The American punk rock group The Misfits is frequently credited with creating the horror punk subgenre by fusing punk and other musical influences with horror movie themes and images.
The Misfits were formed in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey, by vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist Glenn Danzig.
Danzig initially brought on Mr. Jim on drums and Diane DiPiazza on bass, but DiPiazza failed to appear. Shortly after, Manny Martinez took over for Mr. Jim.
Shortly after, bass guitarist Jerry Only joined. The band’s lineup would regularly change over the course of the following six years, with Only and Danzig being the only constants.
They put out a number of EPs and singles during this time, as well as the albums Walk Among Us and Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood, both of which were important to the hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s and featured Only’s brother Doyle in guitar.
Over the years, the band’s lineup has undergone numerous changes, with bassist Jerry Only serving as the sole constant.
Why are the Misfits so popular?
The Misfits were one of punk’s greatest sing-along bands because they blended extremely catchy 1950s rock’n’roll with the growling aggressiveness of hardcore.
They were also perhaps the first true pop-punk band. But what made the band so unique the first time around was their dark edge, surly collective demeanor, and air of mystery and menace.
Their return feels like a telling antidote to pop-brainless, punk’s teen-focused homogeneity and a much-needed injection of nastiness into a genre that should at least try to be dangerous, even if we’re all too desensitized to notice.
