As I’ve been documenting numerous album anniversaries this year because it’s been a rather busy one for the “Milestones” category of PiercingMetal, I chanced upon the fact that today was the 10th anniversary of the sophomore album by Wednesday 13. A collection of Horror Punk ditties called “Fang Bang” and while it was the musicians second album, I had only ever heard “I Walked With A Zombie” from his debut before getting this album. I should stress that even though I had heard that track I had no real background on the performer himself or his overall presentation but I did like it enough to want to learn more when the time was right to do so. When I was asked to offer up my thoughts on “Fang Bang” by one of my publicity resources I approached the album with caution based on the freaky figure that was standing on the slightly hypnotizing cover. It reminded me of the visual you see in those old B Horror and Science Fiction movies as you watch the circles turning to bring you into someone’s sinister thrall. I steeled my resolve and placed the CD into the player – hoping the flashlight would not give out on me as I explored the dark caverns of Wednesday 13’s macabre musical offerings.
“Morgue Than Words” started off the frenzy with a rousing riff and steady beat as Mr. 13 talked about a now deceased lover but the true mystery is whether or not it was him who did the chopping that’s being sung about or not. I’ll venture a guess that he was. While I listened to this one straight through way back then and still do in today’s timeframe, I want to skip around the tracks that I liked the most. Next up for me was “Home Sweet Homicide” which speaks of an absolutely miserable pairing where Wednesday tells his partner that she’d be the death of him. If you reverse the order of this one to “Morgue Than Words” it forms a morbid little “Dateline” murder mystery episode. “Happily Ever Cadaver” is probably my very favorite off of the release since it’s got a really dark tongue in cheek vibe to it. The song is about a grave robbing transvestite who has uhm “plans” for his discoveries. Let’s move on. “Haddonfield” is another of the top tunes for me and shares Wednesday’s love for the Horror classic “Halloween” with the song being about the return of Michael Myers. It even used the film’s original catch phrase “The Night That He Came Home”. Mr. 13 is a tried and true Horror and Sci-Fi fan for sure and he keeps the classic slashers alive once more in the song “Till Death Do Us Party” which is about the fun and frolic that can be found in Camp Crystal Lake. That’s the “Friday the 13th” stuff in case you didn’t know the reference. Overall I enjoyed this album quite a bit but those were my most favorite freaky tracks.
Track Listing:
1. Morgue Than Words
2. American Werewolves In London
3. My Home Sweet Homicide
4. Faith In The Devil
5. Happily Ever Cadaver
6. Curse Of Me
7. Haddonfield
8. Too Much Blood
9. Till Death Do Us Party
10. Buried With Children
11. Kill You Before You Kill Me
12. Die Sci-Fo
13. Burn The Flames
Did you like this album as much as I did? I hope so since it’s a lot of fun and very catchy if you are open to this kind of Punk Rock. I think anyone that is listening to bands like Misfits and even Ramones might enjoy this one and since I was playing it before I penned this toast I have to say that I had to periodically had to stop my typing to rock out. I mentioned reviewing this one way back when it first hit the stands, I am sharing that narrative with you once again which can be viewed via THIS LINK. Since the album’s release I’ve managed to see Wednesday 13 in concert quite a few times and its always a blast. He usually has a bunch of props around and things going on while the songs are delivered which make it a lot more fun to be a part of. The music sounds great live too and he still plays a number of these songs during the show. The timing of this anniversary toast is perfect since Wednesday 13 and his maniacal merry men will be heading out on tour in the next few days with the band One-Eyed Doll as support. I spoke about the tour on THIS LINK and they will be hitting a lot of places so don’t miss out on a good time. Congratulations Wednesday 13, I still really like this album and cannot believe I have been listening to it for ten years. Here’s to the next ten.
Official Website: http://officialwednesday13.com
Official Album Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fang_Bang