Danzig II - Lucifuge

Danzig’s self-titled debut may have made a strong impression that arguably remains their most famous to this day, but its 1990 sequel was a drastic leap forward creatively. While the band’s foundational tropes may be the same as before, a much fuller production job and a noticeably more comfortable dynamic lead to a considerably broader execution. Their underlying Delta inspirations are pushed to absurd extremes, giving birth to a blues metal style that hearkens back to the earliest days of Black Sabbath in a way that no stoner doom acolytes could ever dream of reproducing.

Armed with the confidence to fully embrace the characterization that was merely hinted at before, Lucifuge makes for a rather theatrical listen. The themes of devil worship and occult orgies seem to have more intent behind them this time around as the opening shuffle on “Lost Way Back from Hell” is injected with some Louisiana bayou storytelling and “Snakes of Christ” speeds up the “Twist of Cain” riff while pairing it with some ritualistic verses and a fun chorus. There’s even room for a little post-Ozzy Sabbath homage as Danzig himself admitted to transposing the riff from “Zero the Hero” to the erotic strut that defines “Her Black Wings.”

This extra bombast is reinforced by the songwriting reaching its most dynamic extents yet. The musicians fully embrace their softer side with contrasting results on “I’m the One” and “Blood and Tears,” the former an unplugged performance defined by twangy Robert Johnson acoustic strums and a coming-of-age tale turned demonic while the latter is swept in earnest heartbroken balladry that Danzig had allegedly written for Roy Orbison. The softer segments also do well in fleshing out the building structures on “Devil’s Plaything” and “777” and “Tired of Being Alive” and the especially distraught “Pain in the World” edge their slow shuffles closer to the depths of doom.

Of course, this album was likely where Danzig’s tendency to go too far into character started getting too hard to ignore. “Killer Wolf” is the most egregious example of this in action as the band’s hazy muscular chug is met with the singer’s jarring cosplay of an old-timey bluesman, threatening to derail the entire experience, while “Girl” seemingly overcompensates for its sparse lyrics by slurring the title to hilariously unintelligible levels. It’s easy to imagine listeners getting turned off and no doubt contributed to the band’s memetic status, but I can’t help but find it charming. It feels almost like the camp of the eighties’ cheesiest metal singers getting caught up in a more ironic world.

Overall, Danzig’s second album is a display of blues metal perfection. While plenty of groups were tapping into these rootsy inspirations by the time, the interpretation here is unlike any other as the band’s already distinct darkness was accentuated by their willingness to go all-in on the theatrical execution. The atmosphere is too cheesy to be scary, but the hooks are constant winners with the musicianship perfectly suited to the different moods at hand. Plenty of musicians have tried to replicate the blues metal sound (the first Spirit Division album was admittedly my attempt at doing so), but nothing truly sounds like Lucifuge.

Former punk rock Misfits vocalist Glenn Danzig puts together a lineup featuring John Christ on guitars, Eerie Von on bass, and Chuck Biscuits on drums. This deems to be their best cast from this legendary heavy metal quartet. Talk about innovation, creativity, quality songwriting, "Lucifuge" has it all. Glenn's vocal outputs are top notch and his originality in his department with the throat are rather worthy of praise. He mixes some yelling on some songs with clean vox depending on if the guitars are in their distorted mode or clean/acoustic ones.

The riff-writing is totally original and very blues based. One thing that's missing though is a second guitar during solos. That's the only beef I have with this album. Some songs are just guitar and vocals with the drums almost entirely absent say for example on the track "I'm The One". I'd have to say that "Tired of Being Alive" is my favorite track because it's so dark and melancholic especially lyric-wise. The guitars and vocals are by far the highlight of this album. There aren't too many lead guitar bits, mostly distorted tone axe-work with bar chords and palm muted riffs especially on "Her Black Wings".

There are plenty of backup vocals to augment Glenn's unique voice. I'd have to say this guy can really sing with aggression mixed with clean/mellow tone as previously mentioned. All of the songs deserve praise, though the lyrics on some tracks are spewed forth with anti-religion topics. But that just goes along with the title of the album. "Lucifuge" features Danzig's most powerful work to date based on what I've heard from the band. The guitars, bass, vocals and drums are in perfect sync on every track and riffs contain songs that are so memorable they'll stick to you forever in memory.

Musically an influence of blues based riffs, dark portions of bits that set the atmosphere of this heavy metal which is played better than it's ever been as Danzig has done on here. Total construction of originality and evil all mixed into one hell of a release by these legends. The mixing was just perfect. Everything was totally heard throughout this release. The guitar, vocals, bass and drums were perfectly formulated to destroy. In essence, the production just mighty and fueled with force. There aren't any tracks on this 49+ minute onslaught that lack integrity. They're all top notch.

Looking for some heavy metal that's quality not only in songwriting, but unique, dark, depressing and evil? Well "Lucifuge" tops the world with that kind of credibility. The best possible lineup ever and no mistaking that. Everything was just played right and Glenn's vocals are so unique and are their best ever. I haven't heard him sing this well ever, not even on their debut. Don't expect anything fast paced on here because it just is absent. Every song is slow tempo based, with acoustic songs, clean and distorted guitar alongside amazing drum work by Chuck Biscuits. Don't miss out of one legendary album with a legendary cast. Pick this up as soon as possible if you haven't already!

If any Danzig album truly deserves to be called a classic, this is it. The Mephistophelean Midget and his merry band were at the height of their powers, making Elvis blubber in his grave whilst churning out one awesome blues-metal riff after another. More complex than their first effort, less experimental than their next two releases, and leagues above the assdribble Danzo’s been shoveling out recently. For traditional heavy metal with swagger, it doesn’t get much better than “Lucifuge”.

"Lucifuge" is metal the old way with a heavy blues influence and a touch of doom. There’s some great faster songs on here, some slow moving headbangers, a straight-up blues number or two, and even a ballad that would have made Mr. Presley proud. If it weren’t so damn evil. The choruses stick in your head like you were Trotsky in Mexico City circa 1940. Danzig and the original lineup do it simple, but they do it well.

The production sounds pretty good to me. I mean, Rick Rubin was involved. He didn’t fuck up much. Everything in it’s right place - Danny Boy’s vocals up front, and the rest of youse fucks in da back!

Guitarwise, I’ll bet Danzig’s wondering what John Christ is up to these days. Anyway, the best guitarist he’ll ever have did a great job pumping out the hits. And some truly memorable solos while he was at it. Sure, there aren’t sweep archipelagos and insane stop-start peninsulas all over the place. But that would fit this type of music about as well as O.J.’s bloodstained glove.

And the vocals? Let me tell you a story about the vocals...

Danzig sat alone by the low fire, nothing on such a bitter night. He brooded over what he had just seen – the frightening face of Fat Elvis in his doorknocker.

“Fuckin’ humbug,” Glenn exclaimed.

‘Twas then that he heard a scraping sound, deep down, as though someone were dragging a heavy paunch across the floor. The noise grew louder, coming up the stairs, pausing right outside his door.

"It's humbug still!" said Danzig. "I won't believe it."

His color changed though, when, without a pause, it came on through the heavy door, and passed into the room before his eyes. Upon its coming in, the dying flame leaped up, as though it cried, "I know him; Elvis’ Ghost!" and fell again.

After a bit of discussion, Elvis told Danzig, “You will be visited by two more ghosts, since I’m a-filling in as the ghost of Danzig’s deep past.”

“I think I’d rather fuckin’ not,” Danzig snarled.

“Well,” Elvis mumbled in a Southern accent between bites of a huge peanut butter and bacon sandwich, “you ain’t got a choice. Next, you’ll be visited by Jim Morrison, the ghost of your vocal style’s more recent past. He’ll probably make you take a bunch of drugs. And then the ghost of Danzig future, well, that’s a scary sumbitch. He’s about as in shape as I was when I passed, but still wears ridiculous mesh shirts. And his vocals totally suck.”

"Oh shit. Losing my voice! My whole life would be over. Well, this sounds like a process that could take all night, and I’ve got a hot goth chick I’m fixing to bang out in Hoboken at 11. Couldn't I take `em all at once, and have it over, Elvis?" Glenn asked.

Elvis did not reply, but instead shuffled toward the open window, flying out to join thousands of other spirits of dead rock and rollers floating through the night air.

As for bass, well, the dude’s name is Eerie Von. Points for that alone. Anyway, as it seems in most albums we review all we can say is that he adds to the low end, has a moment or two where he is allowed to shine, and overall is not worth talking at length about.

The drumming is quite fitting for this style of metal. Not crazy, but you can tell old Chucky Biscuits can hit the kit hard. Quite a fine and rockin’ performance. Christ, Eerie, and Biscuits, besides having great stage names, were the lineup that made Dannon Yogurtzig famous – too bad he iced ‘em.

I can sing along with a good portion of this, which is surprising given that most of the lyrics are pretty involved. Sure there’s are some kindergarten level sex stuff, but Danzig’s pagantastic musings on tracks like “Her black wings” and “Long way back from hell” are quite effective. My all-time favorite lines on “Lucifuge” have to be from “I’m the one” though…

"I was a snake-eyed boy
And at the age of five
I made love to the howl of the wolves
With a dark haired girl"

*DAMN*. Danzig was banging hoes at the age of five. I’ll bet you didn’t lose your cherry until at least your teens. What a fucking badass. However, I’ll bet that dark haired girl had more satisfying lays before and since. Five year olds, dude, five year olds.

Now for the cover art and packaging. Gee, I wonder who came up with the idea of putting his own hairy chest on the front of the album. “I’ll bet I get more chicks if they see what a feral, hungry Satanic killer wolf I am!” Holding the logo-cross he made in shop class, Danzig’s nipples stand up at attention begging for you to purchase this. Or you can get the alternate cover, where they tried to copy The Doors. I’d get number one – for the bromance and for the booklet, which will be discussed shortly.

The logo simply says “Danzig" - it was way cooler elsewhere.

On my copy the booklet folds out into an inverted cross. Excellent. And the lyrics and band pic. But most importantly, inverted cross. Therefore, booklet gets a ten out of ten.

This one of the albums that got me into metal, thanks to a good buddy playing it for me with a big grin on his face. Many a smoky afternoon was spent imitating the Evil Elvis’ vocals and laughing our asses off. And now you can have that pleasure too. Like early AC/DC, simply good music you can’t go wrong with. Gather the family around, bust out a board game, and join ma and pa in a chorus:

"Serpents of the lord
Crawling to the will of god
Serpents of your lord
Crawling, all evil!"

Originally posted at: www.globaldomination.se

Danzig's debut album was an important step in Mr. Danzig's career. It was his first heavy metal album and a really good one as well. Danzig probably knew that if they were going to keep it up, they would had to be really specific with their new album. I don't think that they made any album as good as the first one but this one wasn't far beneath. On this album, they've added even more blues into their special heavy metal sound and the sex beats are still here as well.

The first two songs, "Long Way Back From Hell" and "Snakes Of Christ" are actually a two-in-one song but they're different from each other. The riffs on both directly marks the even blusier approach the band have added to this album. "Killer Wolf", also what I call "this albums 'She Rides'", is a very blues oriented song with one of the best choruses in Danzig's as well as heavy metal's history. "Tired Of Being Alive" and "Devil's Plaything" are two pretty calm tunes that could have been big hits with they were on the air more often. "Her Black Wings" which was one of the 4 videos that were made for this album is the heaviest song and it has a really great guitar riff. Another 2 important songs here that shows the more blues oriented sound is "777" and "I'm The One". The first is acoustic almost all the way through and the latter one is acoustic all the way through. Both are very blues inspiered and reminds of music like Johnny Cash and Elvies Pressley.

The production is very good and it fits these tunes very well. It works for both heavy metal, hard rock and blues so there's no problem with a song that has a "distasteful" sound. Everything's balanced but the guitar solos are a little static from time to time.

The cast here are so awesome. THIS was the REAL Danzig and since it seems that this line-up never will happen again, I'm guessing that Danzig are doomed. John Christ is an incredible guitarist who can perfectly combinate blues with heavy metal. Eerie Von is a great bassist who's playing fits really well with the music and makes it very dark. Chuck Bisquits drumming is insane, I'm a drummer myself and I tell ya that this guy is SICK. One of the best drummers out there for sure. Glenn's vocals are as always on top and he sure has one of the greatest vocals in rock history.

So finally to my last comments on "Lucifuge"...

This is a great album which almost holds up to the same quality as the debut album. I totally recommend this album for fans of hard rock, blues, heavy metal, rock 'n' roll or whatever. This is one of Danzig's finest albums and I think that this one will live on for a long while forward.

Danzig’s 2nd album, Lucifuge, makes several immediately noticeable improvements over the more rock-based debut, which helps to accelerate the band as a whole. Lucifuge stands as Danzig’s tour de force in the band’s classic style before undertaking the ambitious 3rd album, How the Gods Kill. To many, Lucifuge stands as the be-all end-all of Danzig’s works, and with good reason.

The first major improvement since the last album is the production. While the debut used a raw and restrained production job that somehow effected the power of the music’s delivery, Lucifuge has cleaned up the band’s sound considerably, and for the better. John Christ’s guitar tone is thicker and meatier, allowing for heavier numbers like the mammoth closer “Pain in the World” to become the powerful, rebellious, and foreboding anthems they were meant to be all along. Also, Chuck Biscuit’s drum sound has improved; the drums have a certain spaciousness to them this time around, allowing more room for the songs to breathe, as opposed to the boxy, claustrophobic sound of the first album. The whole album uses a considerably more “airy” sound than the previous outing; this helps in all facets. Quiet moments like “Blood and Tears” breathe with life and envelope the listener, and the opening cut, “Long Way Back From Hell” is only aided with the bigger sound.

Lucifuge’s best aspect of improvement lies in the band itself. The songwriting skills of the band have improved drastically since the last album; in comparison to the debut, all of the musicians involved have come together in a true collaborative effort, and there is a greater sense of unity in the compositions. Not only have they gotten heavier and tighter, as seen on the aforementioned opener and the famous “Her Black Wings”, but also more progressive. The great hard-rocking elements of the debut are still present here, albeit in a more evolved and professional form. Some of the band’s greatest songs are also the most daring ones, though; “777” utilizes swampy slide guitars and a Southern-styled aesthetic, the latter of which seems present throughout the whole album. Both “Blood and Tears” and “Tired of Being Alive” bring a bluesy vibe to the album without coming off as forced; in fact, the shuffle-like tempos add more grit and swagger to the sound. “I’m the One” is an exercise in both things mentioned: acoustic guitars power the song, accented by Glenn’s menacing howl, which tells a twisted story of a supposed devil’s son cursed to live a mortal life.

To further the above paragraph, the band have also grown as musicians. Chuck’s drum work, while still primitive, is a bit more adventurous and dexterous here, as seen in the use of more fills and transitions. John’s will to experiment with different guitars here comes off in a wonderful way, and the heavier numbers now seem more elaborate, calculated, and well-constructed. Though many of the songs still follow rigid verse-chorus structures, the variety found in the instrumentation will keep one interested. The band learned a better use of dynamics here as well; “Devil’s Plaything” starts off quiet and continues to build suspense until a fierce chorus explodes, and ends with a great vocal harmony. Like the first album, many of the verses and quiet and the choruses loud; but there are clear exceptions, mainly the fiery opener, and the more narrative “777.’

Glenn’s vocal performance here is more than likely his best; his voice has matured and is able to adapt to the different moods of the songs. The sheer passion of “I’m the One”, “Blood and Tears”, and “Tired of Being Alive” cannot be quelled, while the foreboding and brooding passages of “Her Black Wings” are automatically memorable. To make the vocals even better, the lyrics have improved vastly. They’re not as cryptic as the debut, and seem more intimate and personal. Evil references still run amok, but now they are in a more mysterious and developed manner.


Overall, Lucifuge stands as my personal favorite album from Danzig. The band’s vast improvements in all departments helps for making some of the band’s most memorable and diverse songs, and the album’s diversity never wears thin during the play time. There are no standouts, because the whole album is great.

This is one of those albums your going to love or hate. It has no real specific genre...its not quite doom metal, and its not quite traditional metal. The best descripition would be Elvis on Acid. The difinitive thing that will make you either love or hate this album is your love or hate for Glenn's vocals, the album is filled with them, and only them. This isn't really a band...but more of a solo project hidden under a band Name.

Glenn's vocals on this album can compete with the best of the traditional/ 80's style heavy metal, Dio, Bruce Dickenson..etc. He has the volume of a man 3 times his size. He sings loud, long and projects his voice like a champ. Glenn's voice is up there...like I said, just think of a heavy metal elvis.

The instruments on this album like most "solo" albums of singers take a backseat to the vocals. They are played well, but they don't do anything to stand out. That of course is a fault of the way the songs are written, which were written mostly by Glenn. They are totaly undermined by his vocals thus serving the sole purpose to make a structure of a song to fit Glenn's vocal style.

This album I would say is for anyone who likes traditional metal, or vocals similiar to Bruce Dickinson's solo stuff or maybe even dio. Like I said Glenn's vocals are very unique to the metal genre. The album though, is done very well, the songs sound great and its a melo metal experience.