REVIEW: Wednesday 13 - Mid Death Crisis

After dragging us through the gothic gloom of Horrifier, Wednesday 13 emerges from the shadows not to brood - but to party with the undead. Mid Death Crisis finds the Duke of Spook doing what he does best: resurrecting sleaze metal swagger with grave-digging glee. Gone are the isolationist themes of the pandemic years - this time, the monsters are front and centre, and they’ve brought their leather jackets and lipstick-stained chainsaws.

Right from the jump, the intro track ‘There’s No Such Thing As Monsters’ whispers that familiar line over an eerie, tech-toned drone. It’s classic horror cheese with a sci-fi tint, and as that tension fades into distortion, the record wastes no time detonating into the high-octane frenzy of ‘Decease and Desist’. Guitars hit like a car crash through a foggy graveyard, sharp and snarling, while Wednesday’s vocals lurch in with the confidence of a seasoned slasher villain. There’s a bounce to the track — a rhythmic throb that makes it part arena metal, part haunted strip-club anthem. It’s not deep, and it doesn’t need to be. This is horror punk by way of Hollywood sleaze, and it rips.

That trash-glam-meets-terror continues on ‘When the Devil Commands’, one of the album’s most immediate and memorable moments. With a stomping beat, massive chorus, and a riff that nods to classic Mötley Crüe, this is Wednesday 13 at his most infectious. There’s a ritualistic energy to the track, like it was written to be shouted back from the pit. The hook is pure fire-and-brimstone pomp, the kind of thing that feels tailor-made for live shows drenched in fake blood and smoke machines. It’s both cartoonish and commanding, which is precisely what makes it work.

Another highlight, ‘No Apologies’, features Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe on guest vocals - and the pairing is pure sleaze metal magic. There’s a reckless, late-night strut to the track, echoing the Sunset Strip decadence of the late ’80s but with a bloodstained twist. Downe and Wednesday trade lines like two degenerates swapping barroom confessions, and the result is a fast-paced exorcism of all things toxic. It’s brash, catchy, and self-aware without being self-important. For long-time fans of both acts, it’s a match made in hell and hair spray.

But, Mid Death Crisis isn’t all snarl and sneer. ‘My Funeral’ provides a surprising emotional depth beneath the theatrics. Slower and more deliberate, the track finds Wednesday reflecting with rare vulnerability, his voice raw and nearly mournful over moody guitars and a creeping, melodic undertow. While still laced with macabre imagery, there’s sincerity here - an acknowledgment of time passing, of life lived in shadows, and perhaps of the cost of it all. It’s the kind of track that proves Wednesday isn’t just playing dress-up; he knows what darkness really feels like.

That balance - between camp and catharsis, horror and hooks - is what makes Mid Death Crisis such a potent entry in Wednesday 13’s discography. Produced by guitarist Alex Kane, the record sounds massive: guitars slash and shimmer, drums pound with purpose, and there’s just enough grime in the mix to keep things dangerous. From the danceable chaos of ‘Xanaxtasy’ to the doom-laced pummel of ‘Sick and Violent’, the album flexes its genre muscle while never losing its identity.

More importantly, this is an album that knows it’s a good time. Wednesday 13 isn’t trying to be profound here - he’s channelling every VHS tape, fog machine, and glam-metal b-side into a record that invites you to scream along, throw horns, and leave your existential dread at the door. Mid Death Crisis doesn’t reinvent horror rock. It raises it from the grave, gives it a shot of Jack, and pushes it back onstage.

Score: 8/10

Mid Death Crisis was released on April 25th via Napalm Records.

Words: Jason De Mendonca

Photos: Wednesday 13