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Danzig - Deth Red Sabaoth

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 June 29 2010 at 10:57:09 AM



Ram Jam! Ram Jam! Ram Jam!

Ending his fans six-years of anticipation, Glenn Danzig resumes his journey on the long dark road. His ninth studio record, Deth Red Sabaoth marks not a return to form, which may never come, but the first consistently rewarding release under Danzig’s name and brand since 1994’s 4p.

The decade that followed was never fun to watch. Following the departure of original band members John Christ, Eerie Von, and Chuck Biscuits, the band’s sound changed radically throughout the Nineties, from the failed and tame electronic dance rhythms of Blackacidevil back to the bloated, tired lines of I Luciferi; always a shell of recognition in the near-unmistakable style of songwriting, with poor arrangements and execution of the whole. Then there was always the attitude to deal with. By the time handheld video of an aging, widening Danzig getting his clock cleaned was posted on the internet, most people thought he deserved it. A knockdown which marked his final public defeat.

Today, Danzig emerges once again as an underdog. Heavy Metal’s own Randy “The Ram,” an aged, and to many an irrelevant star, whose best years are long behind him.

While there’s nothing in either the music or lyrics of Deth Red Sabaoth which depart from long familiar ground, the songs and their delivery evince pathos, whether tied to nostalgia or hopes, hard not to succumb to. Credit part of the feeling surrounding the album with seeing Danzig, not as still advertised in many newspaper columns in peak physical condition, but well past his prime and grasping for control.

His recent appearances in print have been used expertly in order to reframe public opinion of himself as a songwriter and musician (See numerous interviews where the planted talking point regarding Glenn playing drums and bass - in addition to guitar and keyboard - for this new recording, is matter-of-factly addressed as being “nothing new,” misleadingly reaching back to his years in Samhain) while at the same time sending out moody signals (more like “feelers”) for the future of his recording career.

But where does he stand right now? As a producer, he should not brag. The Danzig of Deth Red Sabaoth may sound more like a band than they have in years recording together but the differences compared to recordings done with other similar self-produced methods (and without all the fancy 70’s equipment) are negligible. The bass is mostly absent, guitar tone is saturated.

This Danzig could also rightly be called the “heaviest” incarnation of the band yet, but that should also be seen as an expected progression to anyone who heard and was even mild satisfied by the Circle of Snakes album (especially by way of “Netherbound,” or “Night, Besodom” ). What Glenn Danzig has finally done differently is manage, with dumb simplicity and for nearly an hour, to serve up memorable song after song, and for the most part convincingly, with violence and passion befitting his reputation.

Danzig, whose voice sounds once more sensual and clear, has done much to make up for the stain of his past endeavors, paying tribute to his earliest sources of inspiration in Black Sabbath (“Night Star Hell”) and Delta Blues (“Ju Ju Bone”), but falls far short of a masterpiece “comeback.”

Several songs, including both the “Pyre of Souls” tracks could be condensed into one stronger introduction/composition rather than over 10 minutes of the same two riffs repeating (with a bonus of obviating any need for Tommy Victor as a lead guitarist) and while its fine to muse on “Black Candy” possibly earning the man another soundtrack credit, more truthful to say that some shit you’re just too old to keep me wanting to hear you sing about it.

However, find in these imperfections a resolve worth noticing, even admiring. The final six clicks on the drum sticks leading unceremonious to the album’s final track, "Left Hand Rise Above," with swelling chorus line and verses charged with Crowleyian symbolism. The closest thing to what you might otherwise foolishly call Danzig bearing his "soul," soaring high before a fade to black.

silver flame
at my beckon call
light the night
of this phantom world
secret things
that I come upon
and the veil
is gone
the brightest star
you see
must always
be thee
the greatest thing
to be
is
to be strong
and free

[Todd DePalma]

Danzig
Deth Red Sabaoth
2010
AFM Records
Danzig-Verotik

Related

- Samhain
- Misery Obscura: The Photography of Eerie Von (1981-2009)
- Halloween

Comments (2)

  • 19 comments
    Joe
    5:49 PM on Jun 30, 2010 // reply »
    I don't mind listening to old guys sing about tail. John Lee Hooker don't sound funny talkin about that Boom Boom. Good songs on this album. Not even close to the excellence of 1 and 2, or 3. But I like it as much as 4, and its just as hit or miss for me as that album is. When its good, its damn good.
  • 30 comments
    David
    3:47 PM on Jul 01, 2010 // reply »
    So Danzig finally got his beatdown, eh? I guess I can stop ranting now about want an ass he is every time his name gets mentioned. Like his music, would never pay another $1 to support him.

    No if only that prick Doyle would get his due....
 

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