The Misfits - "Static Age," 1996
- Adrian Hedden
- Apr 12, 2025
- 3 min read
B-horror movies and gothic themes were uncommon in the early iterations of punk rock until Lodi, New Jersey’s The Misfits crawled out of the garage and into the recording studio for a 1978 session that was largely shelved for more than a decade.
It wasn’t until the 1996 release “Static Age” that some of The Misfit’s earlier tracks were unearthed in the original sequence, long after the group’s demise in 1983.
But in the beginning The Misfits was led by singer and later heavy metal icon Glen Danzig alongside bassist Jerry Only. Only continued to lead The Misfits with a reborn lineup in the ‘90s and early 2000s.
The original Misfits, combined with California bands like Black Flag and Fear, lead the second wave of punk, known for a heavier and faster style that came to be known as “hardcore punk” in the early ‘80s.
Danzig and crew would polish their sound in 1982’s “Walk Among Us” and fully embrace the hardcore violence in 1983’s “Earth A.D,” released two months after Danzig left the band to form horror-punk band Samhain, which later morphed into heavy metal as simply Danzig.
The new Misfits with replacement singer Michael Graves would reform in 1996 on “American Psycho” with a more mainstream sound but creating a new generation of Misfits fans clamoring for the earlier recordings, likely leading to the release of “Static Age.”
The record’s 17 songs clock in at a break-neck 35 minutes, with tracks rarely extending beyond 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Most of them were released in various singles, about three or four at a time in The Misfits’ heyday, but the 1996 release is the first time the recording session is available in its entirety.
Most of the songs describe well-known classic horror movies, or similar themes. Punk rock classics like “Teenagers from Mars” and “Return of the Fly” feature simplistic, almost primitive lyrics with mostly singalong chorus’ where the song name is chanted repeatedly.
Others like “Bullet” inject the political radicalism punk was known for via first wave bands like The Clash or Sex Pistols. This song gives a rather graphic, unsympathetic characterization of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, appearing to suggest his wife Jackie Onassis guilty of sexual promiscuity.
The songs, their crude construction and aggressive, biting guitars blast out of the speakers giving this new form of punk a new level of brutality only 23-year-old Danzig could have created when he penned each classic on “Static Age.”
Yet, amid the anger and rebellion many songs are surprisingly catchy if the listener can look past the adolescent lyrical themes. The second track on Side 2 “Angelfuck” is an especially strong example of this contrast. The lyrics detail a violent sexual encounter only one out to shock and offend could come up with, but the poppy power chords give a brighter sound than the words suggest.
Another is “Attitude.”
“Inside your fetal brain there’s probably a whore.
“If you don’t shut your mouth, you’re gonna feel the floor.”
It’s a chorus rife with an immature desire for violence, and obvious, amateurish rhyme scheme, but thrust into the airwaves by a repetitive, powerful guitar riff that became an instant classic and crucial moment on the band’s set list.
The songs are easy for fans to learn and grasp, thus memorize. Coupled with fast-paced, anthemic music, these lyrical assaults are easily belted out by both casual and long-time fans of The Misfits.
Regardless of the amount of time as a fan, all listeners can use The Misfits to release their inner aggression, entering a fantasy world of escape where movie monsters are real, and violence has no consequence.
Throwing “Static Age” on the turntable can be a solitary time to reflect on the meaninglessness of social norms and conformism, or it can transform a group of friends into a raucous, boiling pot of adrenaline narrated by Danzig’s lyrical wit – or lack thereof.
Personnel:
Glen Danzig, vocals
Jerry Only: bass
Franche Coma: guitar
Mr. Jim: Drums
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