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THE RECORD JOURNAL, 7/5/96
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(review of 6/29/96 show)
Misfits: Resurrection of the Living Dead

Hallelujia!!!
            Once again, they walk among us.
            For many fans ( "Fiends" ), the Resurrection Tour  will be
their first chance to see the legendary Misfits live - which, for me at
least, is great since I was a toddler when they were active.  They  formed
in early 1977, going through a series of drummers and guitarists until they
"just went away"  in 1983, upon singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig's departure
- right at the pinnacle of their career .  The only constants in the band
were bassist Jerry Only and Glenn.  In 1980, Jerry's younger brother Doyle
joined the band at the age of 16, who has remained in the band since.
           While Danzig went on to widespread recognition, it seemed as
though the remaining Misfits would never receive the attention they
deserved.  Jerry and Doyle are the two "original"  Misfits ( the drummers
all came down with Spinal Tap syndrome), and were nearly invisible during
their thirteen year lull - though not of their own choice.
	According to the band, Jerry and Doyle always were the Misfits
and always wanted to be the Misfits, but certain circumstances prevented
Misfits activity.  Legal obstacles (such as the question of just who held
the title to the "Misfits" name) settled, their thirteen year lull ended
upon their "Resurrection" last year, appropriately enough, on Halloween
with a surprise appearance in the middle of a Type O Negative performance
in New York City.  Word spread like wildfire, as did the questions.
          Will Glenn be reuniting with them?  How will they replace Glenn?
Will time have mellowed them?  Will they "sell out"?  Are they in it for
the money (Sex Pistols, anyone?)?  Will they come across as something of a
poor tribute band?
           What can we expect?  According to Jerry, "The same thing as
before, only better."  I couldn't put it any better.
             And as far as Glenn returning?  Contrary to some rumors, not
anytime soon!  Glenn seems to be anything but considerate concerning the
new Misfits, going as far as overdubbing their tracks on the recent Misfits
Collection II, and then not even subjecting it to their approval before its
release.  In fact, Jerry and Doyle approached Glenn amicably, asking him if
he would like to reunite with the Misfits, only to have security guards
remove them from the hotel where he was staying.
            To find a new vocalist, they didn't have to look too far.
Michale Graves was introduced to the Misfits by  local Lodi, NJ producer
Bob Allecca.  Prior to the suggestion that he audition for the "new"
Misfits, he had absolutely no exposure to the band, though he says " I
stole a Misfits T- shirt from my brother once - but I had no idea it was a
Misfits shirt."  And upon first hearing their music?  " I went out and
picked up the yellow CD (Collection I ), put it on the first song ( She ),
listened to a few bars and said 'These guys suck.'.  That was my first
impression of them,  swear to God."  Just as interesting about Michale is
his age ( 21 - the other members are into their thirties), which draws many
comparisons to a young Glenn Danzig.  Some critics say that his looks,
stage movements, and voice are  mirror images of Glenn.  Michale can't see
why.  " I can't help the way I look.  But I've looked at pictures and it's
like...woah!    And I don't know how he moved on stage, or anything like
that.  I've never watched any video footage-  I kept away just for that
purpose...I don't need to mimic anybody; what I do is what I do myself. As
far as my voice, I can't control the way my voice sounds either.  Singing
the old songs- Glenn wrote the melody lines, and I'm singing his melody
lines, so of course I'm gonna sound somewhat like him.  That's the way he
wrote it, and that's the way they that it was intended to be sung.  So if i
kinda sound like him, then I guess I'm doing my job half right."
           The new drummer is Dr. C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid
Underground Drummer - an homage to the 1980s low budget horror flick,
C.H.U.D.), who far surpasses all those who came before him in terms of
drumming ability and vocal ability.,   In keeping with the local theme, he
is from Lodi, and even graduated high school with Doyle.
         Concerning their performance last Saturday at Hartford's Webster
Theater, they hit the stage with an intensity the likes of which we have
not seen in the past thirteen years.  As far as time mellowing them out,
they've only become more aggressive.  They hit the stage and all hell broke
loose! Ripping through the first half of their set, the second part
consisted entirely of audience requests.  Michale would point to an
audience member, who would scream out his/her favorite song title, and then
be invited onstage to sing along.   Highlights included Bullet, Nike A Go
Go, and the massive sing-a-longs Skulls, and We Are 138.   Michale had to
keep telling the security morons to let us go up on stage, however they
remained quite uncooperative- this being my only complaint about the show.
Never before have I seen such band/audience interaction - proving that the
Misfits are not only  THE most powerful live act out there, but also the
most audience-considerate.
           Opening for the Misfits were Death Metal monoliths Cannibal
Corpse, who went on first - while the Webster was filling up.  They are
touring to support their new masterpiece, Vile, which features the debut of
new singer George "CorpseGrinder" Fischer.  While there is some criticism
of his replacing Chris Barnes, I was pleased to see just how well he fit
into the band.  Such classics as "Skull Full Of Maggots" and "Hammer
Smashed Face" were given a "new life", if you will.  His vocal style is
rather similar to that of Barnes, only with more clarity and ferocity.
Seeing them live, it is quite obvious  why Cannibal Corpse is at the
forefront of the Death Metal genre, and has been there for over half a
decade.  Expect them to remain there for a while to come.
            Next up was old favorites Anthrax.  Whether your favorite style
is punk, hardcore, death or speed metal - chances are that you somewhere
have ties to Anthrax.  Though many thought the band would go belly-up with
the departures of former vocalist Joey Belladonna and more recently, lead
guitarist Dan Spitz, they are alive, well, and apparently have been eating
their vitamins, because their performance was amazing.  Anthrax' delivery
of songs new and old was flawless, and extremely energetic.  Rhythm
guitarist Scott Ian had the potential to incite a riot when he took over
vocals for a cover of  "Protest and Survive".  Their brand of Stomp was
warmly welcomed by the crowd.  Much like the Misfits and Cannibal Corpse,
Anthrax' not-so-new-anymore vocalist John Bush provided a vocal delivery
far superior to that of former vocalist Belladonna.
            -         Ryan Adams

 sidenote:  Cannibal Corpse plays the El N Gee in New London this Friday
(today )  with Jungle Rot.

yeah, another side note...what ya gonna do?
      Misfits fans with Internet access ought to check out Misfits Central,
THE Misfits Site on the 'Net.
http://watt.seas.virginia.edu/~msk4m/