Reviews list for Danzig - 5: Blackacidevil (1996)

Danzig's 6th album 6:66 Satan's Child was actually the tail end of the band's industrial metal era. The 5th album Blackacidevil is the center of that era. This heavily industrial album was released in 1996, and then reissued 4 years later with a few bonus tracks and better cover art.

So what do I mean by highly industrial? Well instead of the dark heavy metal sound Danzig is known for, electro-industrial techno and experimental noise rock covers the rock/metal tracks. I actually find some tracks interesting, despite the album being unsuccessful and turning away many Danzig fans. A problem that I notice is, vocalist Glenn Danzig sounds too distorted in a few tracks, and that makes me prefer the less experimental parts of the album.

Things starts upbeat with the electronic-powered "7th House". Then the title track has lyrics of drugs. A strange acid trip before the album's later melancholy... "See All You Were" is one of a few tracks here to feature Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell. However, that doesn't make up for the d*mn vocal distortion making the lyrics hard to understand.

"Sacrifice" starts with a Nine Inch Nails-like intro before launching into a perfect industrial metal single that should've ended up in the 1997 Spawn film soundtrack. This is followed by the more sadistic "Hint of Her Blood". One song that's not enjoyable at all and shouldn't have existed is "Serpentia". I don't wish to say more. "Come to Silver" is another Cantrell-featured track, originally written for Johnny Cash. A country-infused ballad I would recommend!

"Hand of Doom" is a Black Sabbath cover, rewritten with more disturbing lyrics. That said, I love it, though Isis' cover is better. "Power of Darkness" is just too plain bad. Why does that sh*t f***ing even exist at all!? "Ashes" is a sweet closing ballad as you drive away into the darkness of who-knows-where...

I think I'll skip out on the bonus tracks in the reissue, mainly because I don't wanna hear anymore of that awful distortion. Despite that flawed aspect though, I don't find Blackacidevil as bad as most other people do. Some songs I find quite enjoyable, and a few others I don't want tainting my ears a second time. Sure it's different, but any open-minded Danzig fan can give this album some more spins. For some fans, once is never enough....

Favorites: "7th House", "Sacrifice", "Come to Silver", "Hand of Doom", "Ashes"