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.