Mark’s Review:

It’s been a long time since Danzig was more than just a punchline for hipster comedy.  And while the internet is partially to blame in crushing Glenn’s evil image by displaying him mowing his lawn and getting punched-out backstage by angry supporting acts, the fact that he hasn’t released good music since How the Gods Kill doesn’t help.  So going into his new album, the annoyingly-spelled Deth Red Sabaoth, I realized that although I really wanted Lucifuge, I shouldn’t be surprised if I got Blackaciddevil instead.  Luckily for Danzig fans, the album does not sink that low, in fact it manages to conjure some of the dirty, gothic soul we’d expect from “Evil Elvis”.  I wouldn’t say Danzig is back, but after a long hiatus, Deth Red Sabaoth is a welcome surprise.

It’s not all perfect, but there are a number of tracks that sound like unreleased songs from the early days.  The first, Hammer of the Gods hits hard and from the intro riff to the epic, sing-along chorus, it’s something fans have been missing for years now.  The second, The Revengeful, is definitely a toe-tapper despite it’s over-driven guitar riff.  Plus, any song that features the lyric, “I got a bed of human skulls” has to gain some extra points.  Night Star Hel continues Glenn’s problems with spelling, but the ending riff and driving ride cymbal groove powerfully as if we were all still in a dirty black summer.

The unintentional comedy of the video for I’m the One always soured what was a great song and the lyrical cheesiness of Ju-Ju Bone might do the same.  It’s your typical blues-driven Danzig fare, but if it were a bit more stripped down and inspired video of Glenn brooding and crooning on the front porch of a broken-down shack it would probably be more successful.

My main beef with the album is that the overall tones are a little off and it does become distracting at times.  What one might consider a “dirty” sound can sometimes be interpreted as just plain “bad” and the guitars are often TOO over-driven for the mix.  It seems like there was no mastering done as sometimes Glenn’s voice, the drumming and the guitar all fluctuate.  Also, the inclusion of double bass drumming on Rebel Spirits and Black Candy sound out of place, and worse, out of touch.  This type of drumming was never necessary for Chuck Biscuits, and it ruins the vibe that made early Danzig so great.  Are these issues enough to bury this album alongside 6:66 Satan’s Child?  No, in fact, I think for true Danzig fans, Deth Red Sabaoth will be hailed as a return to form.  The album might not get as many plays as the first four masterpieces, but it reminds us of what we loved about Glenn and his unique approach to music.  Plus, the picture of him with a naked chick on the inside of the album is worth the purchase alone.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Glenn, you have a bed made of skulls?  I just put the matching armoire on Craigslist, we should talk!”

Justin’s Review:

I’m going to cut to the chase here… Deth Red Sabaoth is the Danzig album you’ve been wanting for years. The rockers… the crooners… the pinch harmonics… the stripper anthems; Deth Red Sabaoth has it all (including possibly one of the worst guitar sounds ever put to tape). Despite that little nugget of injustice (seriously Glenn… stick to songwriting… producing is not your bag), DRS is definitely a return to form for everyone’s favorite mesh-shirt-wearing-jongleur.

While never really closing in on “Instant-Classic” territory, the majority of the tracks are memorable, and feature enough variety to keep things fresh and interesting. Kickoff track “Hammer of the Gods” features a smattering of classic Danzig traits and a nice doomy break that wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Trouble record. “The Revengeful” lays the guitars on pretty thick (one of many tunes that comes oh-so-close to overusing pinch harmonics & Tommy Victor wank-solos), but still manages to keep it together and enjoyable. “On A Wicked Night” marks the first single off DRS and despite it’s power-ballad leanings… is an incredibly well-writen song. I have visions of The Cult performing this and not losing a step. As Mark so accurately points out, “Ju-Ju Bone” waltzes unapologetically into cheese-land… yet still manages to win me over completely. Actually… that could probably be said for 90% of this record. Hell… 90% of all (good) Danzig records.

I first heard Deth Red Sabaoth a few weeks ago, and I’ve found myself doing attempting at least 3-4 Danzig impressions every day since. I think it’s a sign that this album’s pretty good.

Cover art kicks ass too.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Hey Glenn… when are we gonna do that duet we’ve always talked about?”

Have A Listen:

Danzig – On A Wicked Night:

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Happy 4th everyone! We’ll be back with new reviews just as soon as we recover from having our fingers blown off with M-80s.

Justin’s Review:

This day in age, it’s almost pointless to continue referring to Nachtmystium as a Black Metal band. The former troo kvlt USBM stalwarts have shed so much or their corpse-painted stigma, one almost forgets that less that six years ago Blake Judd was ball deep “bringing some of the world’s most extreme music to the world’s most extreme audiences.” with Battle Kommand Records. But throughout the numerous stylistic and lineup changes, there’s one BM trait Nachtmystium still hold near and dear to their hearts… pissing off the majority of people who loved their previous record.

Lucky for them, I’m not one of those people. Over the course of the last four years, Nachtmystium has declared “fuck you” to what was expected of them and delivered compelling album after compelling album. 2006’s Instinct: Decay scratched the surface (and no doubt left fans scratching their heads) by introducing a variety of psychedelic elements and soundscapes to the standard black metal fare. Then, in 2008, Assassins comes along with it’s blatant Pink Floyd worship, and begged the question… who exactly are these guys trying to impress? Three songs into Addicts, and that answer is clear… themselves.

It takes some seriously big balls (or seriously good drugs) for a band who’s name means “Encompassing Darkness” to write, record and release a song like Nightfall. I’m having a tough time even describing it… but the terms 80s/dance/pop all come to mind. The next track, No Funeral, follows suit with its jarring (yet shockingly appropriate) synth line and 80s snare sound. The title track continues the overall theme by showcasing the band’s best Killing Joke impression. And while we get back to “metal” territory with the next couple tracks (Blood Trance Fusion being my favorite Nactmystium song thus far), things once again return to the club scene with Ruined Life Continuum. It boggles my mind that Wrest, the same guy who brought us “Massive Conspiracy Against All Life” can now be found playing avant-garde dance beats. What a strange world we live in.

In full, Addicts is not nearly as thorough or cohesive as Assassins, but after repeated listens… it all begins to somehow make sense. Whether that was the intention or just mere coincidence remains to be seen. What I can safely say, is I expect to see Addicts appearing on plenty “best of” and “worst of” 2010 lists.

While most anyone not affiliated with “hipster metal” will continue to cry “bullshit sellouts,” the fact remains that Nachtmystium are successfully doing what few bands dare attempt… reinventing themselves.

And to some degree… the metal landscape at the same time.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “This album keeps getting better every time I hear it. Too bad I can’t say the same for my falsetto!”

Mark’s Review:

I’ve written this review a few times now and I’m through rationalizing. I wanted to write a review on how confused I was and how hard it is to describe the new album by Nachmystium, Addicts: Black Meddle Part II. I was wondering if I truly liked it, just WANTED to like it, or hated it. Well, after many re-writes and re-listens, I really think I just don’t like this album and no amount of deep introspection into Blake Judd’s vision or acceptance of Gothic trance music will change that. Nachtmystium is definitely forging into new directions and deciding that the band will boldly go wherever they please musically. While this is a commendable stance, it always runs the risk of alienating a fanbase for the sake of personal gratification. I guess I don’t feel alienated, I’ve just become disinterested… which is maybe worse.

I don’t want to be so close-minded, but I there’s just not enough on Addicts to suck me in. The songs really aren’t terrible (in fact, High on Hate, Nightfall and Then Fires are pretty good), but the lack of attention paid to the details slowly becomes annoying. From the lazy vocal-phrasing and lyrics to the dull, repetitive passages that plague almost every song, everything has a disjointed and “half-assed” feel. So basically I’m left with two interpretations:

    1) either this is a very high-concept work of art that I cannot fully grasp, or
    2) it’s an incomplete and unfinished batch of songs given high importance by pretentious music blogs and hype

Either way, I don’t feel like I will be frequently listening to this album in the future. It’s not really a testament to the quality of the music, just a personal disconnect with the style and presentation. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I’m going to get back to blasting Hell Bent for Leather…

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Blake… how come you never wear the makeup anymore??”

Have A Listen:

Nachtmystium – No Funeral:

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