Category Archives: Danzig

April 21, 2012

Record Store Day!

By Joe

My target for today.

Today is Record Store Day!  A day that hasn’t been around for too long but intends to celebrate the good old fashioned record store.  As a means of celebration, several labels and bands participate by releasing limited edition twelve and seven inch records (go here for a full list of what’s available today) to get people into the stores which usually are offering sales of their own.  Only independently owned stores are allowed to participate and the organizers of the event take a mostly hands off approach.  This leads to swings in pricing from one store to the next and certain records are only available in certain stores.  Unfortunately, this also leads to some stores forgoing the event and just hawking the limited releases on eBay for inflated prices.  This is also the type of event that attracts scalpers of all kinds only interested in making a quick buck, which takes some of the fun out of it.  It’s become a pretty big deal these past few years and the amount of stuff released each year seems to grow and grow and get more and more interesting.

Last year was my first time taking part.  I was more interested in the spectacle than the actual albums released on that day.  I went over to my local Newbury Comics, one of the few small chains to really break thru and thrive in this day and age.  I got there a little after they opened and found the place pretty packed.  I ended up snatching an Opeth 7″ single released for RSD, “The Throat of Winter,” and picked up some odds and ends taking advantage of the sales.  This year was different though.

There's some black streaks on the record as well, though they don't show up in the picture.

Just a few weeks ago Rhino Records announced that they would be releasing a limited edition of The Misfits’ debut record Walk Among Us to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release.  This version is limited to 3000 copies:  1250 on red vinyl, 1250 on blue, and 500 clear.  They’re packaged in a blind style, meaning you don’t know what color you have.  Overseas, a purple copy is being released.  The stores that participate in RSD have adopted a 1 copy per person policy to give more people a shot at the record they covet.  This unfortunately means the completist collectors out there either need to round up some friends or take to eBay to get one copy of each.  I was content to get just one, but I had to have it!  Given the vast number of retailers participating and the limited nature, I figured each store would only receive two or three copies, meaning I had to get there early if I wanted one.  Complicating things is the fact that not every store gets a copy of every release.  My local shop didn’t know what it was getting as of Thursday so I was taking a shot in the dark this morning when I jumped in my car and headed over.

I got there early; 7:15.  The store is located in a shopping mall and the doors for the mall open at 8 while the store doesn’t open until 10.  I was going to sit in my car for awhile but became too eager to just sit there so before 7:30 even hit I was up in front of the door just waiting outside.  Once the mall opened its doors I was the first to the store (ended up walking in with the manager) and took a seat right outside to begin the 2 hour wait.  It wasn’t too bad as I brought my Vita with me and had my phone too.  By the time 9:30 came around I was too excited to play games any longer and stood and waited anxiously.  I was the first one there, but by the time the doors opened I was one of 50+ and the first inside.  The manager knew what record I was after and made sure to point it out to me before the doors even opened.  I snatched the first copy and then proceeded to mill around poking at the other exclusives.  A wave of people washed over me with hands darting and grabbing at each release.  It was frantic, but fairly orderly.  No one was pushy or rude at all and it seemed like the crowd was mostly record enthusiasts just hoping to score something from a favorite artist.

Side A of the Nightwish disc.

I ended up grabbing the Nightwish picture disc as well, along with a super cheap copy of Batman:  Sub-Zero since it was the only Batman film I didn’t own (other than the wretched Schumacher films I want no part of).  My purchases came with a tote bag and a ton of freebies I have yet to go thru.  They’re mostly CD samplers and some stickers and stuff.  I don’t know if there will be anything good on them, but it will be fun to find out.

Once I got home I was pretty eager to check out my new Misfits record to see what version I ended up with.  This release is designed to mimic the original first edition release right down to the insert it comes with.  It’s pretty cool, and I actually don’t have a first edition of Walk Among Us as I have so far stuck to the 7″ releases.  I didn’t really care what version I got, but certainly I was hoping for the more limited clear, especially since I don’t own any clear vinyl.  My elation was certainly audible when I did indeed pull a clear piece of vinyl from the packaging.  My day could not have gone any better!

And side B.

The Nightwish picture disc is also quite nice too.  Titled Trials of Imaginaerum, it’s a 10″ release and contains four demo tracks from their last album.  It also comes with a download code to get an .mp3 version of a fifth track.  Currently, the web address doesn’t appear to be up and running yet so I’ll have to try again later*.   The artwork is nice and this release is limited to 1500 copies.

*I tried the download address on Sunday with no success, but it worked tonight(Monday).  It took me to a page that asked for my email address, and then a download link was sent there.  The fifth track is titled “The Heart Asks Pleasure First” (previously released on the single “The Crow, The Owl, and The Dove”) and it’s a folky little number that’s quite pleasing.

All in all, a good day to hit the record store!  Record Store Day is fun, but the getting up early to wait in line for hours does sap a little fun out of it.  I don’t mind it when there’s something I really want, but I certainly wouldn’t do that for most releases.  Turns out I probably could have strolled in at 10 and have been fine, though I probably wouldn’t have ended up with the clear version of Walk Among Us.  I encourage everyone who’s into  vinyl to check out their local record store today.  You might stumble upon something truly special!

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Danzig, Music

February 25, 2012

Danzig: Thrall-Demonsweatlive +

By Joe

Danzig: Thrall-Demonsweatlive (1993)

Last weekend I posted my final review for the Danzig LP’s, but that doesn’t mean I’m done with Danzig!  Far from it, as there’s still a few more items that require attention.  If you’ve been keeping track, I’ve posted a review for all nine studio albums plus a summary of the soundtrack only songs that have seen release over the last 20+ years.  That still leaves the EP’s, The Lost Tracks compilation, and the Black Aria releases; all to be addressed in good time.  This post will take a look at live releases and the EP’s, specifically Thrall-Demonsweatlive.

It might surprise you to know that the two best selling Danzig releases (and the only two to reach gold status) are the 1988 self-titled album and the 1993 EP Thrall-Demonsweatlive.  This is, of course, due to the popularity of the “Mother” track which saw a re-release for radio and MTV when Thrall hit stores.  “Mother” was originally released as a single for the first album, but it struggled to find airplay on mainstream rock radio stations.  It had an even harder time finding an audience with MTV and the network determined the video was “too Satanic” and refused to play it without some editing done.  Danzig balked at censoring the video, so the label instead released a home video (simply titled “Danzig”) that contained all of the music videos shot for the first album as well as some behind the scenes interviews with the band.

Side B of the picture disc release.

In between Danzig III and Danzig IV, Glenn Danzig approached the label about doing an EP.  The label wasn’t too keen on the idea, but according to Glenn he was able to to get them to agree to put one out after pointing out how well Alice in Chains had done with the Jar of Flies EP.  Once the agreement was in place, the band hit the studio in between tours to record a couple of original tracks and one cover.  The two originals ended up being “It’s Coming Down” and “The Violet Fire.”  Joining them for the Thrall portion of the release was a cover of the Elvis tune “Trouble.”  The band had been working on this cover ever since the Samhain days but had never found an appropriate place to release it.  Those three tracks comprised what was called the “Thrall” portion of the release, and were paired up with four live tracks that made up the “Demonsweatlive” part of the album.  These four tracks were all taken from the band’s Halloween gig at Irvine Meadows in 1992, they are:  “Snakes of Christ”, “Am I Demon”, “Sistinas”, and “Mother.”  There’s also one hidden track on most releases, a slightly remixed version of “Mother” often referred to as “Mother ’93.”  To my ears, it doesn’t sound any different than the original version.  It was this version of the song that was made into a new music video featuring nothing but live shots which found an audience on MTV.

The studio tracks on this release are pretty solid, with “It’s Coming Down” becoming a staple of most live setlists ever since.  I personally prefer “The Violet Fire” for its more groove-oriented pacing.  The live tracks are all pretty ferocious and played faster than they were on the albums.  Glenn almost growls the lyrics for most of them, with the exception of “Sistinas” which features his signature croon.  I know a lot of people who prefer the live version of “Sistinas” to the album version, to me, both are excellent.  The live version of “Mother” is superior to the album version as it captures a different kind of energy that really lends itself well to the rebellious lyrics.

Danzig: Live on the Black Hand Side (2001)

The rest of the setlist from the Irvine Meadows show would pop up here and there one track at a time on various singles.  The majority of it would be released on 2001’s Live on the Black Hand Side.  Live on the Black Hand Side is Danzig’s only other live release and the band’s only full-length live album.  It’s a two disc set that captures the band’s peak in the mid 90’s as well as the Satan’s Child tour from 2000.  Disc 1 is split between the Irvine show and a Seattle show from the 4p tour.  The track-listing is like a greatest hits album, and the first disc is a nice piece to own.  Disc 2, on the other hand, is a disaster.  The audio quality, perhaps because the shows took place in smaller venues, is garbage.  The track-list is pretty solid, though there are a couple clunkers, but the quality ruins it.  Glenn’s vocals are often hard to make out and the band sounds thin.  Live on the Black Hand Side can be a tough album to track down these days, but is only worth doing so for the hardcore.

Danzig: Sacrifice (EP, 2000 E-Magine release)

The only other EP put out by Danzig is the Sacrifice EP.  It was originally released as a single that contained six tracks, all remixes of the of the song “Sacrifice.”  It was re-released in 2000 by E-Magine with additional tracks added; remixes of “Deep” and “Serpentia.”  The original version did have a limited vinyl pressing for you completists out there, while the re-release was CD only.  It’s a release for the hardcore only, as none of the remixes improve upon the original songs, and in the case of both “Deep” and “Serpentia,” the original song wasn’t that great to begin with.

Thrall-Demonsweatlive is a must own for Danzig fans.  The studio tracks are solid and the live ones entertaining.  It was released on CD and cassette initially, but also had a German picture disc release that can be hard to track down these days.  The front cover of all of the releases features artwork by Simon “Biz” Bisley who would go on to do a lot of illustrations for Danzig.  The reverse image of the picture disc features a bare-chested Glenn Danzig from Irvine Meadows, an image also included inside the CD booklet.  The booklet for Live on the Black Hand Side features dozens of live shots from throughout the band’s existence and is arguably the best thing about the release.  The front cover is atrocious though and very amateurish.  There’s not much noteworthy to say about the packaging for any of the Sacrifice releases, save for it does include that image of Glenn spreading his arms melded with the skull logo.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Danzig, Music

February 19, 2012

Danzig: Circle of Snakes

By Joe

Danzig: Circle of Snakes (2004)

2004 was a great year for me.  That year started off with a Superbowl victory by my New England Patriots and culminated in one of the happiest moments of my life; the Red Sox victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.  2004 was also the year I began my junior year of college which would be a fun and memorable one and not long after the year’s close the Patriots would capture their third (and despite the team’s best efforts, most recent) Superbowl win.

2004 also saw another release from Danzig; Circle of Snakes.  After releases in 1999 and 2002, Danzig appeared to be back on track in terms of an established release schedule.  There was also a live album during that timeframe and some other re-releases as well as plenty of touring.  And while 1999’s Satan’s Child wasn’t that great, the follow-up I Luciferi showed some promise.  Circle of Snakes was heralded as yet another return to form for Danzig, with pre-release hype claiming Glenn Danzig had gone back to his roots.  This sort of hype had become tired at this point, since both of the previous efforts were described in a similar fashion and yet both were quite different from older works.  I’m not even sure fans ever really wanted Danzig to sound like it did back in 1988, most just didn’t want the band to sound like a NIN knock-off.

Even so, Circle of Snakes was more of a return to form than either of the previous records.  The approach the band took to the record was simplified when compared with prior works.  Basically all of the extraneous effects have been removed from the production and replaced with a pervasive heavy-ness.  Like the prior two records, Circle of Snakes features down-tuned guitars that go lower than the popular drop D technique.  The mastering of the record was either bare-bones or not done at all giving everything a rough quality.  The guitars dominate this release and if their tuning wasn’t heavy enough, the tone used added even more thickness to the sound.

The end result is a sound that works in some parts, but not in others.  Unfortunately, the latter is more common.  The opening instrumental, “Wotan’s Procession,” features that distinct guitar tone right off the bat.  It’s rather ugly, though some would argue it works here and in the following song, “SkinCarver.”  “SkinCarver” is designed to be a destructive album (and show) opener.  It’s fairly straight-forward and one of Glenn’s heaviest compositions.  It’s not among the best openers on a Danzig album, but provides a good preview of what’s to come.  The title track contains a variation on that classic Danzig riff we’ve been hearing since ’88 which adds a groove to the track, in contrast with “SkinCarver.”  The tone of the guitars is more pervasive here though and quite jarring and once everything gets brought in on the chorus Glenn’s vocals get drowned out.  The song is mildly catchy though and not unbearable, if one overlooks the campy-ness of the lyrics.  “1000 Devils Reign” follows and represents the album’s strongest track.  A catchy little drum pattern kicks things off before giving way to a simple three-chord progression and some silky Glenn Danzig croons.  The chorus is classic Danzig, and the whole package comes together extremely well.  The heaviness of the guitars feels a little out-of-place on such a melodic track, but they’re not over-powering.

Unfortunately, the album kind of falls off a cliff shortly after.  “Skull Forest” is a decent semi-ballad with perhaps the best vocal performance on the album.  The end of the song almost drowns out and ruins the vocal performance but it does give the song a bigger sound.  The rest of the album bounces around from forgetful to annoying.  “Hellmask” and “My Darkness” represent some of the worst of the worst from Danzig; just obnoxious, direction-less tracks with no redeeming qualities.  “NetherBound” is starts to make up for things while “Black Angel, White Angel” is a pretty effective hard rock track, but by then it’s too little too late.

The musicianship from the Danzig lineup is pretty solid, if unspectacular.  The whole band was replaced following I Luciferi and the recording lineup this time included Bevan Davies on drums, Jerry Montano on bass, and ex-Prong main-man Tommy Victor on guitar.  Victor had played with the live band on several occasions before so this was a return engagement for him and one that has continued to this day.  The other two would eventually be replaced by Steve Zing and Johnny Kelly (who Danzig really wanted to use for this album but was unavailable).  The mix is where things fall apart for Circle of Snakes as Glenn wanted to achieve a heavy, analog sound.  The successor, Deth Red Sabaoth, would actually be recorded via tape to better achieve this sound, though mixing and mastering would still be an issue.

Circle of Snakes on blue vinyl.

Release wise, Circle of Snakes shines as one the more diverse albums in the Danzig catalog.  It received a standard CD release with a minimalist booklet complete with C-grade porn stars in place of lyrics for some songs.  Glenn Danzig is once again pictured with his black, latex, monster gloves though he decided to keep his shirt on this time.  Circle of Snakes received a true vinyl release, something that really hadn’t occurred since Danzig 4.  Satan’s Child did receive a very limited run as a picture disc, but Circle of Snakes received something close to a full-scale roll-out.  The album was available on blue vinyl and as a picture disc for the first pressing, and then on clear vinyl and another picture disc for the second pressing.  The first pressing totaled 1,400 and the second 880 with both editions evenly pressed.  I believe these were only available in Europe, but I’m not certain.  They’re fairly easy to come by on eBay and copies have worked their way into American second-hand shops.  Needless to say, there’s plenty for the completest collector to go after.

Circle of Snakes brought the band back to its more stripped-down roots, but introduces enough newness to make it stand out from the pack.  Unfortunately, it stands out for all the wrong reasons.  Where the heavy sound of the record works it creates a head-banging, hard rockin’ tune but for many of the songs it becomes oppressive.  Even without it, many of the songs just sound tired and uninspired.  There’s not a whole lot going on from a musical standpoint or a lyrical one.  Given that, it’s not surprising that the band would have a long hiatus between albums with six years lapsing before 2010’s Deth Red Sabaoth.  The break was apparently needed, as Deth Red Sabaoth is a heavy but far superior effort to this one.  Circle of Snakes does have a few good tracks which keeps it from being the band’s worst, but it’s probably the most forgettable.

Top Tracks:

  • 1000 Devils Reign
  • NetherBound
  • Black Angel, White Angel

1 Comment   |  tags: , | posted in Danzig, Music

January 15, 2012

Danzig 777: I Luciferi

By Joe

Danzig 777: I Luciferi (2002)

By the time June of 2002 rolled around the world was ready for some relevant Danzig once again.  Well, maybe most of the world didn’t much care, but I certainly was.  After two disappointing studio albums and a mostly bad live album, Danzig needed to make a statement.  For better or worse, that statement would come in the form of Danzig 777: I Luciferi.

I Luciferi was released on Glenn’s evilive label through Spitfire Records and would be the band’s only release with the Spitfire logo.  The band thought it had a new long-term relationship with label E-Magine Music but Danzig ended up being that label’s biggest acquisition, and as much as I love Danzig, it can’t carry a label.  By the time I Luciferi hit stores it had been just about 2 and a half years since Satan’s Child was released to mostly negative reviews.  The band had a decent showing on the road due in part to the inclusion of a Samhain set and fans had also been treated to several other releases including a Samhain Box Set and re-issues of Danzig 5 and Black Aria.  Danzig suddenly was a very busy band and even though it had been over 2 years since the last studio effort it sure didn’t feel that long.

The lineup for Danzig 7 was the same as the touring band for Danzig 6 and included guitarist Todd Youth, bassist Howie Pyro, and drummer Joey Castillo.  For all three this would be the last Danzig album they’d play on.  Pyro and Youth would go off to try to make a name for themselves elsewhere while Castillo was offered the drummer position with the much higher profile Queens of the Stone Age.  For the most part, all three go out on a relative high note and have nothing to be embarrassed by.  Like most of the modern Danzig releases, there aren’t a ton of guitar solos for Youth to show off on but what’s there is played capably.  Castillo continues to be the stand out for the group and Pyro’s bass actually has a presence here, which is not often the case with Danzig albums.

Stylistically, Danzig 7 could be called more of the same.  It’s a little louder and more varied than Danzig 6 but with less of an industrial presence.  Where Danzig 6 stuck mostly to power chords and low notes, Danzig 7 brings back the old pinch harmonics the band was known for and some more traditional Danzig-style guitar riffs.  Some of the songs are tried and true Danzig, such as the moody “Black Mass” and powerful outro “Without Light, I Am.”  There are also some new sounds though like the destructive “Coldest Sun” or Gary Glitter inspired “Kiss the Skull.”

That’s not to say it’s all good.  “Black Mass” is a fantastic opener (following the instrumental “Unendlich”) but “Wicked Pussycat” tries its best to derail any momentum gained.  Glenn’s vocals are clear and pristine on “Black Mass,” but “Pussycat” brings back that hoarse delivery fans seemed to dislike on Danzig 6.  That and the song’s subject matter is about as silly as the title suggests and Danzig’s “rapping” on the chorus caused many to double-take.  Talk to a Danzig die hard today and many will try to tell you he isn’t rapping, but consider me unconvinced.

“God of Light” follows and can best be described as nu-metal sludge.  It took a long time for me to come to grips with that, but it’s true.  The song is melodically offensive and one of the worst Danzig songs ever recorded.  “Liberskull” begins the album’s long, winding road to recovery.  The main riff is a bit too bouncy for my taste, but the chorus and build up to it is well executed and quite pleasing.

From there the album is a bit uneven.  Songs like “Dead Inside” and the title track show promise but ultimately fail to deliver on it.  It’s towards the back end of the album where things pick up.  “Angel Blake” represents perhaps Glenn’s first classic horror tale since his days with The Misfits and proves quite pleasant, if a bit simple.  “The Coldest Sun” combines a dreary and kind of odd verse with one of Glenn’s catchiest choruses of all time.  His vocals are quite strong here, as they are on the closer “Without Light, I AM,” which strikes me as a kind of darker version of 4p’s “Let it be Captured.”

The musicianship is adequate, and while this isn’t the best collection of songs Glenn Danzig has put together it’s certainly quite listenable.  What most fans were really concerned with heading into this album was Glenn’s voice.  I Luciferi eased a lot of concerns amongst the Danzig faithful.  While most seemed satisfied with the vocals during the Satan’s Child tour, the following live album Live on the Black Hand Side caused people to question if what they heard on the road really was any good.  Live on the Black Hand Side contained two discs, one from the band’s glory days from ’92-’94 and a second disc with material from the Satan’s Child tour.  Disc 2 is practically unlistenable.  Some of that is likely due to the band skimping on good tech for a quality recording, but Glenn’s vocals just aren’t very good.  From the opening line of “Black Mass” though people were breathing a sigh of relief.  Danzig’s classic croon was back, and even though virtually no other song on the album sounds like “Black Mass” there are plenty of other stand-out moments.

The production is a little bit of a mixed bag.  While it’s no where near as bad as some of the future releases would present, it’s not quite on par with Satan’s Child.  Love it or hate it, the whisper backing track is still used on some songs but for the most part there’s little or no vocal distortion this time around.  While some people still want to call Danzig 6 an industrial metal album, Danzig 7 is pretty much a straight-up metal album with a modern sound.  The guitars are still tuned low (C once again) but there’s actual attempts made at crafting lead riffs this time around.  The quality of Castillo’s drumming, as I mentioned earlier, is quite good but the production on them is spotty at best.  On some songs it sounds like he’s drumming in your living room, on others it sounds too hollow and distant.  There’s a nice drum solo at the end of “Naked Witch” that could have sounded much better if given a full sound.  Mostly the album is lacking in those warm, full tones which is either a production short-coming or a stylistic choice.

“I Luciferi” vinyl release contents.

As for some technical notes on the release, it was released in 2002 on CD only and came in a blood-red jewel case.  The booklet contains photos of the band posturing with porn star Devon and looking mostly ridiculous.  Danzig has these big rubber gloves that make me think of comic book villain/hero Venom and he would sport them on tour.  Not all of the lyrics are printed in the booklet, a trend started by this release that would annoy most fans.  A vinyl version of the album was released in 2010 in Italy on Night of the Vinyl Dead Records.  Not much is known on how this came to be, presumably the distributor approached Spitfire about wanting to do it and they came to an agreement because the release wasn’t approved by Glenn (or he at least claimed to not know anything about it).  While it’s not technically a bootleg, it wasn’t endorsed by Glenn though I hear he has no qualms about signing it should you own a copy and wish to have him put his signature on it.  Release wise, it’s solid.  The booklet is nice and large and the record has an attractive inner sleeve.  The outer sleeve is the same as the CD artwork (which, admittedly, is pretty shitty though I kind of like the waxy new cross logo) and there’s also a skull lithograph included.  I assume the image is the artist’s interpretation of the classic Danzig logo.  This edition is limited to 500 copies.

Ultimately, Danzig 777: I Luciferi is a bit of an uneven release and isn’t going to make anyone forget about the band’s peak in the 1990’s.  It was the best album from Danzig since 1994’s 4p, and while it wasn’t a return to the classic sound, it was a return to respectability.  For a long time after this one was released I listened to it daily.  It was the album of my summer that year and I was never shy to bust it out when someone would ask me if Danzig was still around.  Some of the songs are among my favorite, and for me this is probably a top 5 Danzig release and a job well done.

Top Tracks:

  • Black Mass
  • The Coldest Sun
  • Without Light, I Am

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Danzig, Music

December 11, 2011

Danzig 6:66 Satan’s Child

By Joe

Danzig 6:66 Satan’s Child (1999)

Following the critical and commercial failure of Danzig 5: Blackacidevil, Danzig was returned to the underground.  The 9 figure record deals were no longer out there, few promising bands were looking to open for the group, and the band members became as unstable as ever.  There was a tour for Blackacidevil that even included a spot on the main stage at Ozzfest but after that Glenn Danzig was seldom heard from.  He focused more time on his independent comic book company, Verotik, and found himself in court battling with the executives at American Recordings for the rights to the unreleased material from his days at that label.  Eventually, Glenn would set his sights on recording the next Danzig record, the one that would become Danzig 6:66 Satan’s Child and would be the first of many to be heralded as a “return to form” for the band.

When an album bombs as bad as Blackacidevil did, it makes sense for the artist to reexamine the approach taken on previous efforts compared with that one.  For Danzig, this was simple enough.  The early records were rooted in the blues and could best be described as hard rock or heavy metal.  Yes, there were things about each album that separated them from one another but the core was mostly the same.  For Danzig 5, that core was loosely interpreted.  And while it could be argued the foundation was mostly the same, the layers on top certainly were not which helps define Blackacidevil as an industrial record with some techno and metal elements thrown in.  A confident producer would explain that to Glenn and would push him away from that approach as it clearly just didn’t work.  It would be one thing if the album was conceptually brilliant, but commercially misunderstood, but that really wasn’t the case.  The problem is, Glenn was no longer working with a big producer, and is a very prideful man.  For awhile, he insisted that Blackacidevil was his favorite record and spent more time defending it than he has anything else he has done.  Regardless, even he had to admit the best way to promote a new record was as a back to basics kind of thing.  The problem was, that wouldn’t really describe Satan’s Child too well.

More than three years elapsed between Danzig 5 and Danzig 6, so when Satan’s Child arrived in the fall of 1999 the core fan base that had stuck with Danzig was eager to get a listen.  This was before mp3 had really exploded so most fans, myself included, were mostly left in the dark until the album was released.  Before release, Danzig’s new label E-Magine, a young label hoping to better utilize the internet as a legitimate means of distribution, released the album’s first single online, “Five Finger Crawl,” as well as a snippet of “Unspeakable.”  It’s actually a bit confusing which one truly was the first single.  “Five Finger Crawl” was made into a video and some metal-oriented radio stations were playing it while others received CD singles of “Unspeakable.”  Either way, “Five Finger Crawl” was my introduction to Danzig 6 and I mostly enjoyed it.  This was the era where nu-metal was dominating the heavy music scene.  Drop D tuning was in fashion to add a pervasive heavy-ness to most records.  Danzig opted to tune even lower, to C, for this record.  And while Danzig 6 is not an industrial record, it does contain more effects than the previous 4 albums.  There’s an eeriness to “Five Finger Crawl,” accentuated by Glenn’s whispering vocal delivery, particularly the line “You leave me cold.”

The limited edition picture disc release, featuring the internet only cover of the CD version by Martin Emond.

The mood of the track is still decidedly Danzig, in the end.  The thing that had fans talking though were the vocals.  Glenn whispers throughout much of “Five Finger Crawl” before hitting a shouting chorus.  On that chorus, his vocals sound deep and slightly hoarse.  This had fans worried about what kind of shape Glenn’s vocal chords were in.  The song alleviates some of those fears to a degree with the close, where an unfiltered Danzig wails the “You leave me cold,” line, but there’s still a hint of hoarseness on there as well.  We would find out during the press tour of the album, that Glenn opted to record his vocals digitally this time, and offered up the excuse that he augmented his vocals to sound the way he hears them when he sings to himself.  The result is a deeper Glenn on this record, but he also uses a whisper track on many songs which create a hoarse quality.  The whisper track is cool when used a bit conservatively, but it probably is overused on this record.  With most things Danzig though, the truth often lies somewhere in the middle.  He may have chosen to record his vocals in a certain way, but perhaps he also did that to help mask the fact that they just weren’t what they used to be.  The tour would confirm as much.  The good news is that later records would show improvement, but unfortunately Danzig 6 marks a low point for vocals on a Danzig record.

That is not to say the vocals do not have any shining moments here.  On the contrary, I already mentioned the close of “Five Finger Crawl” as being exceptional, but songs like “Lilin” and “Cold Eternal” showcase Glenn’s vocals just as well.  There are low moments though, such as the thunderous “Apokalips,” a decent enough song, but one where Glenn’s vocals border on annoying as he has a shrill quality to his shouts.  Overall, the vocals are not a make or break thing for the record, and perhaps actually end up being the album’s best feature, because unfortunately it ends up lacking in several others.

For one, the structure of the songs are perhaps too basic.  There are really no memorable guitar riffs and very few guitar solos to liven things up.  Josh Lazie’s bass is audible, but not spectacular.  Joey Castillo’s drumming is solid, if not a bit restrained.  He’s capable of so much more.  I assume Glenn thought little of session guitarist Jeff Chambers, which helps explain why the guitars come across as an afterthought at times.  Or perhaps creatively he was just in a funk.  The band recorded over 20 tracks for this album which tells me that Glenn was really indecisive with this one and was probably at some-what of a crossroads with his band.  I should take the time to point out that the slide guitar on “Cold Eternal” is a nice touch and does add some nice texture to that track.

If the approach musically was a bit boring, then it makes sense that the finished songs are as well.  There are some nice tracks here that I have already mentioned.  One I didn’t was the closer “Thirteen,” the song Glenn penned for Johnny Cash in the early 90’s and finally recorded himself.  It would later show up in the hit film “The Hangover.”  It’s a simple but cool little track and it’s lyrics suit the public persona of Glenn Danzig.  Sadly, the lyrics on that one represent the album’s peak in that department, for in some instances they’re just bad.  “Cult W/Out a Name” is a decent enough rocker, but the lyrics there are just embarrassing.  Some, such as “I am teeth of fire/taste a thousand shames” annoy because they don’t make sense, but others annoy me because they’re just stupid “I am street designed.”  “Belly of the Beast” is one where the ending of each line rhymes with the next, just for the sake of doing so.  Again, if the music accompanying these lyrics was more interesting they could be overlooked, but here they’re hard to ignore.

The back of the picture disc, also the back cover of the CD version. Apparently Glenn was really into black and pink around this time. They had to kick Jeff Chambers out of the band to include more devil chicks.

Thankfully, most of the tracks are absent the industrial fuzz that permeated Blackacidevil, but not all.  “East Indian Devil (Kali’s Song)” is a track that could have fit on Blackacidevil, which isn’t a good thing.  The vocals are heavily distorted, and there’s little melody to the song structure.  It’s one I am happy with skipping over.

In the end, was Danzig 6:66 Satan’s Child a return to form for the band?  Only in the sense that it left behind most of the industrial elements of Danzig 5.  This is still a rather weak output when compared with the rest of the Danzig catalogue.  It’s an okay listen, but there’s just few standout tracks.  It’s no surprise that this album is hardly ever featured in the live set these days, and future releases would improve upon it.

Top Tracks

  • Five Finger Crawl
  • Cold Eternal
  • Thirteen

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Danzig, Music

November 5, 2011

Danzig Legacy 10/29/2011 NYC

By Joe
danzig_october30

From The Village Voice.

You may be wondering how a self-professed giant fan of Glenn Danzig could sit on writing a review for perhaps the greatest show a Danzig fan could ever hope to attend for a week.  Well, thank mother nature for that one for knocking out my power for 5 days immediately following the show.  Do you think 5 days in the cold (and horrendous traffic on interstate 91) could dampen my thoughts on this show?  If you said “Hell no,” then you’d be right.

Last Saturday my best friend and I attended this monumental show.  From the moment the Danzig Legacy show for Chicago was announced I was torn.  This was a show I had to attend but could I really justify the cost in flying out to Chicago to catch it?  Compound that with the fact that likely no one I know would be willing to do the same made it a tough proposition.  Thankfully, shortly there-after two additional dates were added and one included New York City.  Now that I could handle easily as my best friend just so happens to live in the city so I’d have a place to crash and a bud for the show.  It’s what most people would refer to as a no-brainer.

I talked about the actual show in a previous post, so I’ll spare you the specifics here.  All you need to know is that this was designed to be a career spanning set list for Mr. Danzig.  The majority of it would focus on the current band, Danzig, but there was also a set for the goth-punk outfit Samhain and the legendary Misfits.  It would have been cool to see more emphasis on the reunion aspect.  The current Danzig line-up of Tommy Victor, Steve Zing, and Johnny Kelly was used for both the Danzig portion and the Misfits portion.  Kelly was switched out in favor of former Samhain drummer London May for that portion of the show.  For the Initium and Unholy Passion songs, bassist and original Samhain drummer Steve Zing would return to his position behind the kit with May handling bass duties.  When the set list got to the November-Coming-Fire portion, May would switch with Zing and handle the drumming for the tracks he originally sat-in on.  And for the Misfits set, former axe-man Doyle would join the Danzig band and pound his way through the classic tracks.  Musically, Doyle adds little to the songs but his commanding stage presence and over the top persona really add to the energy of the show.  It would have been awesome if more guys could have attended, but Glenn Danzig isn’t really known for keeping in touch with his old band mates.  Misfits bassist Jerry Only would have been out of the questions, and to be honest, it really wouldn’t have done anything for me to see him there.  I would have loved to see original Samhain and Danzig bassist Eerie Von though, and I consider it a real shame he and Glenn had a falling out after he left Danzig as they were friends for years.  If original Danzig guitarist John Christ had popped in for a track or two that would have been pretty awesome as well, but he and Glenn were never really the best of friends so it’s understandable.  Damien is someone I thought had a chance of picking up the old axe and stepping onto the stage with Samhain, but he was either busy, never asked to join, or just didn’t want to.

Regardless, seeing the guys who were there perform songs I never expected to ever see performed was something special.  The venue, the Hammerstein Ballroom, is a nice open area with tiered balconies that accommodated the largest crowd I’ve ever seen for a Danzig show.  I was seated in the first balcony section and had a great view of the floor and the stage.  The section was packed, and the people on the floor were jammed in tight.  I don’t know if the second balcony was completely full but there were quite a few people that I could see from my limited vantage point.  Security really wasn’t busting anyone’s balls for taking pictures, a rarity at a Danzig show, though stage hands were using laser pointers to point out people obviously boot-legging the show.  I took a couple shots with my iphone, but they didn’t come out great (iphone’s really suck when zoom is used) so I won’t bother to upload any for this post.  Some great videos did make it to youtube though, for those interested.

The set list was the same as the one from Chicago that I posted earlier.  It was great to hear “Overture of the Rebel Angels” back where it belongs, though I would have preferred something other than “Skin Carver” to kick off the show.  Even though I’m not particularly fond of the song, it did do the job and the crowd was really into it shouting the chorus back at Glenn.  Glenn looked to be in great shape for the event.  Noticeably slimmer than usual, he jumped around the stage like a man half his age.  His voice, while not quite the same as it was in the 90’s, was strong and the levels were great as I didn’t notice any one instrument over-powering the others.  Steve Zing was a great addition to the live band a couple years ago, and his bass-playing is more than capable.  He adds enthusiasm and isn’t afraid to get close with the crowd.  Johnny Kelly’s drumming is awesome, and I think that’s an opinion most people share.  Tommy Victor has been the most maligned member of the band, as his style is different from previous Danzig guitarists so his solos differ as well.  I never particularly care how a guitarist plays the solos live, as long as they’re still good.  To that end, I have no problem with Tommy.  Is he my favorite Danzig guitarist?  No, but he doesn’t harm the product.

Overall, the set list for the first Danzig section was pretty awesome.  After “Skin Carver” and a couple cuts from the new record, it switches back to “Twist of Cain” and moves in a chronological order for the remainder of the set.  The usual favorites are played, with the exception of “Devil’s Plaything,” my all-time favorite Danzig track which rarely gets played.  I personally had only seen the band do it once on the 20th anniversary tour in ’08, for this one they go right into the song following “Her Black Wings” omitting the intro.  I was some-what disappointed by this, but it was cool to hear the crowd kind of surprised when the riff kicked in and it still proved to be the highlight of the Danzig set for me.  After “It’s Coming Down,” the band disappeared to the back and the Danzig back-drop was lowered, replaced by a giant image of the November-Coming-Fire back-drop and soon “Initium” could be heard coming from the speakers.

After the intro finished, the band burst onto the stage to the familiar sounds of “Samhain” leading the way.  Glenn returned to stage sporting the dog mask he wore for the final Samhain performance back in 1987.  The band ripped through the song and others from their debut album and the crowd seemed into it, though perhaps not as into it as they were the Danzig stuff.  This wasn’t that big of a surprise to me as Samhain has always been the Glenn Danzig band to get the least amount of attention.  There was a point in my life where I didn’t even know a band had existed for Glenn in between The Misfits and Danzig.  The crowd certainly was into the Misfits cover, “Horror Biz,” but once things kind of slowed down with “Unholy Passion” the crowd energy kind of dyed down.  That’s too bad, as “Let the Day Begin” followed which has always been my favorite Samhain song, though I have to admit, it sounded a little off live.  I’m not really sure what it was, but it kind of lacked intensity.  “To Walk the Night” was awesome though, as was “Mother of Mercy” but by that point the crowd had almost completely checked out.  I tried not to let it bother me, but it did.  Ingrates!

This is the reason why many turned out for the show.

After the Samhain set, the band once again vanished to the back and a new Misfits backdrop replaced the Samhain one.  This made the crowd go crazy as an instrumental track took over featuring generic haunted house noises and a howling wolf.  It seemed like the wait was longer than the change-over to the Samhain stuff, but eventually some distorted guitar tones filled the air as Doyle marched onto the stage to a huge ovation.  The rest of the band soon followed and the air in the venue was charged!  Glenn provoked the audience with an “Are you ready?!” before the band blasted-off into “Death Comes Ripping.”

The floor was turned into a sea of bodies, feet, arms, and torsos flying every which way as the band bludgeoned our eardrums.  This is how I wished the crowd had been the whole night!  Every line of every song was being screamed back at Glenn as they tore through the old classics.  There would be a pause between most songs as Doyle would change guitars (presumably due to broken strings more than tuning issues) but the crowd seemed to enjoy the brief respite.  Every song seemed to get the same ovation, which is to say a huge one.  For me, the high-light was definitely “Last Caress” which closed out the set.  I have always wanted to hear that song live ever since I was a kid in middle school, and to finally hear it was practically overwhelming.

When the set ended, the band once again vanished backstage and the Danzig backdrop was raised once more.  When the band returned to the sound of machine gun fire it tore into “Bringer of Death.”  Even though that’s a song that would normally elicit a big response from the floor, the crowd seemed like it was tapped out.  Sure the pit got moving a bit when the situation arose, but it was nothing like it had been during the earlier stages of the show, and certainly not even close to what it was for the Misfits stuff.  Little changed for the next two tracks, as the band went back to the debut album for “Not of This World” and required closer “Mother.”  It was all too obvious why most people showed up, and that was to see Glenn and Doyle do the Misfits stuff.  Expected, but it still kind of bummed me out to not see people go nuts for the other classics.  In my section, hardly anyone even left their seat all night.  I have never been to a show where people actually remain seated.  It was bizarre.  My friend and I tried to stand during the first part of the show, but people behind us complained.  So long as the people in front of us remained seated (they had stood up for the first part of the show too, they’re true fans, but had sat down once the first set ended) we would do so as well so as not to incite the ire of those behind us, but damn if I didn’t feel like an old loser for sitting at a metal/punk show.

After the conclusion of “Mother,” the band did the usual pre-encore stuff and said its goodbyes.  The stage hands then set to work on getting the crowd to call the boys back on stage but the crowd was mostly quiet.  Talk about frustrating.  A chant would go up for “Danzig!” here and there but die quickly.  Maybe the crowd didn’t know what to chant for, since it obviously wanted some more Misfits tunes, but it was still kind of embarrassing.  Even though the response was lackluster at times, Glenn never let it bother him.  He was in a pretty good mood all night.  I guess he knew what the people wanted and was fine with it.  That was a change from when I saw Danzig and Doyle together in Boston in 2005, where the crowd was dead all night save for when Doyle was on stage.  This enraged Danzig to the point that he didn’t even do an encore.  That was also my buddy’s first Danzig show, and it always bothered me it ended that way.  He was concerned this time around when the crowd was so lackluster before the encore that it would happen again.  Thankfully, the band did re-emerge on stage with Doyle once more leading the way.  The band ripped into “Skulls” and the place once again went nuts.  When it was over though, it was over for good.  Glenn thanked us and gave his usual “Take care,” before vanishing into the snowy evening.

When it was over it was like my body crashed.  I had been waiting and looking forward to this show for so long and for it to be over was kind of a drag.  Still, I had the time of my life and even though the crowd let me down at times it was still the best Danzig show I’ve ever attended.  Just to see the band in top form hitting on the majority of my favorite songs spanning over 30 years of material was unreal.  I never, ever, expected to see Glenn Danzig do a show like this even in my wildest dreams.  He’s always been against this type of thing but I think his attitude over the years has mellowed quite a bit.  He had also frequently said the Samhain thing would never happen again after doing a semi-reunion in 1999, a tour that never came close to me, so I felt particularly lucky to catch it this time.  He seems to take delight in doing the old Misfits songs with Doyle, so much so that it’s surprising he doesn’t do it more.  The band as a whole really feeds off the crowd when it goes nuts for those old tunes and I imagine the view from the stage is something out of this world.

Glenn Danzig isn’t getting any younger so it’s tough to say how many shows are in the future.  Since he resides in the LA area, I suspect there will always be shows going on out there to some degree, particularly around Halloween.  For those of us in other parts of the country though, there’s the possibility that this could be it.  While I don’t feel that is the case, it was in the back of my mind last Saturday that this could be the last Danzig show I attend.  I’d like to think that when such a time comes he’ll let everyone know with a farewell tour, but it also wouldn’t shock me to see him just disappear quietly.  If this was the last Danzig show I’m able to attend, then that was one Hell of a way to go out.  Bravo, boys!

4 Comments | posted in Danzig, Music

October 28, 2011

Danzig III: How the Gods Kill

By Joe

Danzig III: How the Gods Kill (1992)

On the eve of the second of four shows in the Danzig “Legacy” tour, it seems like an appropriate time for the last review of the original four Danzig albums from the Def American days.

The third full length album for Danzig would mark a turning point.  The first two albums had been fairly rock-oriented but Danzig III would bring back some of that metallic edge found in Glenn Danzig’s previous band, Samhain.  Danzig III: How the Gods Kill arrived in 1992 to little fanfare, but the band was on the verge of breaking out.  Mostly ignored by MTV due to the band’s “satanic” imagery, Danzig would break thru the network’s censors with the first video from the album, “Dirty Black Summer.”  Soon the band found themselves as guests for shows like Headbanger’s Ball and things started to pick up commercially as well, culminating in a massive Halloween show at Irvine Meadows that same year.

The band would hit its commercial peak following the release of the follow-up EP, Thrall-Demonsweatlive, but Danzig III is the album that got everything rolling and has become a favorite for many fans of the band.  The album was also the first for the band to receive a special release.  The album was released as a box set with a VHS of the video for the title track.  The box itself contained the full cover image done by H.R. Giger, a modified version of his piece Master and Margarita.  Fans could also purchase their own Danzig dagger from the fan club via mail order which has since become an expensive collector’s item.

The cover of the “Dirty Black Summer” single with the Giger interpretation of the Danzig classic skull logo.

The third Danzig album is the first album with the label where Glenn and the boys had almost total control.  Glenn Danzig had received a producer credit for Danzig II along with Rick Rubin, and though Rubin would receive one for Danzig III as well, it has long been stated by Glenn that by this time Rubin had little involvement with the band.  That is evident in the sound of the album.  Rubin is famous for taking bands and stripping them down to a very basic sound which is what he did with the band’s debut album.  Danzig II added more blues elements and the band flexed its creative muscle a bit more with songs like “Blood & Tears” and “Pain in the World.”  Danzig III would keep some of that blues base but add a heavier production.

This is quite apparent in the album’s opener, “Godless,” a dark and foreboding track with an explosive center.  Danzig sings in a throatier voice this time around achieving a deeper sound.  The guitars have crunch, but the tone lightens when the time comes for guitarist John Christ to shred.  This more visceral style probably isn’t what suits a technical player like Christ best, but he pulls it off just fine.  Eerie’s bass is actually audible on most tracks this time around, as opposed to just a few like with the previous two albums, which helps contribute to the album’s forceful low-end.

The first single, the previously mentioned “Dirty Black Summer,” was a good choice as it’s probably the most accessible song.  It’s a blues-rock number where Glenn’s evil croons take center stage.  The vocal hiccup between lines in the chorus gives it a unique quality, though the silly subject matter makes it a bit tough to take serious at times.  The thunderous “Left Hand Black” may be the album’s heaviest moment and its rebellious chorus an easy crowd pleaser.

The standout tracks are the title track and the ballad, “Sistinas.”  The title track effectively uses the old trick of start quiet and build to an explosive chorus before slowing things down for the outro.  It begins with a nice piano melody and some soft singing by Glenn.  When the song gets bigger the guitars come in with pinch harmonics in excess.  Despite the simple approach, the song is quite effective and a great high point.  In contrast, “Sistinas” starts quiet and remains so.  Danzig croons away like a modern-day Elvis with some desperate, uncharacteristic lyrics.  It’s so good it’s the type of sappy ballad even a metal-head can get into.

That said, the album isn’t perfect.  “When the Dying Calls” is one of the band’s weaker closing numbers for an album and “Do You Wear The Mark?” is a shameless rip-off of Black Sabbath’s “Into the Void.”  Glenn really stretches his vocal chords for “Bodies,” and the result is something between okay and annoying and “Heart of the Devil” has some lyrics that are almost too campy to ignore.  Glenn Danzig has always walked the line between campy and cool and every now and then he strays a little too far to one side.

Danzig III – How the Gods Kill may have its flaws, but it’s an album that’s definitely worthy of one’s attention.  The good far outweighs the bad and while it’s not among my favorite Danzig releases, it’s in the next tier of very good along with the likes of the first record and the most recent, Deth Red Sabaoth.  Because this is the point in the band’s life where a lot of fans hopped on board, it holds a special place for many so I can see why it often is cited as the group’s best effort.  I have to respectfully disagree, but I have listened to this album a great many times, and plan to continue to do so.

Top Tracks

  • Godless
  • How the Gods Kill
  • Sistinas

1 Comment | posted in Danzig, Music

October 2, 2011

Danzig – “Legacy”

By Joe

I’ve  been waiting awhile to post on this subject, mostly to see how things get finalized, but as we’re now one week away from the inaugural show it seems I can’t wait any longer.  For those unaware, Danzig – “Legacy” refers to four shows to be played over the next month that will cover the entire Glenn Danzig catalogue, including his time with The Misfits and Samhain.

For someone who seems reluctant to discuss the past in interviews, Glenn Danzig has not been shy about including some fan service into his live shows.  For many years it was not uncommon to hear the occasional Misfits or Samhain song at a Danzig show, often an old track being used as a reward of sorts for good audiences.  Then in 1999 came the Samhain reunion tour which was a part of that year’s Satan’s Child tour.  For those shows, Glenn was joined on stage by former Samhain drummers Steve Zing and London May, with the two switching off between bass and drum duties.  Pete “Damien” Marshall was not available so then current Danzig guitarist Todd Youth subbed for him.  Then in 2005, Danzig was joined by former Misfits guitarist Doyle on stage for a set of old Misfits classics.  The mini set would take place in the middle of the Danzig set and then carry over into the encore.

I expect blood for the Samhain set.

Danzig – “Legacy” is shaping up to be a combination of the two.  I don’t know who’s idea it was to do this, but it was first announced as part of the RiotFest which will take place in Chicago on October 7th.  Not long after additional shows were announced for New York (29th), LA (31st), and Austin (November 4th).  The participants are expected to be the same as before, with Steve Zing (now the current Danzig bassist) and London May representing Samhain and Doyle from The Misfits.  Some of the flyers state three sets will be played, one for each band, but the format of the show is still up in the air.  Also up in the air is who will be playing guitar for Samhain, though Glenn recently stated it will probably be current Danzig guitarist Tommy Victor.  I suppose there’s still an outside chance that Damien could show up for a show or two, specifically the NY one as I think he still resides in the area, but former Samhain/Danzig bassist Eerie Von has ruled himself out.

It would have been nice to get a true reunion with some old Danzig and Samhain members joining the party (I won’t even allow myself to consider the possibility of a Misfits reunion with Jerry Only) but you’re not going to hear me complain.  I missed out on the Samhain reunion in ’99 so I’m beyond excited at the chance to catch it again.  This announcement really snuck up on people and the general consensus among the fans seems to be shock and delight.

There’s a lot of possibilities for set lists considering the music spans over 30 years but there are some songs I would love to hear.  I’m betting the sets won’t be far off from what’s been done in the past, but that won’t shut off my imagination.  If I had it my way, the show would go something like this:

  • Overture of the Rebel Angels (intro)
  • Hammer of the Gods (Danzig)
  • Snakes of Christ (Danzig)
  • Left Hand Black (Danzig)
  • How the Gods Kill (Danzig)
  • Death Comes Ripping (w/Doyle)
  • 20 Eyes (w/Doyle)
  • All Hell Breaks Lose (w/Doyle)
  • Astro Zombies (w/Doyle)
  • Last Caress (w/Doyle)
  • Skulls (w/Doyle)
  • Hybrid Moments (w/Doyle)
  • We Bite (w/Doyle)
  • She (w/Doyle)
  • Horror Business (w/Doyle)
  • Initium (following a short intermission)
  • Samhain (Samhain)
  • All Murder, All Guts, All Fun (Samhain)
  • Black Dream (Samhain)
  • The Howl (Samhain)
  • Archangel (Samhain)
  • Unholy Passion (Samhain)
  • In My Grip (Samhain)
  • To Walk The Night (Samhain)
  • Let the Day Begin (Samhain)
  • Descent (Samhain)
  • November’s Fire (Samhain)
  • Twist of Cain (Danzig)
  • Deth Red Moon (Danzig)
  • Mother (Danzig – because they pretty much have to play it)

Encore:

  • Devil’s Plaything (Danzig)
  • The Hungry End (Samhain)
  • Die Die My Darling (w/Doyle)
  • We Are 138 (w/ Everyone)

A man can dream.

 

 

UPDATE – 10/8/2011

The first show of this brief four show tour occurred last night in Chicago and the set list looks mighty fine.  I hope it doesn’t change at all when it comes time for the New York show.  The band lineup was as expected, with London May and Doyle being the only additions to the regular Danzig lineup of Tommy Victor, Johnny Kelly, and Steve Zing.

Overture of the Rebel Angels
SkinCarver
Hammer of the Gods
Rebel Spirits
Twist of Cain
Her Black Wings
Devil’s Plaything
How the Gods kill
Dirty BlackSummer
It’s Coming Down
—
Initium
Samhain
All Murder, All Guts, All Fun
Horror Biz
Unholy Passion
Let the Day Begin
To Walk the night
Mother of Mercy
—
Death Comes Ripping
Vampira
Bullet
Martian
Night of the Living Dead
Halloween
Astro Zombies
Last Caress
—
Bringer of Death
Not of This World
Mother
—
Skulls

1 Comment | posted in Danzig, Music

September 4, 2011

Danzig 5 – Blackacidevil

By Joe

Original cover artwork for “Blackacidevil” (1996) in long form. The bottom half is what appeared on the CD cover. If Danzig 5 had received a proper LP release, it can be assumed it would have been a gatefold. Danzig 5 is the only Danzig album to not have a vinyl release.

The fifth LP from Danzig was a unique one, and to this day a lot of the elements introduced on it have never been heard from again.  It also represented a lot of firsts for the band.  It was the first Danzig album to appear on a label other than Rick Rubin’s American Recordings.  It was also the first without the band members that had appeared on all four full-length albums previous; Eerie Von, John Christ, and Chuck Biscuits.  For Von, this was the first non Misfits album to feature a bassist other than he.  Outside of the soundtrack only “You and Me (Less Than Zero),” every Samhain and Danzig recording had featured Von on bass (years later, Glenn would state he or John Christ recorded a lot of bass tracks for prior albums).  And really, other than himself, Glenn had only worked with two bassists up to this point, the other being Misfits veteran Jerry Only.  John Christ was dismissed following the 4p tour, and Biscuits before that.  Replacement Joey Castillo would handle most of the drum duties for Danzig 5 (where an electronic beat wasn’t employed) and bassist Josh Lazie was brought on board.  The album did not feature a permanent guitar player, but Alice in Chains axe-man Jerry Cantrell was featured on a couple of tracks.

Blackacidevil (pronounced black acid devil) is the first and only full-length release for Danzig on Hollywood Records.   As I mentioned in my Danzig over view entry, Hollywood’s parent company, Disney, would object to featuring a band such as Danzig on their label and the agreement was terminated shortly after the release of Danzig 5.  This resulted in a low press run of the first edition of the album and the PR for it came to an abrupt halt.  Not that a longer one would have made much of a difference as Blackacidevil was not received well by music critics and fans alike.

Blackacidevil represents Glenn Danzig’s greatest risk and greatest failure.  Under the security of a brand new record agreement and without the influence of a big name producer, Glenn was free to approach his fifth studio album however he wanted.  Choosing to go industrial, he produced an uneven album with almost all of the elements of his previous albums absent.  The lyrics are almost hyper-sexualized, borrowing thematically from Glenn’s comic book line, “Verotik.”  Some of the songs, like the title track, feature heavy repetition creating a mad-man like state as if the song could have been constructed by a serial killer.  Songs like the opener “7th House,” are relentless in their melody-abandoned approach.  In that specific example, think 4p’s opener “Brand New God” but with an even simpler structure and heavy vocal distortion.

The song structures for the most part are very basic in their approach, harkening back to the debut album.  The coat of electronic production and vocal distortion disguise the simple song structures and give the album an easy scapegoat.  Even without the distortion, this album likely would have been poorly received.  Glenn has stated he viewed Danzig 5 as a continuation of Samhain, or where he thought Samhain was heading.  I found that to be a cop-out, or a piece of revisionist history.  I’ll concede that the first two Danzig records interrupted the natural Samhain progression, but How the Gods Kill and 4p were a logical continuation.  Danzig 5 just represents where Glenn’s head was at the time and the current climate of both popular music and the band’s state made the time right for experimentation.

I commend Glenn for being an artist who does what he wants, when he wants.  He doesn’t generally make music for a label (though Rubin and American Recordings obviously had some say) or for his fans, and he shouldn’t.  And while I generally am not a fan of Blackacidevil, it isn’t all bad.  For the most part, the vocal distortion just does not suit Glenn’s voice.  It gives him a higher tone that’s borderline screeching.  The electronic beats just don’t do it for me, and really, the industrial genre is not one I’m particularly fond of.  This album just wasn’t made for me.

Where the album does shine is with certain tracks.  The one most often cited as being the hidden gem is the bluesy “Come to Silver.”  Originally intended to be a Johnny Cash song, it’s a distorted, slow tempo track that features some excellent guitar work by Cantrell.  Here the vocal distortion adds a chilling touch to the song which suits its lyrics.  Years later an undistorted, acoustic version would be released that fails to match the original’s atmosphere.  The original album closer, “Ashes,” is another chilling track that paints a bleak and desperate picture.  The vocals are clean and feature a falsetto delivery at times by Glenn.  He once described it as similar to 4p’s closer “Let it be Captured,” but darker and a song that never truly climaxes.

“Sacrifice” was the album’s lead single.  It’s not a unique track, as its drum track is basically a sped-up version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer,” but it strikes a nice balance between metal and industrial.  “See All You Were” is a track I enjoy, but I wish I could hear a non-distorted vocal track.  I’m convinced there’s a great vocal performance buried under all the muck.

The Emond cover for the 2000 re-issue. The added tracks were “Deeper,” “Bleedangel,” and “Don’t Be Afraid.”

Other than those 4 tracks, the rest are throw-aways for me.  Some of them, such as “Serpentia,” are what I consider the worst tracks Glenn Danzig has ever recorded.  In 2000, Glenn’s then current label E-Magine would re-release Blackacidevil with new cover artwork by Martin Emond and three additional tracks.  The added tracks offered little, though the re-mix of “Deep” is okay and probably superior to the original.  For fans of industrial, I suspect this album leaves something to be desired and for fans of Danzig most will find little to enjoy.  This is the album that, for better or worse, changed everything for Danzig.  After this, the large venue shows all but dried up and Danzig was returned to the underground from whence it came.  There were no more 9 figure record deals or Top 100 singles and the albums that followed would best be classified as uneven.  I’m not sure what Glenn’s attitude towards this album is today.  For years, he insisted it was misunderstood and one of his favorite releases.  Following 2000 though, Danzig 5’s influence on future live set lists was all but erased.  When the band Danzig celebrated its 20th anniversary by playing a chronological set list, Danzig 5 was curiously skipped over.  That is likely the closest thing to an admission of failure we are likely to receive from Glenn Danzig.

Top Tracks

  • Sacrifice
  • Come to Silver
  • Ashes

2 Comments | posted in Danzig, Music

July 23, 2011

Danzig – Deth Red Sabaoth

By Joe

Danzig – “Deth Red Sabaoth” (2010)

It’s been just over a year since Danzig released its most recent (and perhaps final) album, Deth Red Sabaoth.  As the years have dragged on Danzig releases have become some-what few and far between.  Not including 2007’s The Lost Tracks of Danzig, there had not been a proper Danzig release since 2004’s Circle of Snakes.  It probably comes as no surprise that six years is the longest gap between Danzig releases.  Is it age, disinterest, the music industry, or something else that lead to such a long break period for the band?  As with most things, it’s probably a combination of those and more that made Danzig fans wait six years for a new album, but thankfully, the wait was worth it.

It’s a rather poorly kept secret that Danzig albums have not been as consistent since the band’s departure from American Recordings.  And for my money, one of the worst albums in that span was the previous album to DRS, Circle of Snakes.  The production was muddy, the melodies and lyrical subject matter uninspired.  Sure there was a track here and there that worked, but as a whole the album was a throw-away.

The special edition release, complete with a Danzig urn.

Deth Red Sabaoth returns Tommy Victor (Prong) on guitar and brings Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Seventh Void) in on drums.  Bass duties were filled by Glenn Danzig himself (with former Samhain drummer Steve Zing handling bass duties for the touring band) along with drums for the track “Black Candy.”  Danzig self-produced the album and went for a lo-fi sound with unmastered vocal tracks and an all analog approach (which, surprisingly, is making a bit of a comeback as the Foo Fighters recently did the same).  The end result is perhaps the heaviest album Danzig has ever done.  There’s really no “Sistinas” or “Blood and Tears” on this one as most of the tracks are thick and heavy.

The album’s opener, “Hammer of the Gods,” is a blistering track slightly reminiscient of “Am I Demon?” from the first album.  The guitars have chop with dashes of pinch harmonics thrown in.  The chorus has a nice melody, and a slow bridge in the middle helps to usher in a frenetic final act for the song.  A good crowd pleaser and natural opener.  The second track, “The Revengeful,” carries the momentum forward with an even more liberal use of pinch harmonics.  The track has a nice, bouncy, groove to it with some classic Danzig cheese lyrics.

In addition to the CD release, Deth Red Sabaoth was also released on vinyl in 3 versions; black, picture, and red.

The first single of the album, “On A Wicked Night,” is one of the rare soft moments from the album.  One of those throw-back start slow and pick up tracks, it’s pretty catchy though it is one place where the vocals could have used some re-mastering.  It’s also repetitive, but the run time is short enough to keep it from becoming too monotonous.   My personal favorite track on the album, “Deth Red Moon,” has more melody than most of the tracks and strikes a nice balance.  The addition of a shaker on the chorus adds nice texture and it would have been a natural choice for a single as well.

Other standouts include the bluesy “Ju Ju Bone” and the ultra-heavy “Black Candy,” which is sure to rattle your dash board.  The album’s closer, “Left Hand Rise Above,” is similar in structure to “Without Light, I Am” from Danzig 7, only without the extended outro.  A great song for Glenn Danzig to really bellow and a good note to go out on.

The album is not without some low points though.  The two-part “Pyre of Souls” drags on a bit as the same riff is used through-out the entire duration of the song.  Not a bad track, but one where I’m always ready for it to end.  “Night Star Hel” is heavy but without much melody, though the extended instrumental outro does redeem it some and would kill live.  The low-fi production is both a strength and a hindrance.  There are some tracks where I wish some touching up had been done.  The guitar riffs are mostly solid, but Victor’s solos can be a chore at times.  He opts for a frenetic style that can comes across as noodling.  This shred approach sounds great on some tracks, but on others it doesn’t work as well and it would have served better to use some restraint.  I consider this more a criticism of Glenn than Victor, since he makes the  calls for how he wants the solos to sound.

If there’s another weakness of the album it’s that there isn’t a true all-time classic found on here.  I really enjoy “Deth Red Moon” but it’s not a top 10 Danzig track, maybe not even a top 20.  It’s an album that borders on greatness but never quite achieves it.

That said, Deth Red Sabaoth is finally that return to form so many fans had been longing for since Danzig 4.  It’s a very enjoyable record and one no Danzig fan should miss.  I picked this album up the day before its official release and it hasn’t left my car CD player since.

Top Tracks

  • Hammer of the Gods
  • Deth Red Moon
  • Left Hand Rise Above

1 Comment | posted in Danzig, Music