Danzig - "Deth Red Sabaoth" CD Review

"The 11-track collection, penned by Danzig, is laced with Glenn's lycanthropic growls and blues-infected wailing. Tracks including "Black Candy," "The Revengeful," and the first single, "On A Wicked Night," emit a spectral glow to rival the highest points in Danzig's colossal discography. Part 1 of the exquisite two-part "Pyre of Souls" opens with acoustic guitar, haunting piano, Glenn's plainsong vocal, and an almost dirge-like feel; Part II explodes with electric guitars and a driving, mesmerizing cadence."

This new disc is being called Danzig's return to classic form and, while I have some reservations with this claim, Deth Red Sabaoth is the closest he has come in years to (re)capturing the sound of his first four discs.

Deth Red Sabaoth is what you would expect from a Danzig album – a dark and brooding disc with a mix of anthems with hooky choruses and world-weary blues songs. Danzig’s vocals are clear, strong and, aside for the occasional guitar squall, Tommy Victor’s guitar sounds remarkable like that of John Christ. The overall disc doesn’t quite have the hooks of Danzig’s early work but it is mature release that shows Danizg moving in a Jim Morrison/Johnny Cash direction.

"I think that fans will really dig this new album," said Glenn. "I've been told several times that the album has a cool vitality to it, it sounds energized, and I got that feeling when I was recording it. I wanted it to have an organic sound, bigger and thicker, so I went out and bought some 1970's Kustom tuck 'n roll bass amps to play some of the guitar parts through. You'll hear real reverb, real tremolo on this album, which sounds completely different than the stuff that's done with computer chips."

The instrumental interlude of “Incanticle” (which sounds like a return to Black Aria) which leads into the grinding “Seasons of Pain”, the pounding drums of “Black Candy” (I’m intentionally ignoring the silly lyrics), “Death Red Moon” and southern gothic rock vibe of “Ju Ju Bone” are some of the standout tracks. The stylistical jumps may be somewhat disconcerting to the listener but this is still a solid body of work.

Here is a live video for “On a Wicked Night”, which is the album’s first single:



It is great to see Danzig moving into the new decade with such a solid album. Danzig just finished a limited run of tour dates and will be back on the road this Fall for the 2010 edition of the Blackest of the Black tour.

Links:
Danzig
The End Records

Danzig to Release "Deth Red Sabaoth" in June - First New Studio Disc in Six Years

It should be interesting to hear what Danzig is up to these days. The last two Danzig releases seemed to be a return to form but it has been six years since the last studio disc so a lot could have changed. Danzig has a new lineup [Steve Zing (Samhain), Tommy Victor (Prong) and Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative) ] this time around so I'm looking forward to hearing what the new band sounds like.
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The charismatic and complex singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig is set to unleash his first new Danzig studio album in six years. Deth Red Sabaoth, produced by Glenn and recorded in Los Angeles over the course of 2009, will be released on June 22, 2010 (Evilive/The End Records).

The 11-track collection, penned by Danzig, is laced with Glenn's lycanthropic growls and blues-infected wailing. Tracks including "Black Candy," "The Revengeful," and the first single, "On A Wicked Night," emit a spectral glow to rival the highest points in Danzig's colossal discography. Part 1 of the exquisite two-part "Pyre of Souls" opens with acoustic guitar, haunting piano, Glenn's plainsong vocal, and an almost dirge-like feel; Part II explodes with electric guitars and a driving, mesmerizing cadence.

"I think that fans will really dig this new album," said Glenn. "I've been told several times that the album has a cool vitality to it, it sounds energized, and I got that feeling when I was recording it. I wanted it to have an organic sound, bigger and thicker, so I went out and bought some 1970's Kustom tuck 'n roll bass amps to play some of the guitar parts through. You'll hear real reverb, real tremolo on this album, which sounds completely different than the stuff that's done with computer chips."

Joining Glenn in the studio for the recording of Deth Red Sabaoth were guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry), a Danzig cohort on and off since 1997, and drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Seventh Void). While Kelly has toured with Glenn intermittently since 2002, this is the first time he has recorded with the band. Glenn handled the bass chores for most of the album, and played drums on "Black Candy."

As is with all of Danzig's releases, the CD cover artwork for Deth Red Sabaoth is provocative and ominous. The cover is an original piece created specifically for the CD by the award-winning artist Joe Chiodo whose work has graced not only Danzig's Verotik publishing line, but the covers of numerous graphic novels and comic books, including "X-Men Unlimited." Deth Red Sabaoth isn't the first time one of Chiodo's paintings has been part of a Danzig package - one of his erotic "good girl" pinups was part of 2007's The Lost Tracks of Danzig.

Deth Red Sabaoth marks Danzig's ninth studio venture that began back in 1988 with the Rick Rubin-produced, Platinum-certified, Danzig. A live version of his oedipal projectile "Mother," was a major hit, and added to his iconic status that began a decade earlier when he founded the near-mythic punk band Misfits and then Samhain. Sales of ten-million albums later and having been dubbed "goth-punk's godfather" by SPIN, Glenn Danzig is arguably the most versatile talent to emerge from hardcore's first wave, and truly is a renaissance man - a graphic designer, photographer, comic book publisher and composer. His venture into composing and recording classical music yielded Black Aria, that debuted at #1 on Billboard's Classical charts, and Black Aria II, that had Glenn sharing the Billboard/Classical's Top Ten with Itzhak Perlman and Andrea Bocelli. His indelible stamp is on artists like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails, and he has written songs that have been sung by a diverse array of artists, from Metallica to Johnny Cash.

Over his decades-long career, Glenn Danzig's intense musical and lyrical statements have left a permanent mark on rock music, and continue to do so going into the 21st century. Glenn's song "13," originally written for Johnny Cash and then recorded for Glenn's own Satan's Child album, was the opening song in last year's box office smash and Golden Globe winner, "The Hangover."

Danzig - Glenn, guitarist Tommy Victor, drummer Johnny Kelly and bassist Steve Zing - also a founding member of Samhain with Glenn - plan to tour extensively to support Deth Red Sabaoth; dates will be announced shortly.

Links:
Danzig
The End Records