bright vocal lines thrown in, and another infectious chorus. After a few minutes, the second song ("Hell Night") comes in with building drums, strong bass, and somber vocals during the verses and a signature poppy chorus soon follows. A pretty sweet closer.
8 out of 10

Overall, this album gets 132 out of 170, 78%, and 3.5 stars. It isn't as consistent as the material led by Danzig, but this album offers a fun set of songs that offer immediate satisfaction. I imagine it'd be fitting music for such events as punk parties, driving down country roads really fast, and mailbox baseball. . .