Danzig - "Deth Red Sabaoth" CD Review ~ BrooklynRocks: NYC Music Blog

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Danzig - "Deth Red Sabaoth" CD Review

Danzig - "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