Album Review: WEDNESDAY 13 - Condolences

 

01. Last Rites

02. What the Night Brings

03. Cadaverous

04. Blood Sick

05. Good Riddance

06. You Breathe, I Kill

07. Omen Amen

08. Cruel to You

09. Eulogy XIII

10. Prey for Me

11. Lonesome Road to Hell

12. Condolences

13. Death Infinity

My introduction to Wednesday 13 was via the first Murderdolls album. That album never left my car for months and I listened to it so much I knew all of the lyrics off by heart. Naturally, I picked up Wednesday 13's previous band Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13's back catalogue and have followed his career ever since. Being a huge fan of Metal, Punk and Horror films, Wednesday 13 quickly became one of my favourite artists. Well, for the first three solo albums anyway. Everything after the Skeletons album was a little disappointing. They weren't bad records, they just weren't up to the insanely high standards I was used to. I have decided to name this 'Danzig Syndrome' (read my recent review to see why). When I heard Wednesday 13 had been signed to the Nuclear Blast label, I became excited again as now he has one of the best teams in Metal supporting this new release, so surely we can expect a return to former glories?

After the intro Last Rites, the album kicks off with the heavy stomper What The Night Brings, complete with guitar effects that sound like they're straight off a Rob Zombie record. After the first couple of songs it becomes clear that this album showcases more of the Metal side of Wednesday 13, as opposed to the upbeat Horror Punk that is normally the general vibe of his records. Blood Sick is a stand-out track and sounds like it could have been pulled off the last Murderdolls album. After that we're straight back to full on Metal with the double kick drum heavy Good Riddance, then You Breath, I Kill which sounds a bit like Slayer, and is probably the most Thrash song he's ever done.

Cruel To You is more like the old Wednesday 13 with it's fun campy lyrics and upbeat chorus. The same can be said for Lonesome Road To Hell which, for me, is Wednesday 13 at his best and my favourite track on the album.

Condolences is definitely the best Wednesday 13 album in several years. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's as good as the first three as it lacks the huge catchy choruses that made so many early tracks instant classics, such as American Werewolves In London, Bad Things and 'Till Death Do Us Party. This one is a much heavier and darker album overall, and I think it was a wise move. It's close enough to his earlier works to please old fans, but it's different enough to sound fresh, interesting, and be a key point in his legacy as opposed to 'just another Wednesday 13 album'. It reminds me of Alice Cooper's Brutal Planet in that respect. Heavier, darker and a little less fun than what we're used to, but still great in its own right. All in all, Condolences is way better than I expected it to be and I'm genuinely pleased that he's back in the spotlight.