The story of the band Murderdolls (translated from English: murder – to kill, dolls – dolls, i.e., killed dolls) is an American horror punk band from Des Moines, Iowa. The group was formed in 2002 by Joey Jordison, Joseph Poole, and Tripp Eisen, but the history of the band goes back much earlier, to 1994. At that time, the band was called The Rejects, and its lineup was different from what it is now. The members included: Dizzy Reject (Dizzy Drastik) on vocals, Joey Cocaine (Joey Jordison) on guitar, Tripp Eisen on guitar, Wednesday on bass, and Katie Scabs on drums. The band’s style combines modern shock rock with 1970s glam metal (such as Kiss and Alice Cooper). Their image is inspired by classic horror films.
When The Rejects announced their breakup, vocalist Dizzy created a new band called Bomb Pop Mafia. The remaining members Joey, Tripp, and Joseph formed a new band, essentially renaming The Rejects to Murderdolls. The lineup was as follows: Joseph Poole on vocals, Joey Jordison on guitar/backing vocals, and Tripp on guitar/backing vocals. The group began working on an album. Joseph Poole, formerly known as the vocalist for the horror punk rock band Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13, started writing lyrics. He used some old tracks from FDQFP13 for Murderdolls, as FDQFP13 was never popular and remained mostly unknown. Joseph decided that the lyrics from his former band would fit perfectly for Murderdolls, but he modified them slightly.
The band recorded the album as a trio, with Joey handling the drums, guitars, and some keyboard parts. Joseph occasionally played guitar and provided vocals, while Joey and Joseph shared bass duties. Tripp played some solos on the album. Later, Tripp showed Joey and Joseph a video featuring Eric Griffin and Ben Graves, and Joey and Joseph agreed to bring them into the band. Eric joined as the bassist, and Ben as the drummer. The album was recorded with Roadrunner Records. Murderdolls filmed a video for the song Dead in Hollywood, after which Tripp Eisen left the band due to accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor, and his place was taken by Acey Slade.
Their album sold 65,000 copies, after which a new version of the album was released, including five new songs. The band performed from 2002 to 2004. Their tour was filmed, but unfortunately, a live DVD was never released, and there is no information regarding its potential release. In early 2007, Murderdolls disbanded. After the breakup, Joey Jordison returned to Slipknot, and Joseph Poole (Wednesday 13) created a self-titled band. However, both stated that the band had not completely disbanded. Joey announced that he and Wednesday had been working with a producer since March 2010 on a new Murderdolls album, which was expected to be released in 2010.
Current Lineup:
- Joseph Poole (Wednesday 13) – Vocals
- Joey Jordison – Guitar/Backing Vocals
- Ben Graves – Drums
- Eric Griffin – Bass
- Acey Slade – Guitar
Former Member:
- Tripp Eisen – Guitar/Backing Vocals