The Murderdolls were a band who, in a short period of time, had earned a hefty amount of hype and respect from both the metal and punk communities. Their major debut Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls was basically a juxtaposition of all the different styles the guys dig. Influences ranged from the Misfits to Alice Cooper to the Damned to Poison to the Ramones and so on. It was praised as a ground-breaking release by some, and horror-glam cliché by others. I was placed firmly in the middle, as Beyond the Valley, while very listenable, grew more repetitive upon every spin. What cannot be denied however, is that the record was fun.
The Murderdolls were ultimately just a side project, and as the various members (including Joey from Slipknot, ughh), went off to record with their own bands, no followup was made, and lead singer Wednesday 13 was left to collect a new group of musicians to record more material with.
This resulted in Transylvania 90210, and it is exactly what is expected of it. That is, being a horror-themed metal punk album that sounds a lot like the Murderdolls.
The songs are energetic, boppy three-chord rockers with lyrics referencing `50s B culture. Highlights include "The Ghost Of Vincent Price," " I Want You...Dead" and the very catchy 'hit' "I Walked with a Zombie" (the video of this song features highlight moments from George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead," which makes we wish the disc was enhanced).
A particular song which I truly cannot stand is "Buried by Christmas." I have two reasons for hating this song. (1) The chorus of "Buried by Christmas [repeated 3x]," is extremely annoying. (2): It has forever tainted the song "Dead by Christmas" by the Murder City Devils as they both have such similar titles and whenever I listen to that particular song I will be reminded of this atrocity.
Very similar to Beyond the Valley, Transylvania 90210 is a recommended listen to anyone who is a fan of this particular style of music, or `50s B horror in general (luckily enough, I fit in with the latter category). I imagine this band would be great live, and that is where their true potential as musicians rests. Don't expect anything as good as Walk Among Us or even Return of the Loving Dead, for if you do, you will be surely disappointed. Just enjoy this album for what it is: a horror-themed metal punk album that sounds a lot like the Murderdolls.