Contrary to what you may have heard, punk rock isn’t dead. In fact, it’s just as alive and kicking as it was back when it first burst onto the musical scene. There’s no better proof of that than the fact that The Misfits are still around and playing shows. The Misfits are still considered one of the trailblazers of punk and hardcore music, combining the themes of classic horror movies with the punk sound to create the sub-genre of horror punk. Even the reincarnation of The Misfits in the 1990s and the 21st century have taken influences from several hard rock genres to create a sound that’s just as loud, fast, and remarkably unique as The Misfits at their peak in the 1980s.

Unconventional Roots

Like so many punk bands of their era, The Misfits played some of their first shows at the famous CBGB in New York City. However, they did so without a guitar player, using lead singer Glenn Danzig’s electric piano as a substitute until finding a full-time guitarist. In the meantime, the band recorded its first album in 1977 but failed to find a record label willing to release it. The Misfits ultimately released a few of the songs on their own label. However, the band’s first album wasn’t released in its entirety until 20 years after it was recorded.

Trouble and Turmoil

The difficulty in release their first album turned out to be a sign of things to come for The Misfits. Over the next six years, the band was filled with turmoil and lineup changes. The band would eventually break up in 1983 after a whirlwind six years together. Of course, in those six years, The Misfits developed a loyal following of fans and released two albums that are still considered seminal albums for the punk movement.

Reincarnated and It Feels So Good

In 1995, The Misfits were born again. While it can’t quite be called a reunion, bass player and original member Jerry Only created a new version of the band that brought back the sound and spirit of the original Misfits and released several albums of new music. Eventually, Only was able to bring the original members of the band back together, and the Original Misfits were born, once again performing shows and providing further evidence that punk’s not dead.