Album Review: Doyle - Abominator

I am a huge Misfits fan. I have almost all of their albums, in my opinion they have never made a bad one, and I have seen them live multiple times, each time was one of the highlights of my year. With the level of talent and entertainment contained within the band, it is no surprise that the former members would go on to make great music on their own as well, be it Danzig, Samhain, Michale Graves, Gotham Road, and most recently, Doyle. The hulking, incredibly imposing guitarist know as Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, known for violently stomping around the stage while pounding out loud, fast, and incredibly heavy riffs on his awesome looking guitar, fresh off of his first post-Misfits project Gorgeous Frankenstein, has returned with the eponymous Doyle, and their first album Abominator. It's loud, crushing, fast and unbelievably heavy, but is it good?

There is something about Doyle's guitar sound that I just love. I don't know what it is, but it is just the perfect level of a roaring crunch for me to enjoy just about everything I've heard him play on, and the riffs he has concocted for this album are a perfect match for his sound. They are uncompromising and perfect headbanging material that will get any mosh going strong. The other musicians on this album are top notch as well. Fellow former Misfits member Dr. Chud delivers a thunderous, rolling drum sound that perfectly compliments the crushing guitar riffs, Left Hand Graham on bass is a more than equal match for Doyle and gets plenty of opportunities to shine. This is a very together outfit that has all of the parts working together very well. There may not be a whole lot of super technical skill (Chud's drumming aside), but for what it is, it is a superbly heavy sounding recording.

Score: 10/10

If you were expecting the camp and fun that often accompanied the disturbing imagery conjured by the Misfits, you may be slightly disappointed. One of the differences between this outfit and Doyle's former band Gorgeous Frankenstein is that Doyle has handed over all lyrical duties to Alex Story, and for the most part, the trust is well placed. They are dark, disturbing, beyond messed up at times, and if you enjoy dark disturbing imagery, you will find nothing but joy in this. The only real issue I have with them is that they don't leave much room for diversity or to have a little fun. There are a couple of songs that definitely have a morbid sense of humor in them, but at times it feels like just a touch of overkill, but nothing that would distract from how great the songs are, and there are some truly great lyrics on this.

Score: 7/10

Alex Story is best known as the vocalist of the band once called "the most vile band in the land", Cancerslug. A listen to any of their album will reveal where his morbid writing style comes from, but also further show that he is a great vocalist for this kind of band. His vocals sound like a cross between Michale Graves and Phillip Anselmo, giving him just the right amount of strength and control over his voice to fit the music. I said it earlier and I will say it again, the biggest thing about this band is how together it sounds and how well all of the different members contributions fit so well with each other, and Story is no exception.

Score: 8/10

Overall, I really love this album. I have listened to it front to back multiple times and each time find something new to enjoy. Doyle has said that he has material for potentially two more albums in the works and I am extremely excited to hear what else the monster man has to offer. If it's anything like this one, it will be nothing short of sickeningly awesome.

Final Score: 8/10