Doyle Tour Brings the Abominable Showman to Charlotte

As We Die World Abomination Tour

Halloween 2018 may be in the past, but there are still treats to be had if you’re a fan of horror punk. Doyle, self-titled project of former Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, is currently on the second leg of their As We Die World Abomination Tour. After spending the summer touring in Europe, the band returns to the U.S. for the remainder of the year and I caught them on Saturday, November 17 as their tour hearse pulled into Charlotte, NC at the Fillmore Underground.

First off though, we had a couple local openers. Metal outfit Haymaker had the unenviable task of warming up a sparse crowd that was still trickling in. The energy level in the room seemed to be on the rise as I saw some heads banging by the end of their set.

Next were rockers Scars Remain. If they seemed lighter fare, it was only from being sandwiched between two heavier acts. Some catchy, melodic hard rock.

The audience, while still less in number than I had anticipated, was starting to wake up. Chants of “Doyle” turned to chants of “drummer” as Wade Murff was the first to appear onstage. Once he was settled in behind his kit, things got going in earnest as the rest of the band joined and launched into the title track from the 2013 album Abominator. Setlist was nearly evenly split between that album and last year’s Doyle II: As We Die. Vocalist Alex “Wolfman” Story prefaced every song with some variation of “This is kind of a love song, you can dance to it,” but otherwise kept the banter to a minimum.

Visually, Doyle himself was the main draw. With his signature devilock hairstyle, custom “Annihilator” guitar, face paint, and sculpted torso, he has one of the most iconic looks in rock. Banging on his guitar for punctuation, he and Story prowled about the stage while bassist Brandon Strate mostly stayed to the side and out of their way. Probably a wise choice as the Underground doesn’t have a particularly large stage. Other that a fog machine that mostly obscured Murff, there was no additional enhancement. Not that there was any needed. Light shows or confetti cannons would just been distractions.

Sound was spot-on throughout the night and perhaps my only complaint was that Doyle’s set was a little on the short side. It was only after checking my watch that I realized it ran longer than it felt like. They played for slightly over an hour, but at a breakneck pace that followed the old show business maxim, “Always leave them wanting more.” And more I did want, but it was not to be had, as no encore was forthcoming.

If you have even the remotest interest in horror punk, this is a tour to check out. These guys are true road warriors as there are over 30 remaining shows before wrapping things up just after the end of the year. So grab your friends, live or undead, and get out and support live music.

See full gallery of the night here!

Catch this tour:

officialdoyle.com