Album Review: Wednesday 13 – Condolences (Nuclear Blast)

Wednesday 13, the enigmatic horror singer/song-writer has had a storied career so far. Singer & frontman of fan favourite bands such as Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 & Murderdolls, he has focused on his solo career since 2005.

Condolences is the seventh & latest release, out on June 2, 2017 on Nuclear Blast.

The tone of Condolences is far darker then fans may be used too, here metal dominates & while Wednesday maintains his ‘horror’ style vocal work there is a real edge to the album. Something that will please both long-term & new fans.

There are plenty of hard-hitting riffs, really heavy beats but mixed with effects & more lighter elements. Opening song, What the Night Brings showcases this with a really dark & heavy tone. However, it’s also got a spacey effect that accompanies the chorus. It’s a bit of a miss mainly because of this effect but thankfully things improve quickly.

Blood Sick has some fantastic groove, exciting guitar work & very catchy. It’s a song that you’ll be humming long afterwards.

Condolences is filled with loads of solid sounding tracks like Good Riddance, You Breathe, I Kill & Prey For Me. All fan service, Wednesday 13 doesn’t drift too far from the well.

However, this in turn causes a few problems. At times the lyrics come across a bit silly, particularly in 2017, the whole horror lyrics doesn’t always hit. A good example of this is on Cruel to You, a track with a really good upbeat guitar sound but is let down by poor vocals & cringe-worthy lyrics.

In addition there are a few too many songs that are just run off the mill stuff: Omen Amen, Lonesome Road to Hell & the pointless Eulogy XIII. Near the end of Condolences it starts to wear thin, everything starts to sound very samey.

It doesn’t end on a low though. The dark, groovy beat of Condolences is really great. It’s really moody & has a great solo near the end. It should have been the final song though as Death Infinity is too slow & a bit of a lacklustre finish.

Condolences is a good album, it’s got enough imagination going on to please newer fans but doesn’t drift too far from what long-term fans would expect.

Wednesday 13 – Condolences Full Track Listing:

1. Last Rites
2. What the Night Brings
3. Cadaverous
4. Blood Sick
5. Good Riddance
6. You Breathe, You Kill
7. Omen Amen
8. Cruel to You
9. Eulogy XIII
10. Prey for Me
11. Lonesome Road to Hell
12. Condolences
13. Death Infinity

Condolences is out now via Nuclear Blast & you can check it out below via Apple Music.