UMUR "Evilive" is a live EP release by US hardcore punk act The Misfits. The EP was released through Plan 9 Reocords in December 1982. "Evilive" was re-released in October 1987 in a live album format featuring 5 additional tracks. 7 tracks were recorded December 17, 1981, at The Ritz in New York City and the remaining 5 tracks were recorded November 20, 1981, at On Broadway in San Francisco.

"Evilive" is an authentic sounding "warts and all" type live release and I´d be surprised to learn that the band had added any overdubs to the recordings, because this is really raw and savage sounding. It´s not what I would call bootleg lo-fi sound quality, but it´s close. It´s probably a true document of what The Misfits sounded like on stage in late 1981, and while the sound quality isn´t exactly pristine, and especially Glenn Danzig´s vocals fade in and out as he moves around stage, and he don´t always master singing the in the same volume, it´s still a pretty charming live release if you can enjoy them simple and raw. The hard edged and fast-paced "We Are 138" (featuring Henry Rollins from Black Flag on backing vocals) is especially chaotic in the vocal department.

The Misfits burn through classic tracks like "London Dungeon", "Horror Business", and "Night of the Living Dead" like there´s no tomorrow, and it´s as close to actually being at the venue as you can possibly get. Audience noise, sound issues, playing mistakes and all the things which makes a real sweaty rock/punk/metal concert worth attending. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "3 hits from Hell" is an EP release by US punk act The Misfits. The material on the EP was recorded in August/September 1980 and released through Plan 9 Records in April 1981. Thirteen tracks were recorded during the sessions (originally meant for a full-length album release), but only three made it on to this release. Some of the tracks would appear on compilations after the band broke up, and all thirteen tracks were remixed and released on the 2001 "12 Hits From Hell" compilation album (the title referring to the fact that there are 12 originals featured on the album, and the thirteenth track being an alternate take of "London Dungeon"). The release history of "3 hits from Hell" is a bit fuzzy and many different 7" vinyl pressings exist. A lineup shuffle happened during the August/september 1980 recording sessions as guitarist Bobby Steele left after recording some of his parts. He was replaced by bassist Jerry Only´s younger brother Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, who recorded the remaining guitar parts in early September 1980.

The three tracks on the 5:54 minutes long EP are "London Dungeon", "Horror Hotel", and "Ghouls Night Out". The former was inspired by lead vocalist Glenn Danzig´s incarceration in London on December 2, 1979 (after a fight on the band´s ill-fated November/December 1979 UK tour), while the two latter were inspired by two 50s/60s horror movies. All three tracks feature The Misfits trademark horror punk style with Danzig´s distinct sounding vocals in front. It´s an interesting combination of aggressive punk riffs and rhythms, but also 50s influenced rock´n´roll vocal melodies.

As an individual release 3 tracks and a full playing time of 5:54 aren´t much quantity for your money, but there´s nothing wrong with the quality of the material or the musical performances. This is high quality punk with horror influenced lyrics, and even this early in Misfits career, they had an easily recognisable sound and musical style, which made them stand out from the contemporary punk scene. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Beware" is an EP release by US punk rock act The Misfits. The EP was released through Plan 9 Records in January 1980. It combines the the material from the two previously released singles "Bullet (1978)" and "Horror Business (1979)", although "Children in Heat" from the latter is replaced here by "Last Caress", which at the time was exclusive to "Beware". The EP was originally planned for a late 1979 release, and pressed to be brought with The Misfits on their November 1979 UK tour supporting The Damned. The cover artwork was not ready in time though and the release date was pushed. EP release or not The Misfits still went to England, but the tour was a disaster. The Damned didn´t know The Misfits were booked to support them, and after not receiving any payment for playing The Misfits cancelled the rest of their shows. To make matters worse lead vocalist Glenn Danzig and guitarist Bobby Steele were arrested after a fight in London and had to spend two nights in jail before returning to the US, where they found out that drummer Joey Image had quit the band.

Considering the chaotic first years of the band´s existence with several lineup changes, obscure record deals, and difficult touring experiences like the above mentioned, "Beware" is a remarkably consistent high quality release. The tracks may come from three different recording sessions, but the EP flows well and there isn´t that much difference in sound production between the various tracks. Each and every one of the 7 tracks featured on the 14:20 minutes long EP are Misfits classics, and all have subsequently been featured on other Misfits releases in either this version or similar versions. The Misfits play a simple and aggressive yet melodic type of punk rock with horror themed lyrics and imagery. It´s a good balance between instrumental punk aggression and melodic rock singing. Not completely unlike what a contemporary act like The Ramones also mastered. The two also share notable 50s rock´n´roll influences in their music.

Upon conclusion "Beware" is a high quality release by The Misfits and a boost of aggressive yet melodic energy throughout its playing time. It´s impossible not to be affected by the positive atmosphere (the campy horror grit is adorable) and youthful energy of the material and the performances. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Walk Among Us" is the official debut full-length studio album by US punk act the Misfits. The album was released through Ruby/Slash Records in March 1982. I write official above because "Walk Among Us" is actually the third album recorded by the Misfits. "Static Age" (recorded in 1979) and "12 Hits from Hell" (recorded in 1980) were just shelved (the former was released in 1997), and therefore "Walk Among Us" ended up being the official debut album by the Misfits.

The material on the 13 track, 24:56 minutes long album was recorded over the course of various sessions during 1981, but finished in January 1982, where Glenn Danzig remixed and overdubbed (additional guitar tracks) the previously recorded material. Some additional vocals were also recorded and the live track "Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?" was mixed to be included on the album.

Stylistically Misfits established their unique sound from the get go. A combination of 50s rock´n´roll, punk, and horror themed lyrics and imagery (which is apparent from song titles like "Vampira", "Night of the Living Dead", "Devil´s Whorehouse", "Astro Zombies", and "Braineaters"). Dubbed horror punk by some. While some tracks like the above mentioned "Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?" are pretty raw and touch hardcore punk territory, the material is generally pretty melodic and sing along friendly (examples of that are "I Turned Into a Martian" and "Skulls"). Danzig´s "Elvis meets Jim Morrison" vocal style is rather distinct sounding and provides the material with an original sound.

The recordings are rather raw sounding and occasionally near lo-fi demo quality, but there´s something really charming about the sound, which suits the music perfectly. The rawness and filth of the sound just go hand and hand with the 50/60s horror movie themes and makes perfect sense. Upon conclusion "Walk Among Us" is a great debut album by the Misfits and while it sounds quite immature at times, and the playing is pretty raw and on occasion maybe even sloppy, the band managed to establish a unique sound with their debut album. Only the greats do that. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Static Age" is the debut full-length studio album by US punk act the Misfits. It was originally recorded in January/february 1978, but eventually shelved as a consequence of almost constant lineup changes in the early history of the band, a change in musical style, and maybe most importantly, because the band were unable to find a label that was interested in releasing the album. Many of the 17 tracks on the album have been released in various forms (on EPs, singles, compilations and boxed sets) over the years but it wasn´t until July 1997 that Caroline Records released "Static Age" in as close to it´s original form as possible. Only 14 out of the 17 tracks on the original master tapes were mixed by the band and engineer/producer Jave Achelis in 1978, so the 3 remaining tracks ("She", "Spinal Remains", and "In the Doorway") were mixed by Alan Douches and Tom Bejgrowicz in February 1997 before the final release of the album.

The recording of the album came about because Mercury Records released a Pere Ubu album on under the Blank Records label name. That label name was owned by Glenn Danzig though, and to prevent a legal struggle over the name, Mercury Records offered Danzig thirty hours of free studio time if he would turn over the trademark to the Blank Records name to them. A deal Danzig accepted. So "Static Age" was basically recorded live in the studio with only a few takes of each track and few overdubs.

Needless to say that "Static Age" sounds authentic, raw and "live". Stylistically it´s a pretty unique sounding punk release, which in addition to simple chord progressions, loud and aggressive bass playing and energetic drumming, features quite a few 50s rock´n´roll references. At times it´s very obvious to hear that Glenn Danzig was/are a great fan of artists such as Elvis and especially Johnny Cash (tracks like "Last Caress", "Teenagers From Mars" and "Angelfuck" are examples of that influence). His singing style is also rather unusual for a punk act, somewhat resembling the singing style of Jim Morrisson from The Doors albeit in a far more aggressive fashion. While the band would, later in their career, further and more extensively explore 50s horror movie lyrical themes and imagery, it´s already this early on a big part of their image, and for the time a very original image too boot. All tracks on the album are catchy and memorable and it´s safe to say that the Misfits at this point should be placed in the more melodic end of the punk spectrum.

In retrospect there are probably a couple of record labels, who originally turned this project down, that are not too satisfied with themselves. But some artists grow in reputation and popularity over the years, and in the case of the Misfits, they are probably much more famous today than they were while they were initially active (1977 - 1983). Overall "Static Age" is a great release by the Misfits. Fan, interested newcommer or whoever you are, this is a greatly enjoyable, unpretentious and honest US punk release and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.