From the moment this side project was announced, thousands of punk and hardcore fans have drooled of the combination of musical forces. SON OF SAM pair together Davey Havok from AFI on vox, backed by London May and Steve Zing of SAMHAIN, and Todd Youth of DANZIG. The infamous Glenn Danzig makes a guest appearance on here as well. The end result is a gloomy product that by no one’s surprise, sounds like something by the MISFITS. I’ve never been a huge MISFITS fan, attributed to mostly ignorance, and unfamiliarity, but SON OF SAM grabs me in the right way. For the most part, the songs aren’t anything mind-blowing, nor is the instrumentation of critical acclaim – but, it is the very feel of this disc that makes it so valuable. “Songs from the Earth” gives off the impression that it came out in the mid 80s, and it’s punk rock rawness is absolutely genuine, and a throwback. The unpolished, yet chunky guitar sound puts forth exigence over style. The drumming, woefully uncomplex, yet amazingly powerful keeps this puppy moving along. However, the culmination of such musical distinctions is merely mediocre without the stunning croons from Mr. Havoc. I can’t think of a more dynamic and talented vocalist than Davey currently in the punk and hardcore scene. Davey elevates these “horror” songs to an entirely new level. I admit, I was somewhat let down with the lack of innovative activity on the songwriting here, but the overall product is pretty strong, and if you are fan of AFI, the MISFITS, DANZIG, and so on, then you will definitely eat this up.

Nitro

www.nitrorecords.com