Less punk and more metal – that’s the succinct aim behind Wednesday 13’s latest outing. However, the key elements first exhibited way back in Murderdolls and Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 are all present and correct, so any fans addicted to the cartoon horror schtick can breathe easy.
The result, unsurprisingly, isn’t a million miles from the bloody furrow ploughed by Rob Zombie – check out the crushing riffage of Cruel To You and You Breathe I Kill – with Wednesday playing the vicious master of satanic ceremonies and sounding like a super-evil Alice Cooper.
Undemanding but well executed, Condolences is at its best on the likes of Good Riddance, Lonesome Road To Hell and the epic title track, where more melody and songwriting invention make the Halloween hooks that much more accessible and memorable.
