Aug. 20, 2022, marked the 20th anniversary of the release of “Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls,” the first album by horror punk band Murderdolls. To celebrate this milestone, guitarist Acey Slade and bassist Eric Griffin will stage a special event in conjunction with the Silver Scream Con on Sunday, Aug. 28. Wednesday 13 has responded, essentially saying that anything Murderdolls-related that does not come from him or fellow band co-founder Joey Jordison is unofficial.
A signing originally scheduled to take place Aug. 28 at the Blackcraft Cult store in Salem, Massachusetts, has been moved to the Silver Scream Con at the Hilton Double Tree North Shore in Danvers, Massachusetts. In addition to a larger location, the event has been extended to noon to 5 p.m., with a livestream on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram taking place from 3 to 5 p.m. EST.
Silver Scream Con is a new horror convention curated by Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas. It will feature actors from classic horror films, photo ops, panels, an Ice Nine Kills concert and more from Aug. 26 to 28.
“Celebrating the anniversary of ‘Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls’ with Eric is magical,” Slade said. “It only makes sense that we kick off this celebration in one of the most magical cities in the world, Salem, MA. We can’t wait to hang out with all our ghoul scout friends and fiends on our Instagram and YouTube pages and let you know what we have been up to after all this time. See ya soon and stay ghoul!”
“Join Acey Slade and I in Witch City, USA as we crank back the clock 20 years and celebrate the anniversary of ‘Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls’ with our friends at Silver Scream Con,” Griffin said. “We’ll be streaming live on Sunday, Aug. 28. Kick off the spooky season early this year with Murderdolls.”
Slade and Griffin were members of Murderdolls from 2002 to 2004 and did not perform on “Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls.” According to the album’s liner notes, Joey Jordison played all of the guitar, bass and keyboard parts on the record.
After going on hiatus in early 2004, Wednesday 13 and Jordison reformed the band with a new lineup in 2010 and released the sophomore album “Women and Children Last” before breaking up for good in 2011.
Drummer Ben Graves, also in the band from 2002 to 2004, died on May 9, 2018, and Murderdolls reunited for one show in Los Angeles on Aug. 16, 2018. According to a press release, talks of a 20th anniversary celebration began in spring 2021, and the groundwork was being laid when Jordison, best known for his long stint as the drummer of Slipknot, died on July 26, 2021.
In conjunction with the anniversary, a new website is set to be launched at muderdollsofficial.com.
The announcement of the anniversary activities includes no mention of Wednesday 13, who has responded on social media.
“It’s unfortunate that this has to be said,” he posted, “but here it is:
“Murderdolls was created in 2002 by Joey Jordison and Wednesday 13.
“The name, the look, the lyrics, the music was all created by Joey Jordison and Wednesday 13.
“Anyone besides Wednesday or Joey claiming to be the Official Murderdolls is NOT OFFICIAL.
“Any merchandise being advertised using Joey and Wednesday’s original Murderdolls logos, music and lyrics is NOT Approved or Authorized.”
