by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Misfits were always the most ridiculous of all hardcore bands, but age only made them sillier, as the reunion album American Psycho proves. Without Glenn Danzig the group loses much of its menace, and new vocalist Michale Graves helps the band turn into a kitschy goth-punk outfit that relies more on metal than hardcore. Since they have trouble writing catchy riffs, the Misfits rely on their campy persona to make the album listenable, and on occasion -- such as "Hate the Living, Love the Dead," "Abominable Dr. Phibes," "Dig Up Her Bones," and "Don't Open 'Til Doomsday" -- they are so over-the-top they're funny. However, the majority of American Psycho is simply labored and uninvolving, and in that respect, it's no different than most reunion albums.