Music’s Prince of Halloween, Wednesday 13, is back with a new solo album. ‘The Dixie Dead’ sees Wednesday back to the grindstone in his solo band to kick off the “year of Wednesday 2013”. Whilst he’ll always be best known for his work alongside Joey Jordison in Murderdolls, Wednesday has certainly been putting in the hard work over the last decade and a half. In the last few years we’ve seen him over here with the aforementioned ‘Dolls, with Gunfire ’76 and frequent trips with the solo band with whom he’s about to hit these shoes with again (this March).

Not before you’ve heard the new album though…

We know what to expect from Wednesday. Horror influenced, B-movie, punky foul-mouthed rants that make a perfect soundtrack to a boozy Friday night. Well that’s what we get here but things are a little different…what’s that patronising phrase music critics use? Oh yeah, it’s a little “more mature”. Well as mature as you want from a man who sings about “blood sucker/mother fuckers”.

In reality the music is a little slower, a little groovier with more of a hard rock vibe compared to the usual Wednesday 13 trashy punk. The ‘Death Arise – Intro’ gives the first inkling, sounding like an epic A7X build up into ‘Blood Sucker’; a ballsy stomp through typical Wednesday 13 territory.

Things start to change around ‘Curse the Living’ which has a heavy mid-section that is more than reminiscent of Lamb of God. The title track slows things down to a heavy groove, it sounds like a BBQ a Hellyeah’s ranch; real slow with soaring guitars not heard before in Wednesday’s back catalogue. Here and there throughout the album you’ll find big sounds that are different to the norm’, but nothing too drastic…

There’s still plenty of simple riffed punkery, if a song like ‘Fuck You (in memory of…)’ doesn’t scream Mr 13 to you then you haven’t been on board for the last fifteen years! It’s the variation on display makes this a real well-rounded listen. Not many would have complained if he’d come back with thirteen b-movie soundtracks, but the extra dimensions on ‘The Dixie Dead’ make it essential listening for anyone with even a small taste for blood!

9/10

Out now on Devco/cargo

Wednesday 13 is on tour in the UK in March

Rob W