The Best Album You Haven't Heard - Misfit's Blog

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The Best Album You Haven't Heard

Posted on January 27, 2010 at 12:33 AM.

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I must confess, there's few blog posts more pretentious than the one's about music. When one rips down a popular artist they come across as bitter or someone just trying to break away from the crowd. When someone touts an unknown band they come across as elitist and snotty, since its usually done at the expense of another genre/band/album/etc. If this comes across as anything like that, its not my intent but hey, it comes with the territory,

I love Danzig. It's no secret to anyone who has read my posts in various music topics where it comes up. My username is taken from The Misfits, and Glenn Danzig being the central figure of that group I guess would make him the definitive misfit. Nonetheless, I make no assumptions. The Misfits logo is popular across malls and Danzig had some airplay on MTV in the 90's but for the most part Glenn Danzig is not a household name. For most on this website, Danzig is probably best known through the few video game appearances he's made. The group's most popular song, "Mother," was featured on Grand Theft Auto 3 and Guitar Hero 2 (though here it was not the master track) and The Misfits "Last Caress" appeared in one of the True Crime games. The Samhain track (Glenn Danzig's band between The Misfits and Danzig) "Mother of Mercy" was the most recent Danzig track to appear in a game, in Guitar Hero: Metallica. Millions of movie goers also were treated to a Danzig song during the opening credits of The Hangover, the blues-based "Thirteen."*

*A bit of trivia, "Thirteen" was originally written by Glenn Danzig when he was on Rick Rubin's Def American label in the early 90's. It was written for the legendary Johnny Cash who recorded it and included it on his album American Recordings. If you look up the live version on Youtube, Cash talks about the night he met Danzig when the song was given to him. Danzig would not record a version himself until 1999.

Anyways, to sum up Glenn Danzig's career it began in the late 70's with the horror/punk outfit The Misfits, then he went on to form Samhain in 1983 where the band was noticed by Rick Rubin, signed, and the name changed to Danzig in 1988. The band released four albums and one EP for Rubin's Def American label before bolting for Hollywood Records in 1995 when the deal with Rubin expired. Hollywood (affiliated with Disney) terminated the deal with Danzig following the release of Danzig 5: Blackacidevil due to a conflict of interest. The record, an industrial Nine Inch Nails type release, was a flop as well and Danzig's popularity was gone. The band would suffer numerous lineup changes and label switches following but three more albums have been released, as well as several other releases of varying quality. Needless to say, the band's popularity peaked in 1993 and faded some until '96 when it nosedived. The four albums released on Def American are considered by most fans to be the best with mostly mixed opinions on everything that followed. Many cite 1990's Danzig II: Lucifuge, as their favorite while many were first introduced to the band through Danzig III: How the Gods Kill, when MTV started playing the group's videos (MTV had previously dubbed the band's videos as "too Satanic" to play, which is why "Mother", originally released in 1988, didn't receive airplay until '93 when a new video featuring all live clips of the band was created).

Danzig II is, at the end of the day, probably my favorite album as well. It's more rock than metal and has an undeniable blues influence, but that isn't the album I want to talk about. It is my opinion that Danzig 4p, released appropriately in 1994, is the one most often overlooked.

The great thing about mp3 players is that everything you own is in your pocket, which allows you to get re-acquainted with old friends. Danzig 4p has been that for me for a couple of weeks now. Mind you, I always enjoyed the record but while listening to it on the train, or just riding in the car, I seem to pick up on the things I overlooked. It is a remarkably textured and atmospheric record. It's really quite bold when one considers the circumstances surrounding its release. This was the first album following the success of "Mother" and the record executives were hoping to cash in. Danzig records sold pretty well and no one was going hungry, but they were hardly mainstream. Some artists would be content to ride the wave, but Glenn Danzig wasn't satisfied to just re-make another "Mother."

All of the Danzig records are unique, but 4p was definitely the black sheep. Danzig III gave the band a more sinister, dark edge that was unmistakably heavy metal in its origins. Danzig 4p is even more dark, more dense, and more bleak which was not typical for Danzig. There are lots of low notes and quiet moments on the record and the band doesn't play it safe. It would be hard for someone to appreciate without listening to all the works that preceded it, but I personally experienced it as raw as possible. You see, Danzig 4p was my first Danzig record. I was a fan of The Misfits going in and knowing that band was long since broken-up, wanted to see what Glenn Danzig was up to. I was completely turned-off at first, but kept coming back. I eventually bought up the rest of the Danzig catalog hoping to find that fast-paced punk rock attitude of The Misfits but never quite did. I ended up really getting Danzig of course, but 4p still took some time to come around.

The album opens up with the fastest, heavyest Danzig song composed. It opens with just a ringing, slightly distorted, open guitar note with Danzig talking over it ("I am a walking, screaming Hell/A thing of torture to behold...") before exploding into a pure speed metal, blast beat induced madness to breaks down into a slow, Sabbath-like interlude before reverting back to the manic pace to close out. Its harsh, gritty, and bold. The only song really similar to it in the Glenn Danzig back catalog would be The Misfits song Earth A.D. Danzig, the band, had done heavy before, but usually with melody. This song, "Brand New God," almost abandons all notion of melody and stands up to punch you in the face. And its also the ultimate red herring. The album does have more heavy moments (particularly in the song "Bringer of Death") but not much. The song runs over into track two, "Little Whip," which begins with Danzig singing over a slowly thumping bass drum detailing a relationship that clearly consists of bondage, before it explodes into a wailing chorus and maintains a fast tempo for the remainder. The texture of the song is thick, and during the quiet intro pops and static can be heard simulating how music sounds when listening to vinyl. The guitar playing is loose and the drumming ruthless. Drummer Chick Biscuits really shines for the whole record, but this song may be the best showcase for his talents.

Its with track three that the album begins to get more honest, more experimental. The track, "Cantspeak," contains no natural guitar track. The guitar is actually the album's closing track, "Let it be Captured," played backwards and looped. Danzig uses his softest singing voice for the whole song, it never gets too loud, which is like velvet. Danzig is crooner often compared with Jim Morrison. When he yells, particularly on this record, he'll often employ what is called the chainsaw effect which comes from deep within the throat (some fans affectionately refer to this voice as Danzig's "Cookie Monster" voice). The chorus on "Cantspeak" is sung through an old-fashioned microphone giving it a thick coat of distortion. The song is about feeling depressed and helpless in the face of the world's problems (the video contains numerous political clips and images) and touches on suicide, a strong departure for subject matter on a Danzig song (which often project strength and sometimes anger). Danzig had done some ballads previous exposing a softer side, but this one just feels different. It carries on into the next song "Going Down to Die," perhaps Danzig's most powerful vocal performance up to this point (at least until track 12). The song is slow with a big chorus and somber verse. It contains images of one man's journey into Hell, leaving all behind.

I don't want to go track by track which is why I'll skip ahead to track six, "Dominion," perhaps Danzig's most underrated. Its another slow starter and we have some piano strikes splashed in for color. The chorus borders on pop in its catchiness, but is only used twice in the song, giving the listener just a taste of its appeal. It presents an interesting parallel to the song's subject matter, which is basically the protagonist turning his back on a doomed lover. I touched on the song "Bringer of Death" earlier, but its basically the closer of the album's first half*

*Remember when albums were structured as two halves? This stemmed back to the LP format which was always two sides. You got two intros, and two closer quality tracks which I always loved. And the albums were laid out in a logical format and more care was taken to make sure everything flowed well. Sure some albums are still arranged this way, but fewer and fewer each year.

One of the my favorite tracks appears on the second side, the single "I Don't Mind the Pain." It has a plucky sounding guitar in the opening part of the song with a tribal kind of drum beat with Danzig crooning over it. The drums kick it into a higher gear after the first verse as the vocals become appropriately louder, defiant even. The song throws a surprise second chorus at the listener that is effectively catchy. It clashes with the rest of the song, but in a good way, which is the best way I can explain it. The album's closing track is a thing of beauty, the power ballad "Let it be Captured." It starts off as a quiet piano-driven ballad with a gentle guitar riff and brush drumming. It's almost a typical Danzig ballad, until the second act where the power comes in. Yes, this album relies o a lot of quiet to loud contrasts within many songs, but this one erupts but still maintains its soft tone. Danzig cuts lose on vocals, wailing "Let it be captured - in my heart!" until it all just stops and allows your heart rate to settle down. It is his best vocal performance to date. In fact, the whole album features Glenn Danzig's most dynamic vocals and really places added emphasis on them. His vocals were always the main attraction for the band, there just isn't anyone comparable in the metal genre, but with this album its emphasized. Which is impressive, considering this album is probably guitarist John Christ's best work, as well as the aforementioned drumming of Biscuits. The album actually has one ore track, the hidden track "Invocation," sometimes referred to as "Demon's Call." The only instrument used is an old organ. Danzig's vocals are heavily layered and off-timed to give them an echo and chant quality. The song is actually a hymn. It's not the type of song most people would want to listen to over and over, but it is pretty cool and a classic example of the hidden bonus track.*

*Which is another thing all but gone from the music scene. Now a bonus track is really a B-side, a song that's ok but not quite good enough to make the album, so labels tack them on at the end of an album and call it a special edition and release it in limited territories. This of course encourages fans to buy multiple versions of the same album just to track down an added song or two. This is completely different from the hidden track we used to get in the 90's which was often something experimental and just for fun. A reward for sitting in front of your stereo and watching the timer on your CD player continue to tick away even though the last track had ended five minutes ago.

Well there it is, my thorough yet not thorough enough, examination of Danzig 4p. I find the album to be a great ride, beginning to end. Yes the tone of the album is quite gloomy, but I don't mind gloom if its done well and doesn't feel forced. It helps that the subject matter is never whiney or feel trivial. The bleak tracks just sound like someone's bad day while others convey perhaps a hidden desperation or longing for something more. Only Glenn Danzig could confirm this, but it does seem like its his most personal work to date, and to use the word again, vulnerable. There isn't a bad song on the album (the track "Sadistikal" is not really a song, more like an intermission) and there's enough variety that it never drags on. Without the bonus track, the album's run time eclipses the fifty minute mark which to me is the perfect album length.

In today's world Youtube makes everything accessible. I encourage any who are interested to check out some tracks from this album or others. Maybe it isn't your thing, or maybe it is. If you're the visual sort, "Cantspeak," "Until You Call on the Dark," and "I Don't Mind the Pain" all had videos produced for MTV.

Danzig 4p - 1994
All songs written and composed by Glenn Danzig
Album produced by Glenn Danzig and Rick Rubin

1. Brand New God
2. Little Whip
3. Cantspeak
4. Going Down to Die
5. Until You Call on the Dark
6. Dominion
7. Bringer of Death
8. Sadistikal
9. Son of the Morning Star
10. I Don't Mind the Pain
11. Stalker Song
12. Let it be Captured
66. Invocation/Demon's Call