The ghost of Misfits past is inescapable on Doyle’s solo, but judging by the hairdo on the cover art, I think it’s safe to say that he isn’t trying to hide from it.
Review by David Feltman
Bringing with him Misfit drummer Dr. Chud, Doyle, or to call him by his full name, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, attempts to rekindle a little Misfit magic with Abominator. What we get, both in form and face paint, is closer to Rob Zombie sans the disco dance vibe. Mr. Von Frankenstein, manages a 90-mile a minute punk tempo mixed with all hellish imagery of classic Zombie and ham-fisted Cannibal Corpse lyrics. But that may be just because both Zombie and Cannibal Corpse owe such a big debt to the Misfits.
Verses like “What turns me on the most, is a girl without a pulse. I don’t need no heart beat beating inside, an empty chest is enough,” is a little sophomoric and more than a little creepy. And not Christopher Lee creepy either. Sure, Misfits songs like “Last Caress” aimed for the wrong side of good taste, but there was always something campy enough to make it all loveable. Even though he occasionally drops into a Danzig style croon, Cancerslug’s Alex Story approaches singing about dismembering and peeing on corpses a little too earnestly, even for horror-punk.
It’s a shame the lyrics mare an otherwise perfectly enjoyable metal album. Doyle’s blistering guitar riffs are still pitch perfect, more aggressive and eerie even than his Misfits days. Doyle is a pro at establishing a tempo appropriate groove and riding it out. Likewise, Dr. Chud moves from break neck blasts to a dawdling swagger with pure gusto. In fact, everything else about the album is so flawless that it makes you try to overlook the disconcerting lyrics.
The ghost of Misfits past is inescapable on Doyle’s solo, but judging by the hairdo on the cover art, I think it’s safe to say that he isn’t trying to hide from it. Mr. Von Frankenstein may lack the cinematic savvy of Mr. Zombie or the cookie monster finesse of Mr. Corpsegrinder required to pull off torture porn level lyrics, but Abominator gives fans another chance to enjoy the guys that married metal and horror.
