Album Details

• Artist: Plan 9
• Album: Manmade Monster
• Label: Nickel and Dime
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-09-19

No, this is not the late, great Boston psych band Plan 9 from the late 80s, though that period has been more than just a sublte influence on this Plan 9. Here we have a band not only indebted to the legendary horrorcore band the Misfits, they began as a Misfits cover band. They have remained loyal, dressing like the band and carrying on the tradition of hellish three chord playlets from the dark side. Though obviously short on originality, "Manmade Monster" is still a fun ride.

Pyschobilly filtered through "Walk Among Us" is the aim here, and "Revenant's Rise," "13 Shades of Black" and "Blood" bounce and stab with demented glee. Covers like "Samhain" and "Archangel" suffer in comparison to the real thing (vocalist Aaron Fuller is at his best when not trying to ape Danzig), but still have a crunchy bite to them. "God Told Me To Kill" almost measures up to some of the Misfits later efforts, and is certainly better than most Danzig solo records.

What saves Plan 9 from being dismissed is their sense of humor and obvious love for their mentors. While the wardrobe may lead one to question whether the band has anything to say beyond "I love the Misfits and everything they did is god, "Manmade Monster" makes it clear that this is band that can play, and doesn't take itself too seriously.

User Reviews and Comments