I have been a fan of Wednesday 13 for a long time, Transylvania 90210 is a spectacular album especially as a debut as are the two follow up albums Fang Bang and Skeletons. I have seen them countless times and I even caught the Murderdolls with Joey Jordison as well a couple of times great gigs (RIP Joey). Of course life got in the way as it does and I kind of lost touch with this band a bit but have been able to dive right back in with their new album Mid Death Crisis.
Degenerate heavy metal/hard rock with punk influences which delves into the goriest horror films and satanic devilment is the best description to give Wednesday 13. Mid Death Crisis is their tenth full-length offering to the lords of the underworld presented by the Duke of Spook and his companions. The new album is not unlike their previous offerings a fun-filled blood soaked dash through corridors of fear, sexual deviances with evil spectres and barely clad seducers.
It’s a wild ride it’s not profound by any means but it’s a dollop of scare-fest fun and that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be ‘’There’s No Such Thing as Monsters” is a proper rock and roll tune with thrashing guitars accompanying the ever present grizzled vocals of Wednesday. ‘’When the Devil Commands ‘’ is the heaviest track on the album fantastically done gets the heart racing and the head banging. It also brought me a sense of nostalgia from past satanic anthems of my youth that runs throughout their albums.
Mid Death Crisis is full of catchy hooks and choruses it has sleaze and glam eighties vibes pulsing through the music and themes. It is so eighties in the right places that the appearance of Faster Pussycats Taime Downe is a must and what an appearance it was on ‘’No Apologies’’. Exorcising toxic demons from within seems to be the theme of that song and what a song it is!
The album is more in line with their first few albums that are now twenty years ago rather than 2022’s Horrifier. Returning to their roots there is a cheeky sense of dark mischief that runs throughout the album as the murder ballad “Decapitation’ demonstrates. “Xanaxtasy” and “Sick and Violent” are heavier the roaring guitars and typical Wednesday rasping vocals make them both stand out tracks. Yet “My Funeral” drops the tempo and offers a different mood that is almost melancholy. It’s different to what you’d normally expect from Wednesday, original and another stand out track.
This album is so enjoyable an absolute pleasure for anyone who loves their horror with a splash of decadence and heaviness Mid Death Crisis is a great listen that will please both gore mongers and glam rockers alike, there is also a tip of the hat to the inspirational Alice Cooper within this album. Every song is catchy proof that the Duke of Spook is back in his finest hour. I might even head to see them live once again.
Track Listing
- There’s No Such Thing As Monsters
- Decease and Desist
- When the Devil Commands
- Rotting Away
- No Apologies (feat. Taime Downe)
- Decapitation
- In Misery
- Blood Storm
- Xanaxtasy
- I Hurt You
- My Funeral
- Sick and Violent
There’s No Such Things As Monsters North American Tour
w/ Stitched Up Heart, Dead Rabbits, I Ya Toyah03/14/25: Las Vegas, NV @ Count’s Vamp’d
03/15/25: Los Angeles, CA @ The Whisky
03/16/25: Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
03/18/25: Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom
03/19/25: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
03/21/25: Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
03/22/25: Pomona, CA @ Glass House
03/23/25: San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
03/25/25: Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater
03/26/25: Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
03/28/25: San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
03/29/25: Dallas, TX @ Trees
03/30/25: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
04/01/25: Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
04/02/25: Knoxville, TN @ Open Chord
04/04/25: Atlanta, GA @ The Loft @ Centerstage
04/05/25: Raleigh, NC @ Chapel Of Bones
04/06/25: Greenville, SC @ Radio Room
04/08/25: Baltimore, MD @ Zen West
04/09/25: Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho
04/10/25: Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
04/12/25: Hampton Beach, NH @ Wallys
04/13/25: Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electrique
04/15/25: Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
04/16/25: Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room
04/18/25: New York, NY @ The Gramercy
04/19/25: Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater
04/20/25: Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box
04/22/25: Pittsburgh, PA @ Crafthouse
04/23/25: Cleveland, OH @ Mercury
04/25/25: Columbus, OH @ The Kings Of Clubs
04/26/25: Flint, MI @ Machine Shop
04/27/25: Cadillac, MI @ Venue Event Center
04/29/25: Joliet, IL @ The Forge
04/30/25: Madison, WI @ The Annex
05/02/25: Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
05/03/25: Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep“Summer Blood Storm” UK/EU Headline Tour
w/ Fearless Vampire Killers (UK dates only)24.07.25 UK – Buckley / Tivoli
25.07.25 UK – EBBW Vale / Steelhouse Festival
26.07.25 UK – Birmingham / Asylum
27.07.25 UK – Preston / The Blitz
29.07.25 UK – Sheffiled / Corporation
30.07.25 UK – Brighton / Chalk
03.08.25 CZ – Prague / Rock Cafe
05.08.25 AT – Vienna / Simm City *
06.08.25 AT – Salzburg / Rockhouse
07.08.25 DE – Saarbrücken / The Garage *
08.08.25 BE – Kortrijk / Alcatraz Festival
09.08.25 NL – Utrecht / De Helling
* w/ Static X
Wednesday 13 – vocals
Roman Surman – lead guitar
Jack Tankersley – guitar
Troy Doebbler – bass
Mike Dupke – drums
WEDNESDAY 13 online:
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