The band released two albums, the first in the form of Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls which was released in 2002. Though the band had limited initial success in the United States, their album and singles charted well in Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. Their second album, Women and Children Last, was released in August 2010. Wednesday 13 confirmed the band's split in an interview in July 2013.[4]
Characteristics
The sound of the band is made up of their shared influences, which musically are punk rock and as well as from some of the 1970s hard rock acts (such as Kiss and Alice Cooper). The band also share a large interest in horror movies, from which they take most of their images and references.
Some[who?] consider the Murderdolls history to go back as far as 1994 to a Des Moines, Iowa-based band Joey Jordison played in, named The Rejects, which was fronted by vocalist Dizzy Draztik. The sound of the band was somewhat comparable to what the Murderdolls would later develop, minus the horror themed lyrics.
The Rejects split up as Jordison's other band Slipknot were signed to a major label. During the 1999 Ozzfest tour, Jordison met Tripp Eisen and asked him if he was interested in a project he had in mind, the reforming of the Rejects with Draztik. Eisen agreed to join the project and a friend of his from the band Dope and previously the Genitorturers, Racci Shay played drums with them. Also a bassist named Ian, who had played in New York based band the Vampire Love Dolls (fronted by Acey Slade who was known as J at the time), played with them live.
Formation, Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (2001–2002)
Dizzy Draztik introduced Joey Jordison to the music of the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13, a horror punk band from Charlotte, North Carolina, fronted by vocalist Wednesday 13. Draztik persuaded the band to invite the Drag Queens frontman to play with the Rejects. The pair had previously considered bringing Wednesday 13 into the band before Eisen joined. Wednesday joined them in November 2001, where he was brought into the Rejects as a bassist. Tripp Eisen has claimed that he suggested that his friend Acey Slade was brought into the band around this time, but was turned down.
Soon, Wednesday 13 was moved to the frontman position after Dizzy left the band to take care of his ailing mother. The band changed their name to the Murderdolls and would soon adopt a horror themed approach. In fact, in terms of material used Wednesday 13 became the driving force for it. Most of the tracks on the Murderdolls debut album were covers from his previous band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. These covers which would later introduce a whole new audience to the past music of Wednesday 13.
Wednesday 13, Jordison and Eisen went into the recording studio to record a demo consisting on an albums worth of material. This demo ended up becoming the band's first album. Because of the association of Eisen and Jordison's other bands, was to be released on Roadrunner Records. Primarily the recording features Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison playing all of the instruments and vocals, however Eisen recorded some of the guitar solos on it.
Around this time in late March 2002, Ben Graves and Eric Griffin, two musicians native of Boston, Massachusetts but were living in Hollywood, California at the time joined the Murderdolls. They were brought in after Eisen showed Jordison a video of himself jamming with the pair, they decided the duo would be right for the band. And although they would feature on the debut album artwork, they did not actually play on the album itself. The band played their first show together as the Murderdolls on July 30, 2002, at San Diego's Epicenter club.
An EP was released in early 2002 named Right to Remain Violent and featured some tracks from the forthcoming album. The full-length album soon followed, titled Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls. The initial release featured fifteen tracks; twelve in total had previously been recorded by Wednesday 13 with Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 and one from his earlier band Maniac Spider Trash. 13 did however write all of the aforementioned tracks himself.
The song "Welcome to the Strange" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Freddy vs. Jason. This track was later available as a bonus track on an expanded release of the debut album along with the single White Wedding; a Billy Idol cover.
Upon its release the Murderdolls album was promoted to the public as the "other band" of Joey Jordison, the drummer of Slipknot, or a "collaboration" between Jordison and Tripp Eisen. At the time Wednesday 13's importance as songwriter wasn't known by the public. The lead single from the album was titled "Dead in Hollywood", the promotional video featured a guest appearance by Marilyn Manson, who had previously become friends with Jordison and was returning the favor of him earlier appearing in the video for "Tainted Love".
In July 2002 Eisen announced he was leaving the band and returning to his main band Static-X as they were due to record a new album at the time. Eisen's former Dope bandmate Acey Slade was brought in to replace him on guitar.[7]
Touring (2002–2004)
Jordison playing guitar with Murderdolls, June 12, 2003, Madrid, Spain
The first tour dates of the Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls World Tour took the band through parts of the United States including; Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and Jordison's native Iowa. Their first major date was at the Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo, Japan during August 18, 2002, two days before their debut album was released. This helped them gain a fan base in Japan.
Following this they played some dates in Europe, including a tour of the United Kingdom with AntiProduct (the lead singer of which, Alex Kane, briefly replaced Griffin on bass when he had to return home during the tour)[8] and Ireland.
Their restless touring continued throughout 2002 into 2003, where they played in several major festivals; first, they played at the Australian festival Big Day Out, going on after Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters headlined the event. They were received favorably and one reviewer commented on the band's performance as a "mangled, choked and psychotic version of the Sex Pistols."[9] The other major festival dates during this time were Download Festival and Rock am Ring, Iron Maiden headlined both of the festivals.
Together, the band recorded a cover version of Billy Idol's "White Wedding". A promotional video was recorded for it, in which they mocked popstar singing contests such as the Idol series. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom and they even performed it on the UK chart show Top of the Pops.
Mid 2003 The Murderdolls co-headlined a tour of England with fellow Roadrunner Records band, Stone Sour, which contained two of Jordison's fellow members of Slipknot; Corey Taylor and James Root.
Murderdolls toured at the end of 2003 in support of the single and the re-release of their debut, which included their Billy Idol cover as well as five other bonus tracks and b-sides: "Let's Fuck'", "I Take Drugs", "Crash Crash", "Welcome to the Strange" and "I Love to Say Fuck". The latter two had previously been recorded by Wednesday 13 with the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. The tour went through many European countries including Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Scandinavian countries before ending with a four date tour of the UK supported by English psychobilly band Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
Murderdolls played their last show on January 17, 2004, in Corona, California. After this they went on an indefinite hiatus with Jordison returning to Slipknot. Since the hiatus begun, both Wednesday 13 and Jordison maintained that the band had not split up for good, and that they would return to record a second album together in the future.[10] Additionally, in a 2009 interview, Slade revealed that he would have been happy to reform the Murderdolls by now, but it always proves impossible due to other commitments of the band members.[11]
Reunion, Women and Children Last and breakup (2010–2011)
Murderdolls performing in 2011.
In February 2010, whilst embarking on a solo tour in Australia, Wednesday 13 spoke with Drum Media and told them he was tossing up whether to record another solo album or record another Murderdolls album. He stated that the idea was still in talks, but would be his number one priority if the opportunity arose.
In March 2010, Jordison officially revealed to Kerrang! magazine that Murderdolls had officially reunited with him and Wednesday working with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris. Jordison said about the reunion, "It's been an ongoing conversation between Wednesday and I from 2006 until now. We were bored with everything out there, and thought we had something to piss people off and shake things up. Everything is such a product or a fucking formula these days... Fuck formula! Fuck the norm!"[12]
It was revealed on the band's official website that the band would feature a new lineup without Slade, Griffin or Graves.[13] Drummer Racci Shay joined the band alongside guitarist Roman Surman and bassist Jack Tankersley.
Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars recorded a guest appearance on the new album, whilst he was recording material for his debut solo album in the same space.[14][15] On April 15, the band confirmed that they had finished recording their upcoming album Women and Children Last. Joey Jordison has said that he considers Women and Children Last as really the first true Murderdolls album.[16]
The band was expected to embark on a tour of North America, but the idea was scrapped after Jordison began touring with Rob Zombie on the Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour and after the untimely death of his Slipknot bandmate Paul Gray. This led to the band performing only two shows in California in mid-June to promote their new album. The first show was captured on video and was released on DVD for the special edition of the album. Jordison resumed touring with Zombie in early July.
For Women and Children Last, Jordison and Wednesday 13 confessed to VerdamMnis Magazine that they consider this new release to be their very first album, as this is the first time they "sat down together to write songs and the production is a far better than from Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls. They also revealed to the magazine that the CD was recorded in a mansion upon the Hollywood Hills, which encouraged them "to create their own sound with no influence from the outside world", as they were secluded.[17]
The band promoted the album on the Women & Children Last World Tour, on which they supported Guns N' Roses on a handful of European dates, performed on the main stage at the UK edition of the Ozzfest, supported Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper on the Halloween Hootenanny Tour (Jordison performed double duty with Zombie and the Murderdolls), and performed on Fuel TV's The Daily Habit.[18] The band was expected to embark upon a headlining tour of North America in December, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom in January, before returning to Australia for the first time in 8 years to co-headline the Soundwave Festival.
The band announced that, along with their North America tour, Violent Night, Deadly Night Tour, they were releasing a music video for the song "Nowhere" from Women and Children Last on November 29, 2010. However, On November 29, 2010, it was announced that the Violent Night, Deadly Night Tour was canceled, due to family issues.
The last time the Murderdolls performed together was April 24, 2011.[19] This final gig marked the last time Joey and 13 spoke.[20] In March 2013, Wednesday 13 announced in an interview that the Murderdolls had split for good in 2011.[21]
Post-breakup
In 2017, Wednesday 13 stated his interest in resurrecting the Murderdolls, and that Joey may also be interested.[22] Further speculation came in July 2018 when Jordison claimed new material was ready to go and a reunion could happen when the time was right.[23] However, in a February 2019 interview, Wednesday 13 stated that no progress on a reunion had occurred and that Joey and he were still friends.[24]
On May 9, 2018, former drummer Ben "The Ghoul" Graves died of cancer at the age of 45. Wednesday 13, along with former members Eric Griffin and Acey Slade performed with each other for the first time in 14 years to pay tribute to their late drummer.
On July 26, 2021, Joey Jordison died at the age of 46.[25][26]
Band members
Members
Wednesday 13 – lead vocals, studio guitars and bass (2002–2004, 2010–2011, 2018)
Joey Jordison – guitars, backing vocals, studio drums, percussion, keyboards and piano (2002–2004, 2010–2011; died 2021)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, former vocalist Anders Colsefni and bassist Paul Gray. After several lineup changes in its early years, the band settled on nine members for more than a decade: Crahan, Gray, Joey Jordison, Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Chris Fehn, and Jim Root. Slipknot is well known for its attention-grabbing image, aggressive style of music, and energetic and chaotic live shows.
Slipknot is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. It was released on June 29, 1999, by Roadrunner Records, following a demo containing a few of the songs which had previously been released in 1998. Later, it was reissued in December 1999 with a slightly-altered track listing and mastering as the result of a lawsuit. It was the first release by the band to be produced by Ross Robinson, who sought to refine Slipknot's sound rather than alter the group's musical direction. This is the only album to feature original guitarist Josh Brainard who left at the end of recording in late 1998 while the band was taking a brief break. Jim Root, who recorded two tracks at this point, would appear full time on subsequent albums starting with their next album Iowa.
Michael Shawn Crahan, more commonly known by his stage persona "Clown", is an American musician. He is the co-founder and one of the percussionists for heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #6. Crahan helped form Slipknot in 1995 alongside bassist Paul Gray and former vocalist Anders Colsefni. Crahan is the longest-serving and only remaining original member of Slipknot, and also has extensive involvement with Slipknot's media production and music videos. Outside Slipknot, Crahan had two side project bands called To My Surprise and Dirty Little Rabbits. Aside from his musical activity, he also directed the 2016 action thriller film Officer Downe.
Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 was an American horror punk band from North Carolina. The band was formed in 1996 by Wednesday 13, who recruited friends and former Maniac Spider Trash bandmates Seaweed and Sicko Zero. The band's history is riddled with a 'revolving door' lineup with 13 being the only member to have never been replaced.
Joseph Michael Poole, better known by his stage name Wednesday 13, is an American singer and musician. Apart from his solo career, he was the frontman of the horror punk/glam metal band Murderdolls and has also played in several other bands, including Maniac Spider Trash, Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13, Bourbon Crow, and Gunfire 76.
Tod Rex Salvador, known professionally as Tripp Eisen, is an American musician and convicted sex offender, best known as the former guitarist of industrial metal band Static-X. He is the current guitarist for the band Face Without Fear, and a former member of Dope, Murderdolls, and Roughhouse.
Dope is an American nu metal band from New York City, formed in 1997. The band has released seven full-length studio albums with their most recent studio album, Blood Money Part Zer0, being released in February 2023. The lineup currently consists of founding member and lead singer Edsel Dope, guitarist Acey Slade, bassist Daniel Fox and drummer Chris Warner.
Emil John Schmidt IV, known professionally as Acey Slade, is an American musician. He is the bassist and one of the guitarists in the nu metal/industrial band Dope and a former guitarist of the horror punk and glam metal act Murderdolls. He is also the lead singer and guitarist of Acey Slade & the Dark Party and a touring guitarist of The Misfits. Previous to this, he served as the bassist in Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the punk rock band Trashlight Vision, which broke up in 2007.
Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison was an American musician. He was the original drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, and the guitarist for the horror punk supergroup Murderdolls.
Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls is the debut studio album by American horror punk supergroup Murderdolls. It was released in 2002 by Roadrunner Records. The album reached number 40 on the UK Albums Chart, and sold 100,000 copies in the U.S.
Roadrunner United was a project organized by American heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It culminated in an album released worldwide on October 11, 2005, entitled The All-Star Sessions. Four "team captains" were chosen to lead 57 artists from 45 past and present Roadrunner bands, and produce and oversee the album's 18 tracks: then-Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, Trivium frontman and guitarist Matt Heafy, Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares, and Machine Head frontman and guitarist Robb Flynn. The project was the brainchild of Roadrunner UK general manager Mark Palmer and Roadrunner USA VP of A&R Monte Conner. The album project was coordinated by Lora Richardson and was mixed by Colin Richardson and Andy Sneap. The All-Star Sessions spawned one single and music video. The DVD included with the CD purchase is a documentary of the "Making Of" the songs. It features the sessions of the four team captains making their songs.
Right to Remain Violent is an EP by Murderdolls, released in 2002 on Roadrunner Records. It was released to promote their forthcoming album at the time, Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls. The three tracks featured are the same as the versions on the full-length album.
Trashlight Vision was a trash punk band from the United States. They featured the guitarist from Murderdolls, Acey Slade and Steve Haley from the Philadelphia-based rock band HALEY.
Fire Up the Blades is the third studio album by Canadian heavy metal band 3 Inches of Blood. It was released on 26 June 2007 by Roadrunner Records and is the band's final release through the label. It is also the first release by the band to feature lead guitarist Justin Hagberg, rhythm guitarist Shane Clark, bassist Nick Cates and drummer Alexei Rodriguez, the latter of whom was kicked out of the band six months later.
All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released on August 26, 2008 by Roadrunner Records. The album was published in two versions: the standard album in a CD case and a special edition packaged in a six-fold digipak containing three bonus tracks, a 40 page booklet, and a bonus DVD with a documentary of the album's recording. With a runtime of 57 minutes and 57 seconds, it is Slipknot's second-shortest studio album behind 2022's The End, So Far. It is also the band's final studio album to feature the Iowa-era lineup with two longtime members: bassist and founding member Paul Gray, who was found dead in an Iowa hotel on May 24, 2010, almost two years after the album's release, and drummer Joey Jordison, who was fired from the group in December 2013.
The B.C. Rich Warlock is a solid body electric guitar and bass guitar made by B.C. Rich. It features a distinct jagged shape and two humbucker pickups, and has been associated with the heavy metal scene.
Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool is the fourth solo studio album by former White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie. The album is a sequel to his debut album Hellbilly Deluxe. It was released on February 2, 2010, through Roadrunner Records. This is the first album with bassist Piggy D and the last with drummer Tommy Clufetos.
The Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock band Rob Zombie that began in October 2009 in support of his fourth studio album Hellbilly Deluxe 2. The tour consisted of 12 legs spanning across Japan, North America, Europe and Australia. The tour marked the first time Zombie has performed internationally since the beginning of his solo career.
Women and Children Last is the second and final studio album by American horror punk supergroup Murderdolls released through Roadrunner Records on August 31, 2010, and produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris. With the exception of Murderdolls touring guitarist Roman Surman, who contributed lead guitars, and Mötley Crüe's Mick Mars, who guests on "Drug Me to Hell" and "Blood Stained Valentine", the album was recorded by Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison. In Metal Hammer, Jordison explained why the old lineup would not be returning:
The old band, we didn’t even know each other before it all came together [...] It was dysfunctional but it worked, but this time, we wanted it to be a little more stable. It was apparent that if we were going to do the Murderdolls again, we were going to do it with everything we’ve got.
Roman Surman is an American musician and the current lead guitarist for Wednesday 13's horror punk solo band. Surman was also a guitarist for Gunfire 76, Bourbon Crow and the second incarnation of Murderdolls, all bands fronted by Wednesday 13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
