DEA.D. Alive!

In their initial incarnation, New Jersey's Misfits were a rough but hardly ready punk band led by future solo act Glenn Danzig. Their clever songwriting made up for their obvious lack of chops. Over the years, The Misfits' legacy has grown beyond anything that early fans could've imagined. Bassist Jerry Only is keeping the name in circulation, giving fans something very much in the spirit and style of the original group. DeA.D. Alive!—also featuring former Black Flag singer Dez Cadena on guitar and Murphy's Law drummer Eric "Chudacabra" Arce—doesn't lack for energy or passion. This record features live sets recorded at B.B. King's in NYC on a Halloween and the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, N.J. (just a 40-minute drive south of the band's Lodi roots), on Mischief Night (a.k.a. Halloween Eve). It doesn't matter that no Danzig–era tunes are included; the audience chants for Jerry! Songs like "Cold Day in Hell," "American Psycho," "Dig Up Her Bones," and "Scream!" feature all the hallmarks of the Misfits sound—and because the playing has improved since their early days, the experience is what the band intended in the first place.