Danzig-Skeletons (2015)

Danzig-Skeletons (2015)

“I'm just saying that at least for the foreseeable future there won't be any more touring.”

Glenn Danzig

By: Ghost Writer

I know that Glenn Danzig is not the type of guy who likes to live out of nostalgia, he lives on the present day, he prides himself as a capable singer songwriter and he rarely exploits his past as Misfits ex front man, or his influences, but I know there will come a day, in which Glenn might sat down from his iron horse and starts immersing in a true singer songwriter and career, something closer to what Iggy Pop does these days without considering Pop resurrection of the Stooges.

Skeletons might not be an entirely original after all, we heard already The Misfits 2004 record called Project 1950, and Prong's 2015 record called Songs from the Black Hole, both records made up entirely of cover versions,  so it was very near to Glenn's field to come up with something similar, but in Glenn Danzig's universe,  a covers record is no common thing, it’s a big thing and Skeletons proves it, as it acts as an all-out record, with great guitars provided by Prong's Tommy Victor, the greatest sidekick Glenn has ever found,  and Glenn sublime taste for cover versions.

The thing that impresses me the most about Skeletons, is how close Glenn is able to get to the classic Misfits sound without exactly playing Misfits songs, it’s a sound many of us have been expecting from a long time ago, and Glenn is obviously doing better than everyone else, even better than his former band mates.

Featuring a great backing band formed by the already mentioned Victor,  Samhain bassist Steve Zing and Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly,  Glenn enjoys once again one of the best band he has ever played with,  totally sympathetic with his obscure vision from the past.

Devil's Angels thanks to Victor anthemic guitar is a fabulous opener,  it quickly sets the album tone,  more dynamic and less dense that previous Danzig albums, Glenn sounds revitalized and his formidable voice gets a proper place in the mix, the song is intense and concise,  and that's precisely the key here, whereas previous records were a little hurt by Glenn's enormous ego, he sounds humble and eager to do justice to every song, an obvious labor of love and respect by Danzig, Satan ( From Satan's Sadists is a great bluesy tune featuring that 50's swagger that Glenn brought to the Misfits,  a great chance to enjoy Glenn, the dark crooner.

I guess everyone must be expecting Glenn to throw a The Doors cover,  but Glenn doesn't make things easy and he goes for a great Elvis cover in the form of Let Yourself Go, a song that enjoys a great guitar arrangement by Victor and a powerful performance by Kelly on drums, while Danzig shows he is a great singer not an Elvis imitator,  even tackling the classic Black Sabbath song N.I.B.,  a song not especially suited for him, but done here is a successful way, allowing Glenn to sound hard and heavy without getting into Ozzy's high whining.

An Aerosmith cover is perhaps the least thing you would expect in a Danzig record, but with Victor and the rest of the bad, Glenn is able to get right the hard rocking funky side of one of America's greatest rock bands, with Glenn transiting well that Steven Tyler, Ian Astbury territory his voice allows him to, and then to go into the brutal heaviness of Action Woman with a sound not too far from Glenn's musical past.

Glenn's great voice is put again in sublime display on the slow burner Rough Boy, a great tune by the great ZZ Top done truly with the heart giving Glenn a rightful chance to recreate and give new life to this old classic, enjoyable in Glenn's amazing voice, and if singalongs is what everyone has been expecting give a listen to the great rocking of With a Girl like You, with the talented band again giving new life to a long forgotten song.

The album greatest surprise comes at last and in the form of Crying in the Rain, an Everly Brothers song that might hold a clue to Glenn's future, is the type of song that Glenn is a master at singing it, it gives him the chance to get emotional and to let his powerful voice grow enormous.

Skeletons might not be the record of the year, but it will be held without a doubt as one of the greatest in Glenn's career and one of his hardcore fans favorite, as it connects Danzig future with his past better than anything else he has done, in November, this is a great Halloween and a great Christmas gift from Glenn.