I don’t know about you, but I never get tired of punk rock songs based on monster movies like Fright Night and The Phantom of the Opera. And let’s face it, the Misfits have just gone through too many mutations to come anywhere close to the collectively creative creature they once were. But there is a German horror punk band that has arisen to usher in an entirely new wave of ghoulish rock, and it goes by the name of The Other.

Already established as one of Europe’s biggest monsters of macabre rock, The Other‘s latest creation is The Devils You Know, a rollicking collection of 15 pieces of fleshy punk inspired by vampires, nightmares and Halloween-like nostalgia. Released on July 31, The Devils You Know does have a devilishly familiar sound rooted in death rock and rockabilly, as well as the obvious horror punk influence of the Misfits, Alice Cooper and others. Yet The Other’s sound is as fresh as a new grave, with its roots in punk, yet more reliant on thrash metal and ’50s sing-alongs.

While songs like “My Home Is My Casket,” “In My Veins” and “Nice Day for a Funeral” are perfect examples of The Other’s macabre metal tendencies, tracks such as “Puppet on a String,” “Nightmare on Halloween” and “Fire From Outer Space” are brewed with pinches of goth rock atmospherics and swaggering swoons to give the album even more depth. And just to remind you that these guys are German, the album concludes with the majestic “Ewigkeit,” with a symphonic influence that makes the German lyrics sound that much more grandiose.

Though it’s still a few months too early to be ready for trick-or-treating, Jack o’ lanterns and changing leaves, I get the feeling The Other is always ready for Halloween. And weather you share in such a year-round sentiment or would rather reserve your monsters for October, The Devils You Know is ready and waiting for you to give it a demonic spin. And when you do, it will be like dumping out the bag of Halloween treats to find that it was filled with all your favorite candy.

For more information, go to www.the-other.de.