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Glenn Danzig stormed the Rock
scene in late '88, risen from the ashes of Samhain, a portion of
which was comprised of him and bassist Eerie Von, who would
adopt the former's namesake and go on to produce some of the
most Metal albums for a fast approaching '90s dead generation.
Anyone unfortunate enough to be born the decade before stood no
chance for
survival. But that wasn't the case with Danzig. He, along with
guitarist John Christ, Von and renowned drummer Chuck Biscuits,
only grew stronger.
With each successive album lending to an
increasing legacy, black though it was and doomed by design,
their intent for unleashing unholy terror on the world was fully
realized - until they self-destructed shortly after their 1994
Danzig "4" release.
The name Danzig has, and will continue to
have, an impact on the Metal masses. He can capture an audience
in the grasp of his left hand and command
attention, despite
personnel changes, and remain a constant. Danzig's vision
continues undeterred and today their first full length live
record, which captures the best moments of their classic earlier
days performed by his latest lineup on last year's "Satan's
Child" tour.
Interestingly enough, it was their first
live EP, "Thrall DemonsweatLive," some eight years
prior, that led to an unexpected hit for the live version of
"Mother," the original that first appeared on their
self-titled debut. Now, can you imagine if the original
uncensored video accompaniment to the song were somehow revealed
to the public at this time when the song is doing its chart
climbing maneuver and the band suddenly became popular? It goes
beyond graphic in any case and odds are the scenes, televised,
on stage, on record, or however else, have not softened after
all this time away from the limelight.
Yes, Danzig's band did make an expected
descent following a commercially-inspired "4" release
and band dissolution. The eventual solo "Blackacidevil"
abomination a couple years later saw the winged beast lose total
control of direction and head quickly back to the depths from
whence he came.
Underexposure, indecision and other
commitments have led Danzig back to the underground where
he/they belong and ultimately to here, "Live On The Black
Hand Side." This two-disc monster of over twenty tracks is
broken into different tours at different intervals with the
band. Tales from the unexpected this is not. The sound quality
is fairly audible and everything you'd expect from the catalog
is accounted for. "Dirty Black Summer," "Killer
Wolf," "Long Way Back From Hell" and some you
wish maybe that weren't. "Dirty Black Summer,"
"Little Whip" and "Her Black Wings," some of
the more recent from "Satan's Child's" partial return
to form. With "Five Finger Crawl," "Satan's
Child" and "Belly of the Beast," comprise a
"partial" return within the bold lyrical content,
expectedly dark imagery, and decidedly more powerful sound,
although sorely lacking in the classic doom-driven, blues-based,
blood-drippin' melodic mold of the impressionable years. It's
also too much like a Rob Zombie clone with its overly hyped
industrialized epicenter.
A few surprises crop up here in the form
of "Evil Thing," Samhain's return to "Halloween
II" and "Bringer of Death" among the top two
tracks from the "4" record. Equally surprising is how
they included "7th House," the unusual opening track
to "Blackacidevil," when they would have been better
served by ignoring it altogether. He can talk all he wants about
how it never got the fair shake it deserved when actually he
should consider
himself lucky. If more people heard this, they'd have cast ya
back down long ago Glenn.
"Sacrifice," or even the re-made
Johnny Cash tune "Come To Silver" would have been more
acceptable additions. The former simply because it's techno, but
you can't argue with that drop dead chorus. It just kinda gives
you that burning sensation - surprise,surprise! As the sweat
pours down, I'll call this a good live record overall. There's
plenty of material to dig through, it covers every album and
every band member, has no old Misfits covers (sorry old timer),
plenty of group
photos and ol' Glenn's trademark growling wail that helps fan
this audio inferno!
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| Artist |
Danzig |
| Title |
Live from
the Black Hand Side |
| Label |
Restless
Records |
| Reviewer |
Vinnie Apicella |
| Rating |
 |
|
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| web site |
www.danzig-verotik.com |
| win stuff |
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