| Murderdolls classic line-up in 2002. |
| The inimitable MURDERDOLLS return. To mark 25 years since their debut album Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls, the band have reunited and confirmed their first appearances will include Download Festival and Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2027. Three of the original members, Wednesday 13, Eric Griffin, and Acey Slade, will be joined on stage by Wednesday 13’s solo band members Mike Dupke and Jack Tankersley, the latter of which is more than familiar with MURDERDOLLS‘ material since fleshing out the band’s previous touring line-up. Together they’ll pay tribute to Joey Jordison and Ben Graves, the brothers MURDERDOLLS lost and still miss dearly. The shows are a celebration of what they built together, with the blessing of Joey’s sisters, Katie Riekena and Annie Jordison. Formed in 2002, MURDERDOLLS were the Frankenstein brainchild of Joey Jordison and partner-in-grime Wednesday 13. Joey stepped away from his day job behind the drum kit in Slipknot to play low-slung lead guitar, while Wednesday fronted the band. Their ‘fuck you’ attitude, devilish glamour, and trademark black sense of humour set them apart. Amid a musical landscape full of baggy pants, backwards caps, and tracksuits, the metallic glam punk MURDERDOLLS defied the prevailing trends and brought back hard, fast rock ’n’ roll. They dug up the corpse of rock and injected pure, undead, unadulterated life back into it. And it was glorious! Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls and its successor Women And Children Last, were like nothing else: fast, dirty, raw, and macabre, with every track full of tongue-in-cheek horror executed to perfection. Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls became a cult favourite, and fans have kept it alive ever since. With sinister, sneering vocals, huge hooks, gang vocal choruses, pounding rhythms, and some of the catchiest riffs ever penned, MURDERDOLLS wrote songs for arenas and played them in theatres, making their adrenaline-fuelled odes to darkness that much more thrilling. Remind yourself of some classic MURDERDOLLS with the official video for The Exorcist-inspired track “Love At First Fright“, taken from Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls, below. |
Wednesday 13 says: “25 years ago my life changed forever with the Murderdolls debut album ‘Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls.’ We created something so unique and special in such a short time gaining a massive dedicated fan base around the globe. With the sudden loss of Joey and Ben, this 25th anniversary feels like the right time to pay tribute to them and the Murderdolls brand. The original members Acey, Eric and I along with Jack and Mike look forward to celebrating the bands legacy and honoring our brothers on these special exclusive shows in 2027.”
Acey Slade adds, “No time in my life was more meaningful than the album campaign for Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls. No time in my life felt more empty than when we lost Joey and Ben. For the three surviving members, alongside Jack and Mike, to take the stage at Download, honor these legends, and carry the torch for everything we accomplished together is the perfect way to celebrate 25 years of Murderdolls. Welcome to the strange!”
Eric Griffin states, “Touring with the Murderdolls was the most incredible experience of my life. We came from Nowhere and connected with so many people around the globe so quickly. The energy we shared with fans during those shows, and the good times we had together on the road were indescribable. The stuff of dreams. But it all ended way too soon. I will be forever grateful to Joey for bringing us together, and it is truly an honor to pay tribute to him, on guitar, and to my lifelong friend, Ben, and to that moment in time 25 years ago, along with my Murderdolls brothers Wednesday and Acey. I look forward to playing with Jack and Mike for the first time, and getting to know them. Playing the mighty Download was one of the most exciting days of my life. I have so much gratitude and excitement to return to that stage, and Graspop, to celebrate the Murderdolls 25th anniversary. Let’s go!”
Katie Riekena, Joey’s sister, recalls: “Download truly seemed to be Joey’s favorite festival. I remember him calling me in 2009 to tell me he’d just seen Journey play there. And he was so incredibly happy to sit in for Lars when he played Download with Metallica in 2004. He would have relived that moment over and over. Lars was his biggest influence when he was younger. He watched the Metallica documentary again and again, then made his own ‘documentary’ and even did the drumstick-pointing-at-the-camera move like it was his own idea. I knew better! So many of his idols and friends were in those lineups. Annie and I are glad to see Murderdolls honoring Joey and Ben, back on that stage again.”
For more information and to get tickets, visit https://downloadfestival.co.uk/ and https://www.graspop.be/en/.
For information or to support The Joey Jordison Charitable Fund, visit its official site at https://joeyjordison.org/.
