Evil Elvis – Top 10 Danzig Albums Ranked

I Originally planned to put together a list of the greatest Danzig videos of all time, official or unofficial. After a bout of deep thought, it became clear that this title is really not in contention. No matter how we try as masters of our universe, nothing will ever top the Danzig-Shakira fan mashup. So there I sat, dejected and depressed. What was I to do? Fall is here and October is Danzig History Month. I still feel compelled to crank out a Danzig article.

With that, I proudly present to you Evil Elvis – Top 10 Danzig Albums Ranked. This list only includes the official Danzig Discography of full length albums. Compilations and EPs are intentionally excluded. They each is ranked in order least to greatest.

10. Black Laden Crown (2017)

The standard consensus pick of Danzig 5: Blackacidevil did not land in the dead last spot. To be fair to those dissenters, Danzig 5 is pretty frickin bad… but at least it was inspired. Coming off of the heels of the high-speed-come-apart of his band, Glenn at least had an excuse. Black Laden Crown has no excuse. It’s uninspired from cover to cover. Even the cover art screams late-career-post-prime filler. From there, it never gets better.

It’s not so much that Black Laden Crown is bad, but never commands attention. There are some mid-quality tracks, but nothing that really rips. It’s just so plainly ordinary that if it ceased to exist, I wouldn’t notice.

A theme that will repeat multiple times in this article the production immediately feels flat and lifeless. The sonic soundscape is so abrasive and poorly EQ’d that it can barely be tolerated. There is no separation, no depth and no pocket for the instruments, much less Glenn’s voice.

Speaking of Glenn’s voice, it continues to decline. Far be it for me to blame a guy for getting old, but it the decline is real. This means that above all he should get a good engineer to make sure that what is left of ones shredded vocal chords come through the mix.

9. Danzig 5: Blackacidevil (1996)

So that didn’t take long. Here it is, Danzig 5: Blackacidevil. Lazy techno beats, and boorish industrial metal defines this album. Making it worse, never-ending high frequency fizz permeates every second of the album. But wait, there’s more — horrendous filtering obscures decades of road wear on Glenn Danzig’s voice.

Still, I give Glenn credit for being bold and going outside of the Blues Deathrock sounds of the previous albums. He had little choice but to go at it alone with the rapid disintegration of his band. Rick Rubin had also long departed. Glenn responded with his signature “F*** YOU, I’LL DO IT MYSELF”. All of this at least makes the attempt admirable.

Put simply this album lacks the drum programming skill to create nuanced industrial album. The beats plod along —remedial and repetitive. If one can somehow maintain sanity through the poor production of the album, there are several interesting moments to be had.

“Sacrifice” standouts out as one of the strongest full-out industrial tech songs on the album. “Come to Silver” shows that Glenn’s songwriting continues to improve. His robotic treatment of the Black Sabbath classic “Hand of Doom” deserves mention. Lastly, the sullen yet melodic sounds of “Ashes” provide an artfully placed changeup in style.

Objectively, Blackacidevil sucks, but it’s far too good to completely ignore.

8. Circle of Snakes (2004)

Continuing the trend of albums that I can’t bring myself to listen to, Circle of Snakes goes balls deep into the heavy doom-laden riffage. Die-hard Danzig fans to “Skincarver” as the long awaited return of Danzig to his past glory. To that I say, “Meh…”. It ever so slightly reminds me of what Samhain could have become if only Rick Rubin had not made his fateful trip to the Ritz theater. Be that as it may, Circle of Snakes as a total body lack consistent quality.

Once again, poor production strikes this album. The mix is flat and guitarist Tommy Victor’s guitar tone couldn’t be less pleasing to the ear. The never-ending use of shrill pinch harmonics produces a cacophony of punishing shrieks. It’s robotic, ear-piercing and seemingly endless.

I cry in pain everytime “Skull Forest” plays.

7. Danzig 666: Satan’s Child (1999)

When Satan’s Child was released, I was still waving the banner of “OFFICIAL GLENN DANZIG APOLOGIST” in Attack of the Gila Monster font. This album came out at about the same Glenn and boys decided to rekindle Samhain.

I want to love this album, but can say confidently this album mostly sucks. At this point, it is no surprise that the production quality sounds like it was mixed in moldy bathtub? Would you be shocked that it retains that intolerable high-pitched fizz? In many ways, this album sounds like Circle of Snakes’ grubby little brother that doesn’t change his underwear.

For Danzig 666: Satan’s Child Glenn partially transitioned to a more standard doom rock sound, but he still retains a heaping helping of electronic beats. Satan’s Child does demonstrate improved sophistication and the tracks offer a bit more sonic breathing room so that they can be enjoyed… for a while.

“Five Finger Crawl”, “Cult Without a Name” and “Unspeakable” top a short list of tunes from Satan’s Child worth listening to. As a final note, this album came out with two covers: one that is awesome and one that sucks terribly. I’ll let you figure that out for yourself.

6. Danzig 777: I Luciferi (2002)

Leaving me broken and bloody, Satan’s Child forced me to burn my “OFFICIAL GLENN DANZIG APOLOGIST” banner. I needed a friggin break. Danzig 777: I Lucerfi got lost in the shuffle almost 15 years. Just look at the cover. Brutal. I just couldn’t bring myself to buy it. I mean WTF, Danzig’s hands look like Oswald Cobblepot’s.

Somewhere around 2019, I gave it a shot. Once I made it past the painful atmospheric “Undelich”, I found a couple gems in the frothing sea of middling studio production.

The real opening track, “Black Mass” might one of the most inspired songs since Danzig 4P. Although the mix doesn’t do it any favors, Todd Youth’s guitar solo has life and personality. The music far less overburdened with useless noise. Dare I say that Glenn’s voice also sounds a bit stronger on 777. As hard as it is to stomach Glenn going on about being an S-Tier cocksman, “Wicked Pussycat” rocks ever so slightly.

It appears that I gave up on the guy one album too soon. The weight of the guilt makes me feel “Dead Inside”.

5. Deth Red Sabaoth (2010)

FINALLY, in 2010, Glenn Danzig released an album that hearkens back to the days of John Christ, Biscuits and Eerie Von. Finally, the music breathes and provides a much needed space for Glenn’s brutalized pipes. Finally it feels like the hard blues laden rock of old. “Hammer of the God’s” is easily the best track that Danzig has created since 1994.

While a huge improvement, Deth Red Sabaoth is still only approximation of the original power of Danzig. The album is fettered by decades of decline and executed by less skilled tradesmen. Yet, it is a vast improvement in composition and arrangement. Still, giving credit where credit is due, Deth Red Sabaoth offers a welcome ascent from the basement of the post Def American Danzig.

The strength of the album carries through most, but not all, of the songs, with “On a Wicked Night” and “Black Candy” offering a nice change from the doom-laden Nu-Metal sound of albums past. As a bonus, the cover of Deth Red Sabaoth is the best since the 1988 debut album.

4. Danzig III: How the Gods Kill (1992)

No sane person would argue that any of the previous albums should crack into the top-4. These 4 spots are assured. This is the spot where things get really dicey. Emotions get high… feelings get hurt… and long-held dogma may be challenged.

That all being said, Danzig III How the God’s Kill grabs the number 4 spot. Even at number 4 this is still a phenomenal album. “Godless” might be the greatest concert kick-offs of all time. With Danzig III, the band finally pulled together enough confidence to break out the early blues influence. In fact, the music invokes the feeling of a highly evolved and highly polished version of Samhain. It’s the first album that fully embraces the doom-rock sound.

For the first time, the band sounds like tightly wrapped unit with a vision beyond the influence of Rick Rubin.

While the albums has monsters like “Godless”, “How the Gods Kill” and “Left Hand Black”, it also has some cheese in the form of “Dirty Black Summer” and “Bodies”. “Sistinas” could fall into either category depending on one’s love or disdain for Vegas Danzig. The album cover displaying H.R. Geiger’s the Meister und Margeritha presents a welcome departure from Glenn’s nipples.

Danzig III is a monster album in the company of other monster albums created by the original lineup.

3. Danzig (1988)

Rick Rubin rescued Glenn Danzig from thralls of Samhain fans. He wiped the blood from his devilock and offered him a contract contingent on firing everyone in the band. Glenn successfully held on to Eerie Von’s and  the original Danzig lineup was born.

Many call this the ultimate Danzig album, and it is really freaking good. Being first always carries a bit of mystique but the truth is that Danzig lacks the panache of other albums. In many places it feels like a compromise between Rick Rubin and a punk rocker struggling to find himself. Rubin even ripped a couple of Samhain songs, “Twist of Cain” and “Possession”, to the frame and rebuilt them in his vision. The result is somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle of modern hard-rock, old school death rock and evil infused blues.

The album lacks in complexity and maturity but it perseveres with epic songs like “Soul on Fire” and “End of Time”. Other tracks like “Am I Demon” retain that death rock downstroke vibe. While it would not catch fire at the time, “Mother” eventually became the band’s most well known song. The album cover is perfection, providing a simple statement of exactly what lies within.

If nothing else, Danzig is the pivotal moment in Glenn’s career. Without it, the world might have never known his vocal prowess.

2. Danzig 2: Lucifuge (1990)

Danzig II: Lucifuge marks the epitome of Rick Rubin’s vision. All of the music is tighter and more consistent from cover to cover. Danzig II doesn’t appear to be conflicted with the past. This album dives deeply into the deep dark abyss of evil-infused blues rock. Glenn’s Danzig’s voice is at its most melodic.

The album comes ripping with the four on the floor blues rock juggernaut “Long Way Back From Hell” and follows it up with a blasphemous testament to all things unholy titled “Snakes of Christ”. “I’m the One” might be the most pure original blues track with its minimalist delta blues aesthetic. John Christ comes into his own adding a virtuoso element to otherwise abrasive music.

While Rubin fully captures the power of the band, it has a bit more glitter than I like in my Danzig. Some consider Danzig II to be the absolute peak of his creative output, but I am about to argue the point.

1. Danzig 4 (1994)

Danzig 4 marks the bitter end of one of the greatest metal acts of all time. This would be the last album that featured the John Christ, Eerie Von, Chuck Biscuits and Glenn Danzig together. As time wore on, it seems that Glenn’s abrasive personality wore on the team. Chuck Biscuits left the band abruptly over royalty disputes. Other members left because they did not like Glenn’s increasing reliance on industrial sounds. All of this culminated in the end of the original line-up.

It’s too bad really, because this album is utterly fantastic.

The songs on Danzig 4 show maturity in songwriting and composition. The artful addition of digital production techniques add a melodic texture to an otherwise well established formula. Vocally, Danzig 4 demonstrates some of Glenn’s best work. The arrangement of the album provides a satisfying and cohesive feeling from cover to cover. The audio landscape has depth as the guitars ride on a wave of low-end sonic firmament. The band is a tight as it has ever been. Am I am gushing? I’m gushing.

The album shoots out of a cannon with the ripping “Brand New God” before slowly decaying into slower songs like “Little Whip” and “Cantspeak”. Every song builds on the last. I could list nearly every song as a high point, but “Going Down to Die” and “Bringer of Death” are explosive.

Artistically, this is PEAK Danzig and represent the most evolved music of the Danzig Discography. It never got better than this. This makes it such a shame that the band disintegrated just before it released. Not only is Danzig 4 the best Danzig album of all time, but it deserves consideration as a truly great rock and roll album.