Considering The Hangover Part II just opened this past weekend, which contained a new studio track from Danzig, it makes this post a bit more topical than most.  Glenn Danzig has had few brushes with motion picture soundtracks over the years.  Some, like the first of “The Hangover” films, contained a track already included on a Danzig release.  In that case the song “Thirteen” from Danzig 6.  Danzig has also seen the song “Mother” included on the Grand Theft Auto soundtrack and it has also shown up in other places, though I believe that particular one was the only released soundtrack to include it.  And then there are other films that included originals.  Again, these are few but in an effort to be all encompassing where Danzig is concerned I’ve decided to make a short entry on these rare gems.

Glenn Danzig and the Power and Fury Orchestra – “You and Me (Less Than Zero)” – 1987

The Less Than Zero soundtrack cover

This song was actually among the first Glenn Danzig wrote after joining the Def American label.  The label was handling the soundtrack for the film, Less Than Zero, and Rick Rubin asked Danzig to contribute.  Glenn wrote the song and modeled it after Lulu’s 1967 hit song “To Sir, With Love,” though it was not considered a cover.  The song was written by Glenn with the idea that someone else would record it.  Thus, it’s not a typical Glenn Danzig song by any stretch of the imagination.  The lyrics focus on a dying friendship, making it topical with the film, and features a small orchestra and choir.  Apparently, whoever was supposed to record the song was unable to do so or didn’t want to, so Rubin asked Danzig to step in.  Eerie Von either didn’t like the bass line or Rubin didn’t like how he played it, so studio musician George Drakoulias filled in, which is why the name of the band on the credits wasn’t Danzig (and also, since the song was not indicative of the Danzig sound one can see why the band was called something else).  Nonetheless, fans should be happy with how things worked out because this is a rare little gem of a track.  The borrowed melody is poppy and infectious and Glenn really cuts loose on vocals in a way he had never done before.  The southern choir adds a neat dimension to the song and is something that never appeared on a Glenn Danzig recording before or after this track was released.  Sadly, the song wasn’t used at any point in the film, though the other song Danzig contributed to the soundtrack was.  Performed by the legendary Roy Orbison, the Danzig-penned “Life Fades Away” dress-up the closing credits to the movie.  If you haven’t heard either and consider yourself a Danzig fan, you would do well to scour the nearest used record store for a copy of this soundtrack (and checkout the youtube link at the bottom to hear “You and Me (Less Than Zero)”)

Danzig – “Deep” – 1996

Songs in the Key of X

The title to this soundtrack is Songs in the Key of X:  Music From and Inspired by The X-Files.  It’s a soundtrack for the Fox television series the X-Files and it’s not.  It had nothing to do with the feature length film released a few years later and was intended as a complimentary piece for television fans.  Most of the songs were never featured in the show and actor David Duchovny was reportedly the one responsible for getting Danzig onto the soundtrack.  This was also during Danzig’s flirtation with industrial music, and the song he contributed was similar in sound to what he would put out on Danzig 5.  “Deep” starts off like a slow brooder that shares some lyrical similarities with the track “Sadistikal” off of Danzig 4.  It has an odd inorganic drum pattern under the verse and some industrial noise.  Danzig’s vocals are clean and the song breaks into a big chorus where the guitars come in.  A re-mix titled “Deeper” would later appear on the 2000 reissue of Danzig 5, and several more remixes would appear on the reissued Sacrifice EP.  Some fans seem to really dig this track and prefer it to most of the songs on Danzig 5, but I find it kind of drab.  The remix “Deeper” is a little better, but this song as it appears here is merely okay (though I do agree that it sounds better when compared with some of the stuff on Danzig 5).  For those looking to score a copy of this song on CD, good news, because you don’t have to purchase this soundtrack if you’re not interested in the other bands.  This track was also included on 2007’s The Lost Tracks of Danzig and if you’re a Danzig fan and you don’t have that already, what are you waiting for?!

Danzig – “Black Hell” – 2011

“Black Hell” would receive a video clip years later as part of The Legacy TV Taping.

From the soundtrack to The Hangover Part II, “Black Hell” could have the distinction of being the last properly released Danzig track.  It’s no secret that Glenn Danzig is getting older and has become disenchanted with the music business which allows for the possibility that 2010’s Deth Red Sabaoth is it for him.  There’s likely a covers record coming and at least one additional original Danzig song is known to have been recorded and left off the last album, titled “Long Dark Road.”  Either way, there’s not much left in the pipeline.  Things could change, since about 4 years ago Danzig said he was done touring and as we speak, the band is preparing to head for Europe, so if you wish to hold out hope go for it.  “Black Hell” is similar in style to “Thirteen,” which as I mentioned earlier, was included on the soundtrack and film The Hangover.  Apparently director Todd Phillips is a big Danzig fan, which is how this relationship was born.  “Black Hell” opens with a slow kick drum beat and a simple guitar strum and Danzig singing over it in a deep, ominous voice.  The lyrics are fairly standard for Danzig and after the first verse a haunting electric guitar riff comes in.  Eventually the song builds to a big chorus, and carries this sound through to its conclusion.  It’s a fairly simple track but effectively moody.  I especially like the use of the electric guitar which stays in the background (I should note, the strum riff is also played on an electric).  The vocals have a layered effect on the chorus with one really high one that adds to the song’s apocalyptic feel.  Unfortunately, the songs aren’t sold separately on digital music stores and if you want it you have to buy the whole soundtrack, which is mostly terrible.

That’s it though, just three original songs included on soundtracks.  I would say one is great, one is average, and one is kind of a throw-away.  It’s hard to say if Danzig will have any future contributions to soundtracks, though I’d consider it unlikely.  I did not mention the song “Underbelly of the Beast” from The Crow: Salvation soundtrack because it’s just a remix of “Belly of the Beast.”  It, like “Deep,” is also included on The Lost Tracks of Danzig.

If I’m going to make an entry for every Danzig release it makes sense to start with the debut self-titled album from 1988.  I’ve already written about the series of events that led to the formation of Danzig in the late 80’s and how the band ended up on the Def American label.   To re-hash quickly:  Rick Rubin wanted to sign metal bands, liked Samhain, gave Glenn Danzig a four album deal.  Simple enough.

The first record was recorded in 1987 and released in 1988.  The demon skull that had been the logo for Samhain was carried over as the logo for Danzig.  The cover of the record, and the approach, is simple and straight-forward; all black with the skull featured prominently across the front and back cover.

This is the album Rick Rubin allegedly had the most influence over.  This makes sense considering the band was a new property for the label and getting off to a good start would go a long way towards securing future success.  Rubin is famous for his stripped-down, no frills approach when taking on rock and metal acts.  He is reportedly a big fan of AC/DC and that was what he wanted to do with Danzig.  He wanted the guitars to be a feature point and the drums to contain minimal fills.  The vocals would be up front and feature little studio polish.  The bass was kind of left behind, either because Rubin didn’t feel it was essential or didn’t care for bassist Eerie Von’s playing.

John Christ was called upon a lot to set the stage for most of the tracks.  His guitar playing is at times stiff but the edge with which he plays compliments the tracks here.  His play is often aggressive and the solos are varied.  This is really his debut record as a guitar player and he makes a good impression.  Chuck Biscuits is kind of held back a little and would offer some stand-out performances on future releases, but what’s here is solid.  He does have a few standout moments, particularly on “Am I Demon,” and overall accomplishes what Rubin intended.  Danzig’s vocals are clear, though a bit under-stated for him.  He only has a few opportunities to really belt out a chorus and the vocals aren’t as high in the mix as one would expect given he is the focal point of the act.  Kind of like with Biscuits, Glenn would have better performances in the future but what is here is good, but not mind-blowing.

That good but not great line is an easy way to summarize the album as a whole.  The album includes some now classic tracks but there’s an air of restraint about the whole thing, which is odd considering how intense previous Glenn Danzig albums had been.  “Twist of Cain” is the opener, and is now a long-time crowd pleaser.  It’s a meandering hard rock number with a lot of metal cliches in the lyrics.  It’s mid-tempo, like most of the tracks on this album, and while I love the song I’ve always felt the drums lacked punch.  Particularly the opening.  The riff would become the standard Danzig riff.  Variations on it will appear all through-out future albums, but none ever top the original.  Songs like “Not of This World” and “Am I Demon” bring a little more speed to the table and when played live would often be sped-up even further.  Again, there’s an energy in these tracks but it feels like the band is holding back.

The Danzig logo was allegedly lifted from the cover of an obscure comic by Marvel called Crystar: Crystal Warrior, though Glenn insists to this day that he designed the logo. Here’s the cover, you decide.

The songs that were never intended to be fast numbers work the best under this approach.  “Soul on Fire” is probably the most complex song on the album, and quite possibly the best.  It settles into a nice groove and Glenn gets his croon going for the verse.  The chorus has a nice drum pattern, and if you listen closely you’ll notice a saxophone (or something sounding like a sax) buried under the mix which is pretty unique for a Danzig record.  The outro throws in some faster riffing and adds nice variety to the song.  “She Rides” is a slow brooder.  Really cheesy, but really effective.  I hear it used to be popular at strip clubs, which isn’t surprising.  The album’s closer “Evil Thing” is one of the few tracks that doesn’t feel like it’s being held back by anything.  Danzig’s wails sometime degenerate into snarls and the drums bring a great ferocity to the tempo.  It’s a track with more personality than most.  The future hit “Mother” also appears on this album, but one can see why it wasn’t a hit initially since it kind of just exists on this record as almost filler.  I should note for any Metallica fans out there, that James Hetfield has an uncredited role on back-up vocals on “Twist of Cain” and “Possession.”

The first Danzig album is a solid but under-stated debut for the new band.  So much so that one questions why producer Rick Rubin would opt for such an approach when something bolder might have worked better.  This album did come out during MTV’s highly influential peak and the band wasn’t able to produce a video that fit their criteria, which likely harmed sales.  Had the video for “Mother” been in-line with their standards perhaps it takes off in 1988 as opposed to 1993.  That’s not a criticism of the band though, as the band should conduct itself however it wishes and caving to corporate pressure isn’t very “metal.”  Missteps aside, this is a good album and an essential piece for any Danzig fan, there’s just better stuff ahead.

Top Tracks:

• Twist of Cain
• Soul on Fire
• Evil Thing

By now, it should be obvious that a post on this blog  titled “Danzig” is not going to be about the former port city in Poland.  Danzig is my favorite band and I make no attempt to hide that simple fact.  I could try to explain why I love Danzig so much but I’m sure I would find it difficult to adequately convey what it is I so admire about the man/band.  I’ll keep it simple and say I’m drawn to the rebellious nature of the music and Glenn Danzig’s infectious croons.  It doesn’t bother me that Danzig isn’t more beloved by music fans, though I steadfastly believe there’s a Danzig song out there for everyone.  I take pride in my extensive knowledge of all things Danzig so I thought it would be fitting to add to this blog a one-stop Danzig information center.  And by that I don’t mean stats on Glenn Danzig’s height or witty posts about piles of bricks in front of his house, I’m strictly talking about the music.  What are the albums worth checking out?  The best songs, lineups, and so forth?  Those are the questions I want to answer.

I will throw in some background information since this is the lead-in post.  Danzig is a band, but it’s Glenn Danzig’s band.  He writes all of the music and calls the shots.  Glenn grew up in Lodi, New Jersey and first began making a name for himself with the horror punk group The Misfits which got its start in the late 1970’s.  The Misfits were first conceived as a pretty straight-forward American punk band, but would later adopt the horror gimmick which gave the band a marketable identity.  The Misfits weren’t around for very long but made a lasting impression.  Unfortunately for those in the band, a lot of the success came well after the band’s demise in 1983 but the band’s influence can be felt all over the punk and metal genre.

Glenn’s next band was Samhain.  I already made an entry on Samhain so I won’t say too much about that band here.  Simply put, Samhain was a darker take on The Misfits with more influences from goth and metal.  Glenn wanted to do something a bit more serious while still keeping some of that horror camp The Misfits were known for.  Samhain was also short lived, for it was as Samhain that Glenn and the boys garnered the attention of record producer Rick Rubin who would sign the band in 1987 to his newly created Def American label.  It was at that time the band would be re-titled Danzig.

The man himself, circa 1992.

The Misfits and Samhain were both plagued by lineup changes throughout their existance.  Initially, Danzig was conceived as a super group with Glenn as the focal point.  The label would bring in difference musicians to play with Glenn to keep things fresh.  The initial lineup wasn’t full of names, but it had talent.  Eerie Von was the lone holdover from Samhain on bass, largely because he and Glenn were good friends.  Von wasn’t a gifted bass player, but bass was never a part of the production Rubin focused on so he put up little fight in letting Glenn retain Eerie.  Rubin brought in veteran drummer Chuck Biscuits to play on the first record.  Biscuits is a goofy guy with an even goofier name but one Hell of a drummer.  He was good enough that both Glenn and Rick saw no reason to make any changes for the following records, there was no point.  The ever persistent John Christ was hired to play guitar after auditioning numerous times to be in Samhain and Danzig.  I’m not sure what won him the job, perhaps it was a lack of options, but Christ’s style would fit the band’s early sound quite well.  What probably was supposed to be a one record deal ended up lasting for the duration of the band’s contract with American Recordings.

The first Danzig record was released in 1988.  Produced by Rubin, it featured a stripped-down sound with Rubin emphasizing on capturing the band’s live sound in studio.  He would force the band to get their parts recorded in one take and there was very little post-production and mastering.  The album was not a hit, and even though it would contain the track “Mother” the song wouldn’t garner much airplay initially.  Part of that was due to the Satanic imagery of the song’s video, making MTV wary of playing it without some censorship put in place.  It was this image that would also lead to the parent label, Geffen Records, from ever having it’s name or logo featured on a Danzig record despite being the distributor.  All of this mystique seemed to amuse Glenn and probably ended up helping create a dangerous image that attracted a younger audience.

Because the band was not an overnight success, Rubin would lose some interest and devote less time to producing the follow-up records.  The band’s second album, Lucifuge, would follow in 1990 and Danzig III: How the Gods Kill in ’92.  By now the band had gained a strong underground following, culminating in a sold-out Halloween show at Irvine Meadows during the How the Gods Kill tour.  Four tracks from that show, plus three new studio tracks including an Elvis cover, would comprise the 1993 Thrall: Demonsweatlive EP which was released alongside a slightly remixed version of “Mother” with a new video.  This video would receive airplay on MTV and it soon became a modest hit, propelling the band’s debut record and EP to gold status.

The band would follow-up the success of “Mother” with Danzig 4p in 1994.  4p would do well but not as well as the label was hoping for.  The single “Cantspeak” cracked the Top 100, making Danzig technically a 2-hit wonder, and the tour was fairly successful.  The band would also be asked to play on the main stage of the inaugural Ozzfest and did a support tour with Metallica as well, during which Glenn would join the guys on stage in some cities to do some classic Misfits tracks.

Danzig would prove disastrous for Disney’s image.

It was also around this time that the band began to fall apart.  Chuck Biscuits’ drug problems became too much to contend with and he would be replaced by new comer Joey Castillo for the 4p tour.  Glenn had long wanted to replace John Christ on guitar and by ’94 the feeling had become mutual and the two agreed to part ways following the tour.  It was at this time that Eerie Von also chose to leave, citing burn-out and being genuinely disappointed that the other guys were leaving.  The label, now known as American Recordings, was also showing little or no interest in re-upping on a new deal so Glenn shopped his talents around and was able to land a seven figure deal from start-up Hollywood Records.  This marriage would last only one album, the much maligned Blackacidevil, as the band’s parent company Disney wanted nothing to do with a band that was often associated with Satanism.  The deal would be terminated, and what would follow would be several years of legal battles between Glenn and Disney.

It wouldn’t be until 1999 when Danzig would resurface.  Now on Emagine Records, the band still consisted of Glenn and Joey Castillo on drums, but also had Josh Lazie on bass and Jeff Chambers on guitar.  This lineup would record Danzig 6:66 Satan’s Child, an album built up as a return to form for Danzig but ultimately would not meet those expectations.  Following the album’s completion, Chambers was replaced by Todd Youth (allegedly because he didn’t fit the band’s image) and Lazie would leave of his own accord and be replaced by Howie Pyro.  The first leg of the Satan’s Child tour featured a mini Samhain reunion and would prove to be the highlight of the tour.

With the collapse of the Emagine label, Danzig would self produce everything and seek out distribution deals.  He inked one such deal with Spitfire for the 2002 follow-up to Satan’s Child, Danzig 777 I Luciferi.  The same lineup as the previous tour recorded this one, but all would be replaced afterwards.  Circle of Snakes would follow in 2004, the tour for which featured a guest appearance by former Misfits guitarist Doyle.  Together he and the band would play a short set of Misfits songs during the Danzig set.

Now in his mid 50’s, Danzig proved with “Deth Red Sabaoth” that he’s not done yet.

Circle of Snakes would be the last album for Danzig for quite some time.  During his hiatus he would put out a classical album, Black Aria II, the follow-up to his original collection of classical music put out in 1992.  2007 saw the release of the long-awaited and much anticipated Lost Tracks of Danzig, a two-disc set spanning the band’s entire existence containing mostly unheard tracks.  It wasn’t until 2010 when a new Danzig record would be released, the well-received Deth Red Sabaoth, which may end up being the final proper Danzig album.  Only time will tell.  It so far has lead to a mini resurgence for the band.  Not only did it sell well, but Danzig even found himself on the soundtrack to the blockbuster hit The Hangover, introducing his song “Thirteen” to a whole new audience.  The band also has a new song featured on the sequel’s soundtrack set for release on May 24th, titled “Black Hell.”

It’s my intention to post a review for each Danzig record, the major releases and the smaller ones including both Black Aria records.  I’ve already posted reviews for Danzig II and Danzig 4, so check back for a review of the 1988 self-titled record in the near future.  I haven’t decided if I’ll just review them all chronologically or not, but eventually they’ll all be posted and hopefully readers find them both interesting and useful.

Listen to Danzig!