The band did a tour in 2008 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut before releasing their ninth album, Deth Red Sabaoth, in 2010. Black Aria II arrived in the fall of 2006. In 20, respectively, Danzig released the stripped-down I Luciferi and Circle of Snakes, both returns to form that found the artist emulating the simplistic brutality of his 1988 debut. 6:66 Satan's Child followed in 1999 Live on the Black Hand Side appeared two years later. Blackacidevil was ignored by both the press and the public, falling out of the charts after a mere three weeks. Following the tour, Danzig broke up the band and formed a new version featuring ex-Prong guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor, drummer Castillo, and bassist Josh Lazie this lineup released Danzig 5: Blackacidevil on Halloween 1996. The more experimental Danzig 4 was released in 1994 and entered the charts at number 29, but its quiet, moody, atmospheric subtlety didn't find as much favor with the band's new audience as the anthemic "Mother," while some longtime fans dismissed it as too mellow, and therefore commercial.ĭuring the supporting tour, Chuck Biscuits left the band and was replaced by Joey Castillo.
Meanwhile, Danzig contributed a song entitled "Thirteen" to Johnny Cash's acclaimed 1994 effort American Recordings. The band broke through into the mainstream in 1993, when a live video for "Mother," a song originally released on Danzig that appeared in a live version on the EP Thrall: Demonsweatlive, became an inescapable smash on MTV and even charted as a single, nearly cracking the Billboard Top 40. "Dirty Black Summer" and "How the Gods Kill" became staples on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.ĭanzig next released a solo project, Black Aria, a quasi-operatic attempt at classical instrumentals depicting the fall of Satan from heaven. Danzig III: How the Gods Kill marked a full-fledged entry into the realm of gothic romanticism, working to create moods rather than pounding heavy metal aggression. Danzig II: Lucifuge followed in 1990, and it broadened the band's musical palette, expanding on the simple blues riffs of the debut with more extensive forays into that style. Their self-titled debut found Danzig playing the Satanic metal singer role to the hilt, even if the band's songs sounded much the same. The band Danzig was put together in 1987, and quickly inked a deal with Rick Rubin's Def American label. Almost immediately after the Misfits called it quits, Danzig formed the metallic, brooding Samhain in order to experiment with different sounds, but that project imploded as well. They rose from obscurity to become one of the biggest bands in the hardcore underground before they broke up in 1984. Glenn Danzig co-founded the Misfits in Lodi, New Jersey in 1977. Glenn paid homage to a number of his key influences on 2015's Skeletons and 2020's Danzig Sings Elvis. Through the rest of the '90s and up to 2010, the Danzig lineup was a revolving door and their releases reflected a lack of stability, but with 2010's Deth Red Sabaoth they took a more aggressive and more focused attack suggesting the Misfits and Samhain. 1996's Danzig 5: Blackacidevil found the frontman exploring industrial-influenced sounds and taking a larger role as an instrumentalist. The 1993 EP Thrall: Demonsweatlive combined studio and live material, earning Danzig a major MTV hit with a live version of "Mother," but 1994's Danzig 4 was the final album featuring the original lineup. Danzig's first two albums - 1988's Danzig and 1990's Danzig II: Lucifuge - set the template for his new sound as he gained greater visibility, and for many, 1992's Danzig III: How the Gods Kill would remain his definitive work. Featuring former Samhain members John Christ (guitar) and Eerie Von (bass) along with powerhouse hardcore drummer Chuck Biscuits (formerly of Black Flag, D.O.A., and the Circle Jerks), Danzig was an ideal vehicle for the frontman's booming, theatrical vocal style (Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Jim Morrison were often cited as his key influences) and the gothic melodrama of his songwriting.
After becoming a cult hero as the lead singer of the Misfits and Samhain, Glenn Danzig finally stepped into the mainstream with his group Danzig, who took the horror-themed lyrical imagery of his earlier groups into darker and more devilish directions while draping his rough but melodic tunes in heavy metal garb.