Drenched in blood and nostalgia, Wednesday 13’s latest offering is a raucous love letter to horror punk excess

Words by Felix Bartlett | April 25, 2025

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The Duke of Spook has returned to claw his way back into our ears, paving the way for what’s shaping up to be a hot goth summer. Like many icons starring in occult horror films that inspired Wednesday 13, the dead just won’t stay dead, with Mid Death Crisis rising from the grave to deliver a spooktacular serving that is sure to whet the appetite of those looking for a new fix—one that differs from the swarm of other releases dropping today.

From the moment Mid Death Crisis creeps in with ‘There’s No Such Thing As Monsters’, a foreboding whisper over sinister synths, it’s clear Wednesday 13 hasn’t lost his flair for theatrical horror. The track serves as the perfect eerie prelude before ‘Decease And Desist’ explodes into a raucous, riff-driven anthem, setting the tone for an album that balances playful macabre with moments of genuine darkness. The pacing is impeccable, each track bleeding into the next like scenes in a grindhouse horror flick.

When ‘The Devil Commands‘ is an instant standout, a tongue-in-cheek ode to ‘80s satanic panic with a bassline that slithers, feeling inspired by Wednesday 13’s other horror musician counterparts. It’s campy, catchy, and exactly the kind of track that would’ve had parents clutching their pearls back in the day. Similarly, ‘Decapitation’ leans into punk rock chaos with dramatic flair, complete with doo-wop interjections that shouldn’t work but absolutely do. These tracks are pure fun, a reminder that Wednesday 13’s brand of horror sleaze is at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

But Mid Death Crisis isn’t all B-movie mischief. ‘In Misery’ dives into the throes of a toxic relationship, swapping “in love” for “in misery” with a chugging, melancholic intensity. The guitars seethe and wail, mirroring the emotional turmoil of the lyrics, while ‘Blood Storm’ whips up a frenetic whirlwind of sound before fading like a storm into the drugged-out frenzy of ‘Xanaxtasy’. The latter’s pounding drums and self-deprecating refrain (“Am I insane, or am I just crazy?”) make it one of the album’s most infectious—and oddly relatable—tracks.

The back half of the record keeps the energy high, though a few tracks (‘Rotting Away’, ‘I Hurt You’) fall into familiar patterns without quite reaching the highs of their predecessors. ‘No Apologies’, featuring Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe, is a raucous duet with killer guitar work, though it teeters on repetitive. Still, the album rebounds with the penultimate ‘My Funeral’, a morbidly catchy ode to apathy, and closes on the thunderous ‘Sick And Violent’, a fittingly chaotic finale.

Mid Death Crisis doesn’t reinvent Wednesday 13’s formula, but it doesn’t need to. This is a greatest hits-style celebration of his career—zombie punk, sleazy metal, and horror camp all collide with the darker introspection of his recent work. Some tracks lack the punch of others, but the album’s consistency and sheer fun factor make it a must-listen for fans. Whether you’re here for the gore or the grooves, Wednesday 13 proves once again that he’s the undisputed king of spooky sleaze.

Verdict: 💀💀💀💀

For fans of: Rob Zombie, Murderdolls, Alice Cooper

Mid Death Crisis is out now via Napalm Records.