American Carnage

For most "classic" metal enthusiasts, the 80s and early 90s was the pinnacle. The "Big Four" (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) were all top of the metal charts and playing for arena sized sold-out crowds. However it lives on today. Case in point, The American Carnage Tour! Metal icons Megadeth, Slayer and Testament are touring the states in support of new albums however are revisiting periods of time that made them monoliths of the genre.

I was able to witness the second leg of this monumental tour. And as a "Thank You" to all their rabid fans, a special production was in store. Megadeth took the stage and played their 1990 magnum opus "Rust In Peace" in its entirety! As a special bonus, Megadeth (aka Dave Mustaine) decided to bring back Jackson, Minnesota's own David Ellefson to the mix for the tour and likely an extended stay. Having helped Mustaine write "RIP" (the greatest metal album of all time) it was awe inspiring to see these guys play the album live... Flawlessly. Recently being named in Joel McIver's 2009 book "The Greatest Metal Guitarist of All Time", Mustaine owned the performance. He can still shred like no other as he flexed his thrash chops throughout the show and proved why this moniker was christened upon him. To end their set, Megadeth played 'Trust' ("Cryptic Writings"), 'Headcrusher' ("Endgame"), 'A Tout Le Monde' ("Youthanasia"), 'Symphony Of Destruction' ("Countdown To Extinction") and closed with 'Peace Sells' ("Peace Sells... But Who's Buying") having Ellefson play his signature opening bass riff amongst the enthusiastic crowd. Following Megadeth's set, Slayer played their 1990 album "Seasons In The Abyss" with other classics including 'Raining Blood' and 'Angel Of Death' (from 1988's "Reign In Blood").


Long live Thrash!

The Wolfmen of Grinderman

For those who love Nick Cave (my pick for artist of the last decade). He is about to embark on a stateside tour with his band Grinderman.

Check out their new video for the single 'Heathen Child' directed by John Hilcoat (dir. The Proposition, The Road)



Tickets go on sale August 20th at Ticketmaster.com

See you at First Avenue in Minneapolis!

Evil Elvis Lives!

After a 6 year hiatus, the Evil Elvis himself, Mr. Glenn Danzig has returned with a new album entitled "Deth Red Sabaoth".



Since Rick Rubin stopped producing Danzig in the mid 90s, the band has dismantled and undergone several line-up changes which have unfortunately led to mixed results. Initially, Danzig reformed as an industrial group a kin to Nine Inch Nails or Filter but Glenn had seemed to have lost much of his songwriting ability. Initially known for his blues-infused, punk style, swaggering doom rock, Danzig was viewed as somewhat of a "has been" (to those other than his die hard fans, much like myself!) After releasing two albums, Blackacidevil and Satan's Child, in this vain, he decided to go back to what made him a legend in the metal community. That being said, his music remained a watered down version of his late 80s/early 90s hay day. Now on his 3rd album toward redemption, Danzig has finally nailed it!

"Deth Red Sabaoth" sounds like it should have followed "Danzig III: How The Gods Kill". The album blasts off with 'Hammer Of The Gods', a song as brutal as the title suggests. Tommy Victor (of Prong/Ministry fame) has helped Glenn find that screeching raw guitar sound that has been lacking since that 1994 seminal release. The next track 'The Revengeful' continues with one of the best rhythm guitar riffs since 'Snakes Of Christ' from "Danzig II: Lucifuge". Guitar solos are also back in full force and help elevate this album to among his best. In the past, Danzig has also had a knack for slow, dark, prodding tunes, and "Deth Red Sabaoth" highlights this well with songs like 'Rebel Spirits', 'On A Wicked Night', 'Deth Red Moon' and 'Night Star Hel'. 'On A Wicked Night' in particular is one of the strongest tracks and should become a staple at his live shows. It starts with a heavenly sounding acoustic riff with Glenn crooning his Jim Morrison-esque best. The songwriting is definitely the strong point of the album as the production is virtually absent. Danzig was quoted saying he used "1970s Kustom tuck ’n’ roll bass amps to play some of the guitar parts through" to give the album a more lo-fi vibe. This works in his favor, as his most recent releases relied too heavily on computerized sounding production. The song 'Ju Ju Bone' revisits the bands blues-rock influences similar to 'Twist Of Cain' from 1988. The albums theme continue with Danzig's obsession with the occult and fantasy. However, given this is Glenn's shtick and should be taken tongue-in-cheek, Danzig pulls it off as only he can. Even though his lyrics and imagery should be taken with a grain of salt, it's great to see this hulking, hairy mass of a man got his groove back.



Here is a list of my favorite Danzig albums.

1. "Danzig" (1988) *****
2. "Danzig II: Lucifuge" (1990) ****1/2
3. "Danzig III: How The Gods Kill" (1992) ****
4. "Deth Red Sabaoth" (2010) ****
5. "Thrall-Demonsweatlive" (1993) ****
6. "I, Luciferi" (2002) ***1/2
7. "Danzig 4" (1994) ***1/2
8. "The Lost Tracks Of Danzig" (2007) ***1/2
9. "Circle Of Snakes" (2004) ***
10. "666: Satan's Child" (1999) **
11. "Blackacidevil" (1996) *