Lodi, New Jersey's Misfits are perhaps the greatest punk band of all time. Although former front man Glenn Danzig has gone on to bigger things, he's definitely not done better things. The Misfits, dressed like 50s greaser zombies with a punk rock attitude, remain one of the most original bands in the history of rock, churning out 3-chord, 2-minute sing-a-long punk/hardcore gems whose lyrics were primarily concerning horror-film mayhem."Walk Among Us" was their first properly-released full-length album, unleashed upon the unsuspecting listening masses in 1982. Each of the album's thirteen tracks is blessed with the most addictive vocal lines since The Beatles, and the subject matter is suitably cheesy and outlandish enough to please the most ardent horror fan. The album perfectly encapsulates what the band's about, in a succinct package.
Although it somewhat compromises the Misfits' underground credentials, they, along with precursors the Ramones, are pretty much entirely responsible for the anthemic and catchy choruses that comprise modern-day pop punk bands like Blink-182. You'll find it very hard to resist shouting lines like "I want your skull! I need your skull!" or "I turned into a martian! Whoa-oh-oh!"
There aren't many bands more addictive than the Misfits and this album is probably the most concise example of the band's simplistic, straightforward, but powerful music. There's no fat here: thirteen tracks in twenty-five minutes; verse-chorus-verse-chorus with an intro and outro here and there; aliens, monsters, and murders; devil-locks, leather, and grease-paint; oohs and aaahs and backing vocals galore. This is Halloween put to record.
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