Album Of The Week: Samhain III: November-Coming-Fire by Samhain

As you all know we are deep into our observance of the great holiday of Halloween or All Hallow’s Eve as I like to refer to it which means that all posts in October are Halloween related. In the past, I covered albums from Glenn Danzig including one from his solo band and one from the Misfits. It would be silly to do one of these and not include the band he started after he left the Misfits that would eventually turn into Danzig in the band Samhain. In 1986, Samhain would release their second album entitled Samhain III: November-Coming Fire (Via Glenn’s label Plan 9) that James Hetfield of Metallica considers one of his top ten favorite albums of all time. The album featured Glenn doing vocals as well as keyboards and drums on some of the tracks as well as Eerie Von (Bass), Pete “Damien” Marshall (Guitars), and London May (Drums). As you can see in the album cover, there’s the famous Danzig skull that would appear on later Danzig records. The album is often stylized as Deathrock, but it’s a very influential horror punk record that influenced a lot of thrash metal bands as well.

1. Diabolos 88– right from the start on this instrumental track it has a very goth rock dance feel to it in the beginning and throughout. It reminds me of bands like Bauhaus and what they did and it belongs in a horror film 4/5

2. In My Grip– This song brings back that punk fury that we were all used to from Danzig where it’s hard charging and in your face in a track that I think is about relationships. 4/5

3. Mother Of Mercy– A cool rock track with a real stompin’ riff in a track that I always thought was about a dominatrix. 4/5

4. Birthright– An evil sounding track right from the get go with a metal feel to it that reminds me of Diamond Head. 4/5

5. To Walk The Night– We all know Glenn was a huge fan of the 50’s and this song has that 50’s oldies feel to it, but he gothed it up a little in a track that reminds me of a lonely vampire. 4/5

6. Let the Day Begin– a return too that punk/rock sound like in some previous tracks and this is one of my favs and it has melody to it. 5/5

7. Halloween II– A base heavy track that is one of the more famous tracks and a fitting track for the amazing holiday that is Halloween. 5/5

8. November’s Fire– Here is the title track for you guys with that 80’s punk feel to it. This is definitely another highlight of the record in my opinion. 5/5

9. Kiss Of Steel– A track that wastes no time getting right in your face in a track that I think is about owning a Chevy with balls and loving the fast lane. 4/5

10. Unbridled– a track that starts with a really cool drum riff before the guitars come in with the speed like playing in a track that could be about not being satisfied so you turn up the notch on everything you do. 4/5

11. Human Pony Girl– a punk track with a cool bass line about dominating a woman sexually. 4/5

My Final Thoughts– When you listen to this record you can hear early hints of his later work in some of the tracks cause it’s present in his songwriting. When I first started listening to Glenn, I was introduced to his solo work and Samhain which I have always been fond of. This is an amazing record that registers at 28 minutes in length so I say give it a shot. I am giving the record four stars out of five for a final grade.

Music Video Of The Week: The Riff by Lordi

Since we are still in observance of the great Samhain, we are going to continue the theme of Halloween themed posts. A lot of people may say that Lordi borrowed the idea of suits from GWAR, but there was no denying these guys when they won the Eurovision contest back in 2008 with Hard Rock Hallelujah.  The Finnish hard rockers released To Beast Or Not To Beast last year and it featured the track The Riff which is our Music Video Of The week. The video itself features the band performing in a supermarket while a women in almost nothing goes grocery shopping while there is a zombie outbreak. While shopping, she doesn’t realize that she is about to get attacked by a zombie when a guy comes out of nowhere and shoots the zombie. For all his troubles, he gets a smile from the girl and then he gets attacked by zombies. Check out the video below for more zombie madness.

Album Of The Week: Danzig By Danzig

I remember when I first heard Danzig for the first time in my life, I thought the man was pure evil because the music sounded evil. Now I just think the music sounds bad ass and it still gives me goosebumps to this day every time I pop it in to my CD player or on my Ipod. Glenn Danzig was originally the singer for The Misifts before he left to start Samhain and then Danzig started his own solo group with his last name as the band name. This was the band’s first album and it featured John Christ (Guitar), Eerie Von (Bass), Chuck Biscuits (Drums), and of course Glenn on Vocals. The album was the first album released on Rick Rubin’s (he also produced the record) new label Def American Recordings back in 1988. The album also recently celebrated it’s 25TH anniversary back in August of this year and James Hetfield of Metallica appears on the record. You may not have known that and there’s a good reason for that. Due to contractual reasons, he wasn’t allowed to be credited in the album liner notes. He provides background vocals on Twist Of Cain and Possession.

Twist Of Cain is the first track on the record and it starts with a very evil like blues beat as the drummer pounds on the snare before the rest of the band kicks in. The lyrics explore a very biblical story of Cain and Abel. John Christ describes the recording of the track, “We started writing that song even before Biscuits joined the band. At first we started recording it in G, then at the last minute we decided that A was better. We kept the drum tracks as they were and re-recorded the guitars, bass and vocals. Not many people know this, but James Hetfield (of Metallica) came down and recorded some backing vocals on that track.” Not Of This World explores of the dark brewed blues with Danzig’s signature evil Elvis/Jim Morrison like vocal style. Sadly, the first time I heard She Rides was in a dingy strip joint and it’s very fitting as the song has a very sexual nature to it with it’s sleazy guitar. John Christ says, “Our first sex song…it’s such a stripped-down song, just a couple of guitar tracks and almost no bass. “She Rides” probably has the best vocal performance on the album, though. There are also some really weird background noises and moaning sounds on it.” A couple strokes of the bass and Danzig’s vocals kickstarts Soul On Fire and then it’s bluesy doom metal heaven for the rest of the track. Am I Demon is one of the coolest tracks on the record with it’s trailblazing guitar track that reminds me of classic metal like Diamond Head.

Mother may be one of the greatest Danzig songs ever written and it took five years for the song to become a radio hit. The song was a response to Tipper Gore and the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) who were trying to tell musicians what they could and couldn’t release. Possession starts with a backwards piano track and some weird demonic voices as it proves it’s the evilest track on the record. End Of Time starts off sounding like it could be the official soundtrack for doom and destruction with the ominous clean guitar track before it kicks into overdrive and it’s sludge guitar heaven. The Hunter is essentially a cover of the Booker T. and The M.G.’s track with some lyrics changed here and there. Evil Thing starts off sounding like a AC/DC fast as lighting rock track before it slows down and then it’s a Danzig blues rock track for the remainder of the time. It’s definitely one of my favorite Danzig albums of all time so I am going to give it four stars out of five.