Haunting the Horror Punk scene for over twenty years, Germany’s The Other rise from the graveyard yet again in 2025 with their new album Alienated. Fitting released on Halloween, October 31, 2025, through Massacre Records, the album is a sequel to 2020’s Haunted and marks some interesting shifts in the story.
To start with, founding Bassist Andy Only has returned to the crypt for the first time in nearly 2 decades, joining original Vocalist Rod Usher, new Drummer Jag Boone, along with Guitarists J. Ends and Van Tom (who have both been in the band since 2014). An inspired lineup, with Only’s return, The Other opted to go ‘back to their roots’ and focus on a rawer form of Horror Punk Rock music. Keeping it fresh after all these years, let us not forget that in 2022 they also released a unique Horror audio play called The Other und die Erben des Untergangs, in which the band portrayed fictional characters.
With this in mind, Alienated is a great way to keep the flame burning for The Other, with an electric-shock level of energy from start to finish. A total of 13 songs, the themes range from feelings of isolation (hence the title Alienated) to, of course, classic Horror movie inspirations. Full of large, speedy guitar chords and chant-along vocals, the album as a whole has a dark undertone matched with the wildness of classic Punk Rock.
With a lot to enjoy, songs like “I Give You The Creeps” and “A Ghost from the ‘80s” jolt you into high gear while the title track and “In the End” lean more toward Gothic Rock, offering a good balance. Then the riffs matched with the vocals of “Horror Movie Monster” stick out boldly, as do the bouncy melodies of “The Witch from Outer Space” and speedy “Don’t Be Afraid of the Night.”
Altogether, The Other’s Alienated is an authentic Horror Punk album that has everything you could ask for as a fan of the genre. Melodic, hooky, and full of lyrics that draw direct influence from Horror cinema, it is something that will tickle the fancy of many. Speaking of which, on December 12, 2025, the band released a standalone single called “Vincent Price – Master of Menace,” which can be had as a limited-edition 7” vinyl via their website. Featured as the theme song for the new Vincent Price documentary, The Vincent Price Legacy (put together by his daughter Victoria Price), it is a must-watch film when it receives a broader release. Until then, it is recommended that you satisfy your desire for Macabre Rock with The Other’s Alienated, which Cryptic Rock gives 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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