Circle of Snakes

by

Danzig

Edit

Like most of you, I purchased Circle of Snakes the day it came out, and like most of you, I rushed right home to listen to it. The cover was different, and looked more like a Black Metal album cover, and the contents therein were a mix of the usual Danzig imagery and the artwork of some newer BM releases. So I was intrigued - but my first spin through the disk was a disappointment. I didn't let this deter me, because I have a habit of being disappointed with the first listens of the last few albums, but over time, have learned to like each one (though I'll admit I still have some issues with 5.). The same here. I left it alone all day, and checked it out later that night, and...

The album is heavy, no doubt helped out by Tommy Victor, and sometimes, as others have mentioned, Glenn's vocals are lost in the maelstrom. I noticed others have stated that John Christ's guitar played suited him but, but remember the Samhain albums, and several of the Misfits albums (Earth A.D.) were mixed the same way. I think the main problem is the absence of Rick Rubin, who seemed to know Glenn's vocal strengths well. Think, we went from Samhain to You and Me from the Less Than Zero soundtrack - did you ever hear Glenn's voice as powerful as that. Since Danzig's split with American, the voice has never sounded the same. Glenn does tend to sing more here than on the last couple, but his voice isn't nearly as strong. Most likely that's just age catching up.

I don't consider this as good as 1-4, and right now, maybe not as good as 7, which I enjoyed alot of the Misfits-like wo-oh's. Circle of Snakes definitely brings back an older style of song structurings, and the vocal melodies are reminiscent of 1-4, but the guitars are as heavy as can be. I like the album and I think it will copntinue to grow on me.

Danzig has been trying to step up his career for some time now and it's rather dissapointing to see him keep half-cobbling records such as "Circle of Snakes" together. Tommy Victor does manage to add a new sound to the band and works well on some numbers, but his nu-metal guitar tone leaves Danzig feeling stiff and cold (and not in a good way). Danzig's vocals sound tired and monotone, the drum production rocks but sounds TOO good compared to the rest of the instruments and the overall mix sounds like an extremely good (but less than excellent) independant production from a man who used to give us some of the most expertly produced albums this side of hell. This shows life in some key sectors, but also shows that Danzig has no shame in half-assing things to get them out on the market. This record has it's moments, but often falls FAR short of the legend that is Danzig and this seems so much worse when compared to many of the amazing records coming out around it.

Despite my strong opinion that this album is weak compared to the mans legendary back catalog, it doesn't mean that it's entirely devoid of value. "Black Angel, White Angel" may be one of the catchiest songs the man has ever done, "Hellmask" shows Danzig hammering through with a certain speed-metal vibe we've never heard before and "1,000 Devils Reign" has a certain old-school vibe. Other tracks such as "Circle of Snakes" have interesting moments/riffs but don't gell as well as the above mentioned numbers. Danzig still has some great songs in him, he just needs to be careful about the old "filler" problem that seems to be plagueing him as of late.

Danzig needs to take some time off, develop a REAL band and find a producer that can bring the best out of his vocals and his music. "Hellmask" and "Black Angel, White Angel" show that he can still get the job done...but he NEEDS to focus his energies on making entire albums that are strong and not the three-hit wonders he's been shoving to the market as of late. The man still has his strengths...but his weaknesses as a producer (and executive producer) are glaring on this record and this makes it less than stellar in a way that is rather disconcerting and poses the big question "is Danzig just too old to keep up".

Time will tell...