In 1988 Glenn Danzig had been through two bands: The Misfits and Samhain but did not have much of the commercial success he had hoped for. While both bands had had a great deal of artistic integrity things just weren't going the way Danzig would have wanted - that is until he decided to chuck it in the f*** it bucket and go the solo route. Bringing in John Christ on guitar, Eerie Von on bass, and Chuck Biscuit on drums the result was Danzig - his best selling album to date.
Danzig is much more of a heavy metal album than the horror punk type of stuff that most of Danzig's fan base had heard from him by that point. What is rather great about it is when it came out in '88 it was a great contrast to the kind of glam metal that was getting huge airplay on the radio. This stuff was dark, rumbling, and raw. A lot of it even had the kinds of bluesy overtones to it that a lot of heavy metal had to it back in its genesis in the late 60's/early 70's with bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, etc. The lyrical imagery is also rather dark to fit the music, but there are those old school Danzig vocal hooks that are so catchy and make the songs that much more memorable.
Twist of Cain was unsurprisingly inspired by the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Supposedly this song was originally written for Samhain but that never panned out. However, it was well worth the wait because this band blows this opening track out of the water. That opening riff and that pounding rhythm from the bass and drums let you know exactly what this band is about. When Glenn starts howling his hooks and lyrics it's hard not to feel like you've just put on one of the best heavy metal albums ever recorded. It's bluesy, yet heavy. It's catchy, yet dark. This is something you could put on and feel like a real tough guy while listening to.
Mother is without a doubt Danzig's most famous song of all time aside from anything he did in The Misfits. It almost feels like a bit of a ballad in some areas, but when the full band comes hammering in it's a definite headbanger of a tune. It almost feels like what The Doors would have sounded like if they were metal and went lyrically darker. You really feel like in this song that Danzig is a dark being warning mothers to keep their children away from him, lest he corrupt them and turn them into evildoers. Christ's guitar solo is also rather wicked. It's lightning quick and full of flash, yet at the same time full of raw passion.
Danzig is an odd record in that it's rather traditionally dark like a lot of heavy metal is, but at the same time you can hear all those old bluesy nuances and hear some 50's/60's croon style vocals that get howled through in a more aggressive manner than they might have normally been. That said, the album is more than the sum of its parts. Everything comes together so much better than you might have guessed going in with the info I just listed. It's a unique experience and it's a good record for fans of Glenn Danzig or heavy metal in general.
Danzig, by Danzig receives 3.7 out of 5 stars.
Tracks:
1. Twist of Cain
2. Not of This World
3. She Rides
4. Soul on Fire
5. Am I Demon
6. Mother
7. Possession
8. End of Time
9. The Hunter
10. Evil Thing
Buy the album on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Danzig/dp/B0092MJ6B6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474011425&sr=8-1&keywords=Danzig
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