Danzig - 6:66 Satans Child (1999)^{Release ID: 2253}

Danzig is a band that shouldn't be taken lightly. They're one of the more satanic classic heavy metal bands around along with Mercyful Fate and Ghost. As someone who's not into that kind of theme, whether or not I find greatness in this album, I don't expect myself to fully dig in to the rest...

Longtime Danzig fans were wondering what the h*ll the band was thinking when they made Blackacidevil, an electro-industrial album with barely anything metal. For this album Satan's Child, while there's more of those industrial elements, the metal guitar is back in prominence. This time, the riffing has a pummeling lower tuning. It may sound a bit like nu metal, but the riffing is so strong that calling any part of this album nu metal would be blasphemy.

Glenn Danzig's vocals first appear soft in "Five Finger Crawl" during the vocals, before having his usually wailing in the chorus, and that's a prime example of his vocal usage in that smashing opener. "Belly of the Beast" continues to have strong fun in the verses. "Lilin" goes on for 6 and a half minutes with some bluesy vocals coming out nice and fine. Adding in some synths and vocal distortion is "Unspeakable". That track is one of my favorites in the album. That opinion might not make part of the Danzig fanbase, but that's OK, I don't intend to.

"Cult Without a Name" shows how well Glenn Danzig can blow listeners' minds away with his voice. He can sing clean whispers and then roar like a bull in smashing intent. An excellent way to lead the drums, guitars, and bass! A weird creepy electronic intro starts "East Indian Devil (Kali's Song)", but then heaviness bashes through. "Firemass" sounds fitting for their earlier material and comes out as another favorite for me. The more trip-hop-ish "Cold Eternal" has Glenn's most moving despite the song's softness.

The title track is actually a mighty highlight! "Into the Mouth of Abandonement" is quite good too despite sounding different from the previous track. "Apokalips" is strong in the bass and drum during the doomy intro and verses. Then in the choruses, the funk/hip-hop-ish pace makes a brief comeback. The electronics are pretty much absent in that song. The final song "Thirteen" is quite good. Glenn Danzig originally written and recorded that track for Johnny Cash, and he recorded it again with the band to close this album with its blues groove.

Any earlier Danzig fan who lost contact with the band's music fearing the possibility of the band going full-on industrial after Blackacidevil should give this band another chance and listen to the band's later material starting with this album Satan's Child. I'm telling you, you'll feel way more relief than disappointment....

Favorites: "Five Finger Crawl", "Unspeakable", "Cult Without a Name", "Firemass", "Satan's Child", "Apokalips"