Album Reviews : Wednesday 13 – Skeletons

Wednesday 13’s first solo album, ‘Transylvania 90210’ was certainly a departure from the material of his former band, The Murderdolls. It was darker, featured songs much slower than anything before it, and had generally lost the punk influence. His second solo release, ‘Fang Bang’, brought that punk aspect back to the forefront; being chock full of upbeat, fun songs and some ridiculously catchy choruses, but all with that rough horror-punk edge. ‘Skeletons’, his third and latest solo album, mixes the best of both those albums to resulting in a release with the darkness of his first solo album, and the punkier style of earlier Murderdolls material.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the lyrics here are still very much horror themed.  You will constantly hear references to ghouls, creeps, monsters and everything that goes bump in the night, however he is just that slightest bit more serious this time. Wednesday has claimed this is his most personal album to date, and tracks like “With Friends Like These” and “Skeletons” show this fairly clearly.  So while the lyrics sound like the fun horror homage’s of the past, reading them will reveal that there’s a slightly deeper meaning here than on the last few albums.

An almost tribal drum beat opens the album with Wednesday’s hoarse vocals creeping over the top of them before blasting through one of the best tracks on the album, nice and early. “Scream Baby Scream” is on the darker side of things but manages to throw in a chorus that you can’t help but shriek along too. A nice addition to the song is some of Wednesday’s higher pitched screams which sound as great as ever. “Not Another Teenage Anthem” has that rawer, rougher feel of Murderdolls-era material, while “Gimmie Gimmie Bloodshed” is a speedy track that sounds like it came straight off his last album. “From Here To The Hearse” has a fantastic chorus with a hint of Alice Cooper, however the rest of the song is a bit bland. “Put Your Death Mask On” is the lowpoint of the album but it doesn’t last long because the two best songs are directly after it. “Skeletons” is a slower, somewhat desperate sounding song, and one of the few times when Wednesday’s vocals actually have any emotion to them. It’s clearly a more personal song than any of the others, and one of the best tracks of his career. The slowest of the album, “My Demise”, follows in similar footsteps, but musically and vocally leans more towards the sterile, horror-themed side of things, and as a result losing what emotion was left. “With Friends Like These” bumps everything up a notch and is probably the simplest song on the album, but a lot of fun nonetheless. The punk influence peaks out again during “No Rabbit In The Head”, with a rapid-fire chorus that you will most definitely find yourself attempting to sing along to, even if you can’t keep up with the lyrics. “All American Massacre” and “Dead Carolina” finish the album off on a staler note. They aren’t bad songs, both feature memorable choruses, but are a bit bland on the whole. Bit of a shame to end the album on a low, but the rest makes up for it.

I know I focused a lot on the vocals, but they make these songs. Musically, it’s fairly straightforward as usual and while it’s all well played, it’s nothing to brag about. There are a few catchy guitar tunes, the acoustic guitars are simple but well written, and the drumming keeps everything together reasonably well, but the catchy, fun vocal melodies that soar over the top of everything else are what makes it really memorable. They have never focused on being a complicated band, if you’re expecting that then you are missing the point, it’s just a whole lot of catchy entertainment.

The album isn’t quite as fun as ‘Fang Bang’, and isn’t as dark and evil as ‘Transylvania 90210’, but Wednesday 13 has found a happy medium here where all fans will find something they absolutely love, and something they could take or leave. If you are a fan of either his past solo albums or earlier bands, make sure to check this one out. For the metal readers that aren’t familiar with this guy, I think it’s worth having a listen but don’t have high hopes. Some will find it a bit of dumb fun and some will simply shrug this off as more commercial crap that’s targeting cranky teenagers.

Oh, and if you do end up enjoying this album, get your hands on the ‘Bloodwork EP’ which was released just prior to the album. The last two tracks on it, “My Demise B.C.” and “Skeletons A.D.” are acoustic takes of the similarly titled albums tracks, and are well worth a listen. 8.1/10

For fans of: Murderdolls, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie.

Band: Wednesday 13
Album: Skeletons
Year: 2008
Genre: Horror-punk/Alternative
Label: Demolition Records
Origin: USA
www.myspace.com/officialwednesday13

Track listing:
1. Scream Baby Scream
2. Not Another Teenage Anthem
3. Gimmie Gimmie Bloodshed
4. From Here To The Hearse
5. Put Your Death Mask On
6. Skeletons <- Reviewers choice
7. My Demise
8. With Friends Like These
9. No Rabbit In The Hat
10. All American Massacre
11. Dead Carolina