The article traces a little-known chapter of punk and metal history: after the Misfits split in October 1983, founding members Jerry Only and his brother Doyle spent years sidelined by a legal dispute over the band's name with former frontman Glenn Danzig, who went on to form Samhain and later Danzig. Unable to continue as the Misfits, the brothers instead quietly wrote and assembled a new project, described by Jerry Only as musically "a step above" the Misfits, blending influences from Iron Maiden, Motörhead and their own horror-punk roots.

That project became Kryst The Conqueror, a Christian metal supergroup that recruited singer Jeff Scott Soto, fresh off two albums with Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen, after he'd fallen out with his bandleader. Soto, who knew little about the Misfits beyond their logo, joined in 1988 for financial reasons following the birth of his son. The band reportedly also considered approaching Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson to sing for the project, underlining its ambitious and unlikely cross-genre pedigree, which also connects to Skid Row.