Wednesday 13 – Undead Unplugged

From The Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 via Maniac Spider Thrash, to the Murderdolls, Gunfire 76, Bourbon Crow and on to his solo career, Wednesday 13’s power to write catchy horror themed anthems has never been in doubt. In fact, his punk rock sleaze tinted frolics have always been a source of stereo blasting merriment for this reviewer. On Undead Unplugged Wednesday 13 has stripped everything back and revisited a selection of songs from his career. This is a collection of carefully arranged, soulful (not soulless?)renditions that pull the listener deep into the dark one’s silk-lined casket. A lot of bands have made the foray into the acoustic interpretation territory with varying results. Most notably Tesla – Five Man Acoustic Jam (win), Bon Jovi –This Left Feels Right (fail) and Slayer (NEVER).

While some of the songs, like the less caustic ‘Morgue than Words’, do feel like they were belted out in one take and have a rebellious feeling of “let the song go where it wants to go”, it is on the more calculated, ethereal moments that this album excels. ‘Curse Of Me’ is a beast, full of underlying pain and hurt, yet sarcastically wrapped in swathes of sardonic melody. Gone are his wailing banshee lyrics replaced by a warm soothing glowing tone. It is a different side to the ghoulish star and one that is an unexpected addition to the Wednesday 13 arsenal. The whispering ‘Haunt Me’ is sinister and almost suits the subject matter more than the original. I do miss the raucousness rocking that is Wednesday 13 when plugged in but the whole point of this album is peeling off the layers to expose the core and while initially I felt underwhelmed, over time the depth of what is on offer came to the fore. Album closer ‘Transylvania 90210’ ends the collection with an almost spaghetti western-like atmosphere.

This album is not going to bring in new fans but for the die-hards this is an insight deep into Wednesday 13’s musical spirit. Undead Unplugged is best enjoyed late at night in a candlelit room sitting with your dead Mom.

Tracklisting:

1. Undead
2. Dead Carolina
3. Haunt Me
4. Nowhere
5. Morgue than Words
6. Curse of Me
7. Welcome to the Strange
8. Scary Song
9. We All Die
10. Ghost Stories
11. Transylvania 90210