Legacy of Brutality is a lasting testament to the Misfits’ pre Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein punk and roll beginnings. “American Nightmare” is probably the song where Danzig most channels his inner Elvis. “Halloween” might be the definitive Misfits song, and was later recorded by Danzig’s next band, Samhain. Two more favorites round out the track listing. If you can hear this song without screaming “ I ain’t no goddamn son of a bitch”, you’ve got more willpower than I do.

The ultimate Misfits sing along, “Where Eagles Dare”, is here too. It follows Danzig’s near obsession with Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedys that started with the band’s name and continued with “Bullet”. The Misfits’ version of the Glenn Danzig solo single “Who Killed Marilyn” is also included. “Static Age”, “TV Casualty”, “Hybrid Moments”, “Spinal Remains”, “Come Back”, “Some Kinda Hate”, “Theme for a Jackal”, “Angelfuck” and “She” are all classics of the Misfits’ early era. Nine of the 17 tracks that ended up on Static were on Legacy. Until that point, Legacy of Brutality was our only window into the masterpiece that is Static Age. (I say almost all because there is still no 12 Hits From Hell!) That meant you could finally get your hands on Evilive, Earth AD, Collection 2, and even the entire Static Age LP. By 19, the Misfits had settled their legal issues and made almost all of their classic material available again. This wonderful compilation will always have a special place in my heart. The only other thing widely available was Legacy of Brutality. There were also copies of Misfits (retroactively referred to as Collection 1) floating around. It was the outlier in that it was on a well distributed (a subsidiary of a major even!) label.

When I first started getting into the Misfits in the late 80s, their music was pretty hard to come by. Young people will never know the struggle.

Misfits discography with danzig