Danzig

iTunes Review

Rick Rubin was the perfect person to usher Glenn Danzig into a new chapter following the dissolution of the Misfits and Samhaim. Coming off landmark productions for Slayer and The Cult (whose singer, Ian Astbury, displayed a vocal style reminiscent of Danzig), Rubin knew exactly how to milk Danzig’s brooding persona for all it was worth. The dry, spare production was a marked contrast to the squealing pop metal of the day. The album is built around Danzig’s sinister croon, heard here in perfect detail for the first time, after years of being buried by the racket of the Misifts and Samhain. “She Rides” borrows its lewd throb from The Doors, while songs like “Twist of Cain,” “Possession,” and “Evil Thing” renew a strain of bluesy metal that superstar bands like Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and Pantera carried into the Nineties. One of the greatest rock songs of all time, the muscular “Mother” emanates unadulterated attitude. As for Danzig’s lyrics, he could consider it a personal triumph that his solo debut was one of the first albums to feature a “Parental Advisory” sticker, even though there isn’t one profane word on the entire album.