There is no reason for a Misfits song to be nearly to five minutes long and yet here we are. Friday The 13th is the movie-themed follow up to The Misfits’ 2015 release Vampire Girl/Zombie Girl, but don’t expect it to be any better. It is yet another one of Jerry Only’s attempts to keep dragging out this version of The Misfits’ career, by delivering mediocre and sub-par (especially when comparing it to the band’s earlier material) tunes to die-hard and incredibly loyal fans.

The first side of this EP, if you have guessed by the name of title of the release, has two songs that are odes to the classic horror films Friday The 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street. There is a way to honor something that really influenced your life, but then there is a way where it totally comes off as though you are running out of ideas to write songs. These songs fall under the latter category. With lyrics that basically just tell the story of the films on both the title track and “Nightmare On Elm Street,” you have to wonder, “Are The Misfits even trying here?” Even instrumentally it is pretty bland. There are lots of overly distorted guitars playing Ramones-style power chord progressions (sort of like a overdone version of what you hear on 1997’s American Psycho) and overdramatized vocals from Jerry Only. “Friday The 13th” isn't really almost five minutes long. The song itself really is only about three and half minutes, but it is the outro, which mainly consists of just letting the guitars ring out that adds the extra minute or so. Why?...

Now depending how much you appreciate a catchy melody in your punk rock will really determine whether you would enjoy the song “Mad Monster Party,” which is about an animated movie from 1967 by the same name. This is arguably (and I say this with caution) the most redeemable song on this EP. It is a very campy Misfits tune that is about having a party with zombies, vampires and what have you, but it is campy to the point where it is cheesy – a caricature of what The Misfits used to write songs about back in the day. It is hard to tell whether the band wrote this song as sort of a “tongue in cheek” joke, but missed the “punch line” or whether they were totally serious. If they were serious then this song is indeed a parody of what they once were. I do have to hand to the band though, the melody does get stuck in your head and Jerry Only’s vocals are actually noticeably good here. Musically, this is a much more straightforward song than compared to the rest – a short minute and a half tune that relies on three or four chords. It is simple and to the point.

In a time where we can now say that the original Misfits will in fact be performing together at Riot Fest this year, you have to wonder what do you think is going through Glenn Danzig’s mind if he were to hear or has heard these last few new releases? Misfits fans have to take an honest look in the mirror and wonder what this current line up is doing to the legacy of one of the greatest and most influential punk bands of all time.