- - -
DANZIG :
DANZIG 6:66 SATAN'S CHILD
Well, after almost 3 years, Danzig is finally back with a new CD. He has a lot riding on this (his career) as the last CD, the NIN sounding, "BLACKACIDEVIL" was not welcomed with open arms by his fans. It looks like the former Misfits screamer has again found the right path. This CD is the most "Metal" sounding thing he has ever done, taking the sound of his early solo CDs, and mixing it up with modern metal influences to create a sometimes crushing, sometimes eerie platter of evil. This will put Danzig back on the map, those that ran from the last disc will find this more to their liking. The title track "Satan's Child" is an instant crowd pleasing sing a long. "Lilin" & "Cold Eternal are deliciously haunting, creepy and even sad. There is even a killer version of the song "13", which Danzig wrote for the original man in black, Johnny Cash. The only track that seems out of place is "East Indian Devil", which just seems to ramble on with no real direction. But that's only one dud out of 12. His new band (consisting of Todd Youth & Josh Lazie, who is now out of the band and replaced by Howie Pyro) is great, and the absence of originals John Christ and Eerie Von are hardly noticed. So, if you were an old Danzig fan, and his last one made your stomach turn, come on back... its much better now. If "BLACKACIDEVIL" was the only Danzig stuff you ever liked, then this will probably not turn your crank... go check out the new Malhavoc CD. For the rest of us... Let The Day Begin!
RATING = 8.5 Metal (Released 1999)
- - -
DANZIG :
LIVE ON THE BLACK HAND SIDE
This is a 2 CD live package, the first CD features 2 gigs with his old line up (Chuck Biscuits, Eerie Von, John Christ), and the second CD features the current incarnation of his band (Joey Castillo - drums, Todd Youth - guitar, Howie Pyro - bass). I am a bit disappointed in this latest offering from the man in black. It suffers from two big problems. The first is Danzig's annoying habit, when he plays live, of pulling the microphone away from himself before he finishes each line, so every last word trails off... drives me nuts! But that's Danzig... what are you gonna do? The second, and biggest problem here is the production, the instruments sound very flat, and at times there is way too much audience noise. I don't want to hear some jerk-off babbling to his buddy while Danzig is crooning out a mellow verse. The first few songs on disc 2 sound like they were recorded on some kids' tape recorder that he had hidden in his ass. Now, I know we all say we hate overdubs and studio tweaking on live CDs. We all want to "hear it how it was played", but come on, I have Danzig bootlegs that sound better than this. Let's compare this to the recent double live CD from Halford (Live Insurrection), yes it's different musical styles, but this is to make a point. The Halford CD has studio fixes, they tell you in the liner notes exactly what they did, so they are not trying to "put one over" on us. Now the Halford CD sounds amazing, it will be played over and over for years to come. On the other hand, with the Danzig CD's lack luster sound, I fear that after a few plays, this disc will spend years to come collecting dust, and taking up space on my CD shelf between Danzig 6:66 and Danzig 7. I'm still glad I have it... but it's for die-hard fans only.
RATING = 5.5 Metal (Released 2001)
- - -
DANZIG :
DANZIG 777: I LUCIFERI
OK Danzig fans, after the disappointing live piece of crap from last year, your dark master is back on the right path. This latest platter of evil sounds remarkably like the classic 4P album, and that can only be a good thing. Almost all traces of the Industrial Danzig from Blackacidevil are gone (except for "Kiss The Skull" which has a repeating guitar riff pulled straight off Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People"). The Metal Danzig from Satan's Child is still there, but it's mixed with the unique sound Danzig found on 4P, as well as his earlier, blues-influenced stuff. There are plenty of old fashion sing a long choruses, with the man in black delivering his trade mark haunting vocals, which make some love him, and others cringe. The production is nice and round, with the drums sounding super powerful, yet sharp enough to let the guitar pierce your willing ears with swift precision cuts. The first single, "Wicked Pussycat" is nowhere near the strongest cut on the album, why it was chosen is beyond me, but if that tune doesn't turn you on, don't let it spoil the rest of the disc for you. The tunes you need to hear are "Liberskull", "Naked Witch", "The Coldest Sun", "Angel Blake", and "Halo Goddess Bone". Those are the tracks that will warn the cockles of older fans. I doubt we'll ever see a Danzig 1 or 2 again, so grab this, as it's the closest we'll get to the "classic" Danzig sound. Better than Satan's Child, lots of dark, deep passages, you need this.
RATING = 9 Metal (Released 2002)
- - -
DANZIG :
CIRCLE OF SNAKES
Well, our dark lord is back again with another platter of evil, and I have to say, my overall feelings are that of indifference and disappointment. Let me preface this by stating that I love Danzig, always have, always will. In my books the earlier albums (not to mention all the Misfits and Samhain material) are unparalleled masterpieces. Danzig 1 & 2 would easily get a score of "10" from me, while 3 & 4 would both clock in around "9". Then, as we all know things came to a crashing halt with the almost career ending, Industrial nightmare that was Danzig 5. I would probably give that stinker an official rating of "2" or "3", as there were one or two songs I dug, but it is by far the most disappointing thing the man has ever released. Since then, "Evil Elvis" has managed to pick himself up. His sound has never really returned to the evil bluesy Metal of the first two records, opting to follow a more Metal (and some would say Nu-Metal) path. However, Danzig 6:66 and 777 were both still great platters full of the man's trademark vocals, and some very memorable songs. As the ever-present hype machine started up for "Circle Of Snakes", we heard what we're now going to hear every time Danzig releases a new disc, "it harkens back to the first two albums", "this is the Danzig of old", etc. Well, I'll tell you, this is a bold-faced lie, and if you read this line of bull-shite coming from a reviewer, either he has never heard those first two CDs, or he was bought off. In fact, I would say that this is the farthest the dark one has been from that early-era sound, and that this is the most Nu-Metal influenced platter since Blackacidcrapfest.
Now, after saying that, there are some good things here, but there is also a lot of recycled ideas, and just plain meritocracy. First, there are two general problems. The first revolves around Danzig's trademark vocals, the main thing that many of us love about the man's music. They are present on COS, but for some reason seem buried in the mix to the point where you can barely hear them. Some say this is because Danzig can't cut it anymore. However, this argument really doesn't hold any water. If you wanted to discuss his vox capabilities in the live setting, sure we could have a debate, but in the studio, it should not be a problem. You can still hear some cool vocals on this disc, they're there, they just need the freakin' levels corrected. The second general issue is that of the continuing, never changing guitar tone that can be found on pretty much every song, making one blend into the other. This can start to get annoying by the time the last couple tracks make their way to your ears. So, what about the actual songs you ask? Well, we start with an intro that is neither good nor bad, just kind of... there. Then we have the uninspired "Skincarver" followed by the title track. Now here is where I think people are getting sucked into this "it sounds like old Danzig" conspiracy, because "Circle Of Snakes" almost perfectly duplicates the sing-a-long chorus from the classic "Twist Of Cain". Finally as we get to track four, "1000 Devils Reign", we start to get some kick-ass stuff. However, the next stop is the lackluster "Skull Forest", which we must wade through to get to some more solid offerings like "When We Were Dead", "Night, BeSodom", and "Nether Bound". So, here's the final round up, no it does not sound like "Mother" era Danzig. Yes, it is very Metal, with lots of well-worn, Nu-ish riffs. About two thirds of the disc sounds like nothing more than B-side throw away tunes, while the other third manages to kicks some ass. It all evens out to a very average disc. And remember, this is coming from a reviewer and fan that gave 777 a rating of "9".
RATING = 6 Metal (Released 2004)
- - -
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U/V
W-Z
SOUNDTRACKS
TRIBUTES
COMPILATIONS
GOT A PROBLEM WITH ONE OF MY CD REVIEWS?
DO YOU AGREE WITH ME?
THEN GO TO THE
- - -
"Greatest hits albums are for housewives and little girls."
-Bruce McCulloch K.I.T.H. '91
HOME
IF YOU THINK MY CD REVIEWS SUCK, CLICK HERE!
urotsukidoji_1@yahoo.com
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page