Customer Reviews

Famous Monsters

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

The new version of the Misfits is quite interesting. The songs on this album are well written and still have that same catchy pop-hook that the MISFITS are known for. The only real difference is that angry attitude that Glenn Danzig had is gone. Michale Graves brings a whole different aura to the band which is happier. Although I prefer the old Misfits, the new Misfits still have plenty to offer. Michale is an excellent vocalist and apparently wrote the majority of the songs. My only complaint is Jerry's bass is TOO LOUD and the production is too clean. The album highlights are: Forbidden Zone, Saturday Night, Die Monster Die, Pumpkinhead & Fiend Club. Each of these songs clearly shows that Michale Graves is a suitable replacement for Glen. If you get past all the crap abut Glenn vs Michale/Jerry and just listen to the album you will be pleasantly surprised. I only wish now that Michale would rejoin the band and make another album since Glenn won't.

I agree with everyone else who says to forget Danzig. Please do not pay attention to any negative reviews that bash this release just because Danzig is not on it. Famous Monsters rocks!!! Michale sings great and the rest of the band is right on the money. I can't get these songs out of my CD player, my iPod, or out of my mind. Get the Michale Graves CD (Punk Rock is Dead) while you are at it - that's a killer CD also....

This CD is incredible. It proves that The Misfits are just as good without Glenn Danzig (well, maybe not...but it does prove that they still kick ass). The guitars are tuned similarly to the way the were tuned on American Psycho and the same thing goes for the bass. Michale Graves really can sing. Doyle is (and always will be) a kick ass guitar player. His solo featured in the unforgettable track "Descending Angel" is amazing. After the album's interesting intro, we are treated to "The Forbidden Zone", a song about evolution. It is brilliant. After that, we hear "Lost In Space" (I think this song was on the soundtrack of the movie "Lost In Space", but I'm not sure...they have a voice clip from the movie in the song). Then after that, we hear "Dust To Dust" and "Crawling Eye" (both of which are classics). Basically, this whole CD is good. BUY IT! The CD's best track? Its very hard to say, since all of them are so damn good. One of the tracks, "Helena", is three different songs combined. Another track, "Pumpkin Head", is a spinoff of the 1988 horror classic "Pumpkin Head". I could go on for hours about how good this CD is. But I'm not going to. Buy it, already!

I. Danzig, No they did/do not need to change the bands name The Misfits works just fine. Grow up, Bands progress just like the world around them does. Glen Danzig is the one whom openly said he wanted nothing to do with the reforming of The Misfits! If you wish to properly direct your anger then go rate Danzig albums and spare us your idiotic behavior.

II. Michael Graves is an excellent vocalist, A favorite of mine infact. On a couple tracks he even surpasses that of which Danzig has done in the past. The lyrics are far more diverse and aren't simply repeating the same sentance over and over in short minute long tracks.

III. The band as a whole is shown here at their peek. It doesn't and won't get any better then this. Though I love em, Not even the Misfits can defeat time.. And its begining to catch up with them.

Famous Monsters is an incredible album, Fast, Fun and Catchy. Such tracks as 'Dust To Dust' show an incredible sense of atmosphere not seen until the inclusion of Graves in the band. Other more "To The Point" tracks such as 'Die Monster Die' or 'Hunting Humans' will have you head banging in no time.

As usual Jerry Only holds back nothing and slaps you around with his loud gritty bass lines. Doyle sticks to his standard thrashy rhythm sections and a few small break away points that if only a bit longer could be considered solos. Dr. Chud takes the throne in high style on this album beating the living hell out of his drums in old school Punk Fashion.. Though don't be mistaken their are a few nice suprise fills here and there hes not usually known for.

Michael "Graves" Valmont, The reason for such debate between fans old and new. Well, simply put.. Screw Danzig! The man has incredible vocal tone and knocks you out of your chair on more then one occasion with long held notes. The lyrics are on the money and fun, Sometimes even funny. Those of you who put him down as a bad vocalist are foolish and deserve a rightous old school knuckle sandwhich.

All in all, fans old & new SHOULD be able to enjoy this.. But appearantly some are to arrogant to hear greatness when it comes-a-knocking. To all the rest, Get this. I own it and recommend you own it as well. Ignore all the bad reviews stating the same regurgitated crap over and over about how "horrible" this album is.

It's true that Glenn Danzig was the individual in charge of the Misfits (writing all songs and developing the art and image) from their inception until the band's demise in 1983. After long legal battles throughout the 1990's, Jerry Only (Glenn's partner in founding the Misfits) got rights to the "Misfits" name and was finally able to revive the band. There were mixed reactions, though, by people who were happy to have some sort of incarnation of this legendary band finally exist once again... and those who thought that the Misfits were nothing without Glenn. For the 1996 "reunion tour", we were graced by the familiar presences of Jerry and Doyle (Jerry's brother, also from the pre-83 band, but not an official member from the 70's), and we were finally introduced to vocalist Michale Graves and drummer Dr. Chud. Obviously, the "reunion" controversy surrounded only Graves because he was Glenn's replacement. But what is important to mention, however, is that even though Graves was an extremely talented vocalist who could impressively carry the tunes live, there was a major difference in STYLE. Glenn's soulful, baritone crooner-styled inflections were what made him unique and refreshing - especially in the realm of punk music. In Michale's defense, he's sensational, but no one should have unfairly stigmatized him as an impostor. Granted, on the reunion tour and on "American Psycho", the first release from the new Misfits, Graves was under a ton of pressure to live up to a million expectations. I'm just as guilty as the next guy of that, because on that '96 tour, my dream was to hear those old classics played and sung just like they were recorded a decade and a half before that. Thankfully, and in spite of this, Michale began showing us his own personality - little by little. Anyway, what does all this have to do with "Famous Monsters" in particular? Well, in my humble opinion, Michale Graves shows us more of HIS OWN talents and capabilities on this CD rather than relying on past glories and being coerced into retracing someone else's path. In other words, the one thing that I appreciate the most on this CD is that he really isn't trying to be Glenn, although many will still beg to differ. There's a little more of his own character shining through here, and that actually works in favor with these tunes. He's trying to be himself - while at the same time faithfully contributing to the Misfits legacy that we've all loved forever. Finally, and equally important, is of course the music. What you get here is a totally logical evolution from what you got from the Misfits in the 80's... plus a few welcomed surprises along the way (like the 50's drenched "Saturday Night", the phenomenal "Forbidden Zone", which is probably my favorite Misfits tune since "Astro Zombies", plus other great gems like "Lost In Space", "Dust To Dust", "Descending Angel", "Hunting Humans", and "Helena"). The songs seem to take influences from every era of the band - specifically, a little "Earth AD" here, a little "Static Age" there, and a lot of "Walk Among Us" everywhere else. As expected, you have tons of choruses to die for, and you have proud-to-be-campy, ghoulish punk-n-roll that can only come from the Misfits. Even though Glenn wrote the music back in the day, Jerry and the gang have studied well; they've gotten the craft down for sure. As far as the imagery is concerned, there is definitely a difference from the days gone hence. With Glenn there was a seriously dark, evil tone mixed with strange dark/black humor so evidently at work that the term "gothic punk" was somehow fitting, but now the vibe seems to be solely a melodic, campy B-movie, tongue-in-cheek sort of thing. The only thing I can really criticize is the production; my sole complaint is that it's simply TOO produced. When any punk band has a melodic urge like this, the only thing that keeps it from getting "slick" and "pop sounding" is a gritty, underproduced studio feel. I can tell that their hearts were into these songs, but some of that intensity got lost in the studio, unfortunately. Anyway, it's really your call... if you are a die-hard Glenn purist who thinks that only Glenn's involvement would make it worthwhile, then this CD probably won't sit well with you - and honestly, I can't blame you... it's an opinion shared by many. Despite this, I think you should at least give this a listen to make an objective opinion before blowing it off. As sacreligious as it may sound, some of you will be pleasantly surprised. If you are interested in hearing how Jerry Only and the gang have taken this legendary outfit and put a few modern spins on it, then by all means, check this out for size. Personally, I think they did a darn good job. But again, it's your call...

I'm new to The Misfits, but this is intense! As I listen to both their old and new stuff it's clear to me that The Misfits never lost their power to be HELLISH FUN. Famous Monsters is a KILLER disc!

No, Graves is no Glenn Danzig, for better or worse - Danzig's vocal depth is matched by few, so get over it. But the 'new' Misfits take themselves as lightly as Danzig takes himself seriously, and therein lies their strength. The songs are catchy, ditzy, shlocky fun in the best sense. The musical talent is only marginally better than the classic lineup - which is to say mediocre - but then if you are looking for virtuosity, you're missing the point of punk anyway. Just listen, nod your head and smile at the sheer silliness - these guys are the John Carpenter of music.

As to the specifics of this second album from the post-Glenn era, it's pretty solid. It takes few chances with the established formula though, and in that sense it seems a bit timid. The recording itself has a bland, antiseptic feel to it which seems to fly in the face of the balls-to-the-wall tradition of the Misfits. There is plenty of-tongue-in-cheek gothic/horror/sci-fi kitsch, and they know how to play to the fan in such a way as to make you feel like you get the references that fly over most people's heads. Still, is that enough to make it the Misfits?

Perhaps the only way to fairly judge it is to compare it to American Psycho, the first of the new breed of Misfits albums. Ironically, it seems that the band has chosen to draw inspiration from the horror movie genre perhaps a bit too closely. Like many sequels, this second outing falls short of its predecessor, though only slightly. One gets the feeling that the guys liked the idea of getting the band back together, but fell a little short when it came time to pony up with new music and lyrics. They had enough 'A' list stuff for an album and a half, but half way through Famous Monsters they had to dip into the second-string material.

Overall, Famous Monsters is entertaining, but it's short on the novelty that made us Misfits fans the first time around. Graves does no worse than most other fill-in front-men, but he has neither the power nor the range of Danzig. But then he doesn't burden us with Glenn's ego either. Buy American Psycho first, then come back for seconds with Famous Monsters if you like the familiar, yet slightly fast-food flavor of the Misfits '90's-style.

I'm aiways a little bit saddened by this one as it heralds the end of the Graves era Misfits and leaves me feeling that if the band had sorted out it's differences we wouldn't be left with so many side projects by ex-members none of them particularly filling and instead would have at least two good Misfits albums by now to add to the collection.
That said "Famous Monsters" is a bit hit and miss the opening "Kong at the Gates" sounds fantastic and "The Forbidden Zone" makes me happy just to be a Fiend unfortunately things go slightly downhill untill we reach "Scream" which is dark,foreboding and has a great video clip inbetween is so so untill we reach"Die,Monster,Die" and from there on in "Kong at the Gates" finally begins to deliver what it had promised us at the begginning.
It's with a twitch of sadness that "Kong Unleashed" finishes the album and we know this is the end of this Misfits Line up.
They could've been so much more if people had taken the time to stop whining about what life was like in 1982 and actually listened to the music.
That said all I can do is pray Jerry,Dez and Robo are working on a proper Misfits album with new stuff as I write untill then put this on after "American Psycho"have a few beers and watch the Twilight Zone or a b-movie before you call it a night

Michael graves has indeed high expectations to measure up to, but he does indeed accomplish that and lends the matured melodic Horror-Punk sound of this album his brilliant and charismatic vocals. Still they keep to their unique characteristics and although Famous Monsters has shifted even more into the Punk-Rock corner, they still have their cutting edge and allow you to enter a gloomy B-movie world while listening to the songs. This album is clearly proof that the Misfits were and are much more than just relying on Danzig's great vocals.

There will never be a replacement for Danzig but this new Misfits is great. We get to have Danzig and the Misfits.