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It’s been nearly 43 years (!!) since the man known as Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein first hit the stage as the third official guitarist for legendary New Jersey horror punks The Misfits, and it’s been a solid decade since he launched his current band, Doyle. At this stage of the game, the guy’s got nuthin’ to prove to nobody—he’s been doing this longer than most of his fanbase has been alive. Fortunately, Doyle’s never been a person to coast on past glories—and the proof is found in the power delivered by his eponymous group’s current lineup.

Fueled by extraordinary new drummer Luke Wright, Doyle the band recently hit The Vault in New Bedford, Massachusetts to absolutely abominate (to use a Doyle-approved word) a small but enthusiastic crowd of loyal fiends and metalheads. Despite a few tech glitches (working monitors do a Vegan Monster good!) and a lack of new material, the band delivered plenty of onstage menace, muscle-bound machismo, and solid musicianship. 

Singer Alex Story (Cancerslug) punctuated his guttural growls with humorous between-song banter, while bassist Brandon “Izzy” Strate’s bulletproof low end anchored his bandmates’ riot act. Highlights included “DreamingDeadGirls,” Witchcraft,” and “Hope Hell Is Warm” – three cheery ditties about rainbows and puppies! All joking aside, you know exactly what you’re getting into when you walk into a Doyle show—and the band delivers the goods every time.

Now in his late fifties, Doyle the man still pounds his fucking guitar like a jackhammer. (Some of you will get that reference, surely.) Kudos to the dude for giving a modest crowd the same intense performance he unleashes when he plays at sold-out arenas with The Misfits. With Doyle, every show is Halloween—and every song is a killer slice of no-bullshit metal-punk.