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It’s either sheer coincidence or fantastic marketing that a new album from the Duke of Spook himself, Wednesday 13, lands not only in the same week as the new Ghost album, and the first trailer for the long-awaited second season of the Netflix smash ‘Wednesday’, but more importantly, it lands in the same week as the first new music from the original Alice Cooper Band in 50+ years. Goddam, it is a great week to be a living dead thing.
Whereas the previous studio album ‘Horrifier’ was a bit darker (as a by-product of the worldwide pandemic, as well as the loss of his mother, and his great friend Joey Jordison) and released in the more traditional spooky season, ‘Mid Death Crisis’ is a lot lighter and lands when the days are longer, and brighter.
As you would expect from someone as reliable as Wednesday 13, ‘Mid Death Crisis’ delivers more hits than it does misses. After the short spoken-word intro of ‘There’s No Such Thing As Monsters’, ‘Decease and Desist’ crashes in and is a fantastic, snarling opening track that features all the hallmarks that makes Wednesday 13 so instantly recognisable. Industrial-like in places, it is played at a fantastic, pulsating tempo with some gnarly drumming going on. Future set-opener? It would be foolish to bet against it.
The heavy-bass rumble of ‘When The Devil Commands’ quickly follows on, and the Duke of Spook is in great voice, especially when he tips a hat in respect to the Murderdolls classic ‘The Devil Made Me Do It And I’ll Do It Again’. It’s thick, rhythmic, and – musically at least – a bit sludgy and highlights the ease with which Wednesday 13 can write a good earworm moment. ‘Rotting Away’ is another catchy moment, but this time it’s all down to the fantastic punk-fuelled guitars that are peppered throughout the track, and if they tick your box, then strap-on ‘Blood Storm’ for size.
Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe pops up to lend guest vocals on the riotous hard rocker ‘No Apologies’ and rolls back the years to the glory years when MTV had moments like these on heavy rotation. Less industrial/shock-filled than you would expect, it is a guitar-fuelled romp propelled forward by some gnarly drumming from Mike Dupke. One of those moments that remind the listener why they got into hard rock music in the first place. Such a great guitar sound on this one: old-school Chuck Berry rock and roll gacked to the eyeballs on speed.
‘Decapitation’ is the most fun moment on the album, with W13 declaring, “I don’t want to see your face anymore, I want to see your fucking head on the floor” before adding “Your head is just so big and round, I want to see that motherfucker on the ground”. What makes it fun and gives it an Elvira-esque schlocky-horror vibe are the Doo-Wop backing vocals that appear for an all-too-brief moment. Those and the hooky melodies make it irresistible.
‘Xanaxtasy’ is another standout moment. A little bit of a Sex Pistols-like guitar intro (hints of ‘God Save The Queen’, perhaps?), there is some bite to be found in Wednesday 13’s vocals on another straight-ahead full-pelt rocker. The slower pacing on ‘My Funeral’ helps to bring a sense of foreboding to the party. And hang around as closing track ‘Sick and Violent’ fades out into what sounds like a tribute to the courtroom rabble that appears on the 1971 Alice Cooper classic ‘Killer’ when ‘Dead Babies’ fades into the title track.
10 albums into an illustrious career, Wednesday 13 shows no signs of running out of steam, or ideas for that matter. The Duke of Spook has given himself an almighty headache when it comes to putting a setlist together. What the hell does he drop to make way for newer material, as there are at least 4 or 5 tracks on ‘Mid Death Crisis’ that deserve to be amongst the running when tour time comes around again.
Available April 25th via Napalm Records.
WEDNESDAY 13
There’s No Such Things As Monsters North American Tour
w/ Stitched Up Heart, Dead Rabbits, I Ya Toyah
04/25/25: Columbus, OH @ The Kings Of Clubs
04/26/25: Flint, MI @ Machine Shop
04/27/25: Cadillac, MI @ Venue Event Center
04/29/25: Joliet, IL @ The Forge
04/30/25: Madison, WI @ The Annex
05/02/25: Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
05/03/25: Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
“Summer Blood Storm” UK/EU Headline Tour
w/ Fearless Vampire Killers (UK dates only)
24.07.25 UK – Buckley / Tivoli
25.07.25 UK – EBBW Vale / Steelhouse Festival
26.07.25 UK – Birmingham / Asylum
27.07.25 UK – Preston / The Blitz
29.07.25 UK – Sheffield / Corporation
30.07.25 UK – Brighton / Chalk
03.08.25 CZ – Prague / Rock Cafe
05.08.25 AT – Vienna / Simm City *
06.08.25 AT – Salzburg / Rockhouse
07.08.25 DE – Saarbrücken / The Garage *
08.08.25 BE – Kortrijk / Alcatraz Festival
09.08.25 NL – Utrecht / De Helling
* w/ Static X
Ticket information, HERE
Review – Dave
All photos credit: Anabel DFlux
