by Jesse Hudgins
The Misfits will forever go down as punk rock legends. No matter what era of punk you identify with most, you know who The Misfits are. The band has had their issues throughout the years with multiple lineup changes and legal disputes, but that doesn’t change the impact they had.
Most Misfits fans consider Walk Among Us or Collections as their best work, but I say the best album they put together was the one that was originally going to be their debut. The Static Age was supposed to be their first album, but the band couldn’t find a label. So instead of releasing a full-length album, they released singles and EPs. It wasn’t until 1996 that a full edition of the album was released with the Misfits box set.
The Static Age has the best of the best from The Misfits, as well as some great deep cuts. It features fan favorites like “Last Caress,” “Hybrid Moments,” “We Are 138,” and “Bullet,” as well as deep cuts like “Static Age,” “Come Back,” and “TV Casualty.” Since the deep cuts are just as good as the singles, this is easily a zero-skip album.
The instrumentation on this album is top-notch for punk. Fast drums, pounding guitars and bass, and a heavy vocal performance from Glen Danzig keep the interest going throughout. If that doesn’t intrigue you, the themes will. Some of the songs are based on horror movies and real-life events that will keep any listener interested. While this may not be as fast and aggressive as Earth A.D., this album provides an old school punk sound akin to The Buzzcocks and The Damned. You get some aggression through songs like “Attitude” and “Bullet,” as well as some almost romantic songs like “Some Kinda Hate” and “Angelf***.”
There’s something for everyone on The Static Age, which is why I this it’s their best record. I would recommend it to any punk looking for a great album or for any Misfits fan to revisit.
