Horror Defines the Misfits

Rock bands are notoriously infamous for changing line-ups like how a girl changes clothes. Such is the case with the Misfits and their ever-changing line-up of musicians on their Misfits discography.

Band Story

Misfits was formed in 1977 in New Jersey with Glenn Danzig as singer and songwriter, Jimmy Battle on guitar, Diane DiPiazza on bass guitar and Manny Martinez on drums. During its first six years as a band, the band had so many changes in its line-up that it began to take on the look of musical chairs, with Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only as the permanent fixtures. As of last count, there were a total of 17 official members of the Misfits with as many as 8 drummers.

The band disbanded in 1983 but was resurrected, in a manner of speaking, in 1995 but only after a series of nasty legal battles for the right to use the name. It was to be expected as, during the official hiatus of the band, its influence in the punk rock, alternative rock and heavy metal genres has been firmly established. Thus, any person who will take on the name will have almost instant appeal in the new music market.

At present, the members of the group are Jerry Only (a.k.a. Gerald Caifa) on lead vocals and bass guitar, Des Cadena on backing vocals and guitar as well as Robo (a.k.a. Roberto Valverde) on drums. Music fans may hope that there will be no musical chairs coming up but it is still a possibility given the band’s rocky history, pun intended.

Studio Albums Released

The Misfits are considered the pioneers of the subgenre known as horror punk or death punk. This musical style blends punk rock with other musical influences coupled with liberal doses of morbid imagery particularly of death, thus, the name assigned to the genre.

In its more than three decades in the music industry, the band has released 6 studio Misfits albums, 2 live albums, four extended plays (EPs), one box set, five music videos, one DVD, 12 singles and, sadly enough, one cancelled Misfits album. In many ways, the band is one of the most productive and most influential rock bands in the industry.

The following are the studio albums released in the market to date by the group:

• Walk Among Us- Fans consider Static Age and 12 Hits from Hell as the true first Misfits albums but this piece of work is the first release for 1982
• Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood- This December 1983 release is important for being Glenn Danzig’s last recording with the group
• American Psycho- The title of this album was taken from a Bret Easton Ellis novel and was released in 1997
• Static Age- This was released in its complete form in 1997 but was really originally recorded in 1978
• Famous Monster- Lady Gaga may be dominating the airwaves now but this 1999 album came before she ever became a household name
• Project 1950- As the title suggests, this one is a collection of songs from the 1950s

The Misfits don’t have to work hard to stay popular. They are every bit as popular now as they were before and fans continue to eagerly wait for band and music merch developments.