Danzig 4
Encyclopedia
Danzig 4p is the fourth studio album
by Danzig
. It was released in 1994 on American Recordings following 1993's highly successful Thrall: Demonsweatlive
EP
and singer Glenn Danzig
's 1992 instrumental solo effort, Black Aria
.
(guitar), Eerie Von
(bass), and Chuck Biscuits
(drums). Shortly after the album had been recorded, Biscuits left the band, returned, and was finally fired. Just prior to the album's release he was replaced by Joey Castillo
. Eerie Von and Christ also intended to leave the band, but decided to stay for the remainder of the tour supporting the album and left the band on July 5th the following year.
and Sound City studio in California.
During the song writing process for the album, Glenn Danzig recorded his basic ideas onto a microcassette
. The process continued with Glenn Danzig and John Christ working on guitar parts, before the next stage of Eerie Von and Chuck Biscuits jamming
to it.
The album is more experimental than its predecessors, and Glenn Danzig described it as “A very challenging record, philosophically, vocally and musically.” The band introduced different instruments and used a few industrial
sounds in the background of some tracks. Christ explained “We wanted to introduce some new textures into the band, so we experimented with several older, exotic acoustic instruments, including a harmonium
, a recorder and wind chimes.”
Christ also experimented with his guitar sound: “The big difference on this album in terms of my playing is how I use sound and texture. I experimented with several different types of stereo chorusing
and pitch-shifting
. For example, my tone on "Son of the Morning Star" constantly evolves throughout the song.” Christ explained the song structure of "Son of the Morning Star" in more detail: “We actually start out with jazz chords and a funky jazz beat. All of a sudden, we kick into this heavy riff pattern. Then we come back to the original jazz feel, but in a rock version.”
Biscuits preferred the drum sound captured on Danzig 4p to the drum sound on his previous Danzig recordings: “I've had problems with the drum sounds on previous records. They've been too flat, too controlled. In the past, Rick [Rubin] has been into that dry, tight AC/DC
sound. This one was looser, with more spaces, more noise.”
The lyrics to the song "Cantspeak" provide a depiction of helpless desperation. Inspired by accusations that their songs contained hidden Satanic messages, the guitar tracks for "Cantspeak" are those of "Let It Be Captured" played in reverse, as Christ explained: “Eerie Von had the idea of playing one of our songs backwards...we recorded whole guitar solo and drum parts backwards in the songs on this record. In the end we were so obsessed on this that we were trying to really play the whole song "Let It Be Captured" backwards. Therefore a new song was created - "Cantspeak".”
Glenn Danzig has stated that the song "Going Down to Die" was written about “knowing you're gonna die and dying....some people know they're going to die. They sense it, and they do die. I've known when other people are going to die, and they died.” He also revealed that at one point there were plans for the song to be included on the Natural Born Killers
film soundtrack.
The CD release ends with an unlisted hidden thirteenth track. According to an interview with Glenn Danzig, the track is titled "Invocation" and is “about a demon fucking somebody.” "Invocation" includes a Gregorian chant
, and instrumental tracks that are unique to the song, but reversed, as is Glenn Danzig's spoken introduction: "All right, let's hear it back". There are several blank tracks before "Invocation", so that it is numbered track 66. CD players that display the "current track number" and "total disc time elapsed" in minutes thus read 66 61:38 on the display as the final track starts. This is perhaps an intentional reference to The Number of the Beast and the song "We Are 138
" that Danzig wrote during his days in the Misfits. "Invocation" is not included on the cassette or vinyl versions of the album.
Although the songs "Crucifixion Destruction" and "White Devil Rise" were mentioned in interviews and articles throughout 1994, with Danzig even discussing the latter in some detail, neither song was included on the final version of the album. Along with another outtake from the same sessions, "The Mandrake's Cry", these were finally released in 2007 on the first disc of The Lost Tracks of Danzig
(with "Crucifixion Destruction" under its correct title, "Satan's Crucifiction").
wrapper. To the right of the "4" he added a tiny letter "p", in reference to the Four P Movement. The following information on the album title was supplied by American Recordings in 1994:
Though it is properly titled Danzig 4p, the band members themselves usually refer to it as Danzig 4. The CD itself and the labels on the vinyl LP also state the title as being simply Danzig 4.
The liner notes contain a panoramic picture of the four band members in propped up coffins, flanked by Secret Service
men, as a Bill Clinton
impersonator shakes hands with a police officer wielding a shotgun. The photo is reminiscent of a 19th century photograph of dead outlaws on display. Glenn Danzig would later reveal that the FBI
considered him a threat to Clinton, the American President at the time of the album release. The liner notes also include a yin yang
symbol incorporating the Danzig skull, by artist Michael William Kaluta
.
The first pressings of the album were sold in a distinctive cardboard sleeve, which Glenn Danzig claimed was more like that of an old-fashioned LP
and more environmentally-friendly than the common plastic CD jewel case. Since this initial release of the album, its cardboard packaging has been replaced by the jewel case.
Like Danzig's previous three albums, Danzig 4 has been labeled with a Parental Advisory
(originally in the form of a sticker until the repackaging in the jewel case) since its initial pressings, despite the absence of common profanity.
"Cantspeak" was produced by the underground director Fred Stuhr, known for his work with the band Tool
, and uses a mixture of live-action performance and computer-assisted animation. Discussing the video, Stuhr explained “I wanted to create a sense of someone being trapped, someone who can't speak. He's not alive or dead. He's just an ideal, a soul, an existence floating in and out of this time, this reality.” The "Cantspeak" music video appeared on Beavis and Butt-head
, in the episode "Animation Sucks".
"Until You Call on the Dark" marked Chuck Biscuits' final music video appearance with Danzig. The music video was initially rejected by MTV's Standards and Practices department due to its lyrical content.
Joey Castillo appears in Biscuits' place in the music videos for "Cantspeak" and "I Don't Mind the Pain".
All music videos from the album are featured on Danzig's Il Demonio Nera
DVD.
Singles
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
. It was released in 1994 on American Recordings following 1993's highly successful Thrall: Demonsweatlive
Thrall: Demonsweatlive
Thrall - Demonsweatlive is an EP by Danzig. It was released in 1993 on Def American Recordings.-Music and recording:The EP is split into two sections. The first section, Thrall, consists of three new studio recordings that were tracked live and completed by the band in a single day...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and singer Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
's 1992 instrumental solo effort, Black Aria
Black Aria
Black Aria is an instrumental album composed by Glenn Danzig, the vocalist/songwriter for Danzig and previously of Samhain and the Misfits. Released in 1992, the album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard classical chart. This original release was on Danzig's old Misfits-era label, Plan 9 Records,...
.
Background
Danzig 4p is notable as the band's final album on American Recordings, and as the last to feature the original lineup of John ChristJohn Christ
John Christ, born John Wolfgang Knoll on , is a musician best known as the original guitarist for the metal band Danzig. He has been known for his bluesy metal sound and frequent use of the pinch harmonic...
(guitar), Eerie Von
Eerie Von
Eerie Von, born Eric Stellman on is a musician best known as the original bassist for the metal band Danzig. Eerie Von's preferred bass is the Fender Jazz.-Early life:...
(bass), and Chuck Biscuits
Chuck Biscuits
Chuck Biscuits is a Canadian-born drummer, now a U.S. citizen, who is best known as an original member of the heavy metal/hard rock band Danzig. Most recently, he was a member of the punk rock band Social Distortion in the late 1990s...
(drums). Shortly after the album had been recorded, Biscuits left the band, returned, and was finally fired. Just prior to the album's release he was replaced by Joey Castillo
Joey Castillo
Joseph Willam "Joey" Castillo is an American drummer currently playing with Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal...
. Eerie Von and Christ also intended to leave the band, but decided to stay for the remainder of the tour supporting the album and left the band on July 5th the following year.
Music and recording
Danzig 4p was recorded at Ocean WayOcean Way Recording
Ocean Way Recording is the name of a series of recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Ocean Way Studios is well known in the recording industry due to the award-winning albums that were produced there....
and Sound City studio in California.
During the song writing process for the album, Glenn Danzig recorded his basic ideas onto a microcassette
Microcassette
A Microcassette is an audio storage medium introduced by Olympus in 1969. It uses the same width of magnetic tape as the Compact Cassette but in a much smaller container. By using thinner tape and half or a quarter the tape speed, microcassettes can offer comparable recording time to the compact...
. The process continued with Glenn Danzig and John Christ working on guitar parts, before the next stage of Eerie Von and Chuck Biscuits jamming
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
to it.
The album is more experimental than its predecessors, and Glenn Danzig described it as “A very challenging record, philosophically, vocally and musically.” The band introduced different instruments and used a few industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
sounds in the background of some tracks. Christ explained “We wanted to introduce some new textures into the band, so we experimented with several older, exotic acoustic instruments, including a harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, a recorder and wind chimes.”
Christ also experimented with his guitar sound: “The big difference on this album in terms of my playing is how I use sound and texture. I experimented with several different types of stereo chorusing
Chorus effect
In music, a chorus effect occurs when individual sounds with roughly the same timbre and nearly the same pitch converge and are perceived as one...
and pitch-shifting
Pitch shift
Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval are called "pitch shifters" or "pitch benders".-Pitch/time shifting:...
. For example, my tone on "Son of the Morning Star" constantly evolves throughout the song.” Christ explained the song structure of "Son of the Morning Star" in more detail: “We actually start out with jazz chords and a funky jazz beat. All of a sudden, we kick into this heavy riff pattern. Then we come back to the original jazz feel, but in a rock version.”
Biscuits preferred the drum sound captured on Danzig 4p to the drum sound on his previous Danzig recordings: “I've had problems with the drum sounds on previous records. They've been too flat, too controlled. In the past, Rick [Rubin] has been into that dry, tight AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
sound. This one was looser, with more spaces, more noise.”
The lyrics to the song "Cantspeak" provide a depiction of helpless desperation. Inspired by accusations that their songs contained hidden Satanic messages, the guitar tracks for "Cantspeak" are those of "Let It Be Captured" played in reverse, as Christ explained: “Eerie Von had the idea of playing one of our songs backwards...we recorded whole guitar solo and drum parts backwards in the songs on this record. In the end we were so obsessed on this that we were trying to really play the whole song "Let It Be Captured" backwards. Therefore a new song was created - "Cantspeak".”
Glenn Danzig has stated that the song "Going Down to Die" was written about “knowing you're gonna die and dying....some people know they're going to die. They sense it, and they do die. I've known when other people are going to die, and they died.” He also revealed that at one point there were plans for the song to be included on the Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers is a 1994 crime/black comedy film directed by Oliver Stone about two victims of traumatic childhoods who became lovers and psychopathic serial killers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media...
film soundtrack.
The CD release ends with an unlisted hidden thirteenth track. According to an interview with Glenn Danzig, the track is titled "Invocation" and is “about a demon fucking somebody.” "Invocation" includes a Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
, and instrumental tracks that are unique to the song, but reversed, as is Glenn Danzig's spoken introduction: "All right, let's hear it back". There are several blank tracks before "Invocation", so that it is numbered track 66. CD players that display the "current track number" and "total disc time elapsed" in minutes thus read 66 61:38 on the display as the final track starts. This is perhaps an intentional reference to The Number of the Beast and the song "We Are 138
Collection II
Collection II is the companion album to The Misfits' Collection I. Both compilations collect all the early singles and the entire Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood album, and are meant to complement Walk Among Us and Legacy of Brutality with little overlap...
" that Danzig wrote during his days in the Misfits. "Invocation" is not included on the cassette or vinyl versions of the album.
Although the songs "Crucifixion Destruction" and "White Devil Rise" were mentioned in interviews and articles throughout 1994, with Danzig even discussing the latter in some detail, neither song was included on the final version of the album. Along with another outtake from the same sessions, "The Mandrake's Cry", these were finally released in 2007 on the first disc of The Lost Tracks of Danzig
The Lost Tracks of Danzig
The Lost Tracks of Danzig is a compilation album by American heavy metal band Danzig. The set showcases a number of previously-unreleased Danzig songs, ranging from the band's first recording sessions in 1987-88 until the sessions for Danzig's 2004 studio album, Circle of Snakes.-Background:Glenn...
(with "Crucifixion Destruction" under its correct title, "Satan's Crucifiction").
Album title
In various 1994-95 interviews, Danzig explained that he did not wish to give the album a title, as he felt that a logo or printing would ruin the artwork, which he wished to stand on its own. After pressure from representatives from American Recordings, who did not want to release an unlabeled album for fear that sales would plummet, Danzig relented and allowed a sticker reading "Danzig 4" to be placed on the album's cellophaneCellophane
Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria and water makes it useful for food packaging...
wrapper. To the right of the "4" he added a tiny letter "p", in reference to the Four P Movement. The following information on the album title was supplied by American Recordings in 1994:
Though it is properly titled Danzig 4p, the band members themselves usually refer to it as Danzig 4. The CD itself and the labels on the vinyl LP also state the title as being simply Danzig 4.
Artwork and packaging
The album cover features artwork by Glenn Danzig. Glenn Danzig has referred to the symbols on the album cover as "Vehmic runes" that spell out "Danzig". They were taken from the alphabet of a secret tribunal group from Medieval Germany called the Vehmgericht.The liner notes contain a panoramic picture of the four band members in propped up coffins, flanked by Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
men, as a Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
impersonator shakes hands with a police officer wielding a shotgun. The photo is reminiscent of a 19th century photograph of dead outlaws on display. Glenn Danzig would later reveal that the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
considered him a threat to Clinton, the American President at the time of the album release. The liner notes also include a yin yang
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
symbol incorporating the Danzig skull, by artist Michael William Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S...
.
The first pressings of the album were sold in a distinctive cardboard sleeve, which Glenn Danzig claimed was more like that of an old-fashioned LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and more environmentally-friendly than the common plastic CD jewel case. Since this initial release of the album, its cardboard packaging has been replaced by the jewel case.
Like Danzig's previous three albums, Danzig 4 has been labeled with a Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
(originally in the form of a sticker until the repackaging in the jewel case) since its initial pressings, despite the absence of common profanity.
Reception
- Allmusic - "Danzig's experiments with using texture and atmosphere to evoke their trademark mood of darkness and evil come to the forefront on their fourth full-length album...the music here comes the closest to reflecting the darkness of Glenn Danzig's lyrics. Some, however, may miss their more energetic earlier albums."
- College Music JournalCollege Music JournalCollege Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
- "Maintaining a mysterious, dark and primal attitude seems to come easy to Danzig, as the group proves itself once again on Danzig 4. Danzig 4 is definitely not for the meek."
- QQ (magazine)Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
- "A little more diversity and a significant tightening up of the songwriting quality has resulted in a dark, moody, and at times powerfully evocative album."
- Request Magazine - "The brooding melancholy of 4 never lets up, aided by the stripped-down coproduction of Rick Rubin. The guitar and vocal distortion adds a psychedelic otherworldly touch while bringing the music back to the rawness of Danzig's garage-punk roots. A Danzig album is always fascinating because the band sounds like no other in hard rock today."
Music videos
Music videos were released for the songs "Until You Call on the Dark", "I Don't Mind the Pain", "Cantspeak" and "Sadistikal"."Cantspeak" was produced by the underground director Fred Stuhr, known for his work with the band Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, and uses a mixture of live-action performance and computer-assisted animation. Discussing the video, Stuhr explained “I wanted to create a sense of someone being trapped, someone who can't speak. He's not alive or dead. He's just an ideal, a soul, an existence floating in and out of this time, this reality.” The "Cantspeak" music video appeared on Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
, in the episode "Animation Sucks".
"Until You Call on the Dark" marked Chuck Biscuits' final music video appearance with Danzig. The music video was initially rejected by MTV's Standards and Practices department due to its lyrical content.
Joey Castillo appears in Biscuits' place in the music videos for "Cantspeak" and "I Don't Mind the Pain".
All music videos from the album are featured on Danzig's Il Demonio Nera
Il Demonio Nera
Il Demonio Nera is the title of the second DVD released by Glenn Danzig's band Danzig...
DVD.
Track listing
Credits
- Glenn DanzigGlenn DanzigGlenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
- Vocals, Guitar, Piano - John ChristJohn ChristJohn Christ, born John Wolfgang Knoll on , is a musician best known as the original guitarist for the metal band Danzig. He has been known for his bluesy metal sound and frequent use of the pinch harmonic...
- Guitar - Eerie VonEerie VonEerie Von, born Eric Stellman on is a musician best known as the original bassist for the metal band Danzig. Eerie Von's preferred bass is the Fender Jazz.-Early life:...
- Bass - Chuck BiscuitsChuck BiscuitsChuck Biscuits is a Canadian-born drummer, now a U.S. citizen, who is best known as an original member of the heavy metal/hard rock band Danzig. Most recently, he was a member of the punk rock band Social Distortion in the late 1990s...
- Drums
Production
- Producers - Glenn Danzig, Rick RubinRick RubinFrederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
- Engineers - Jim Scott, Ken Lomas
- Mastering - Stephen Marcussen
- Artwork - Glenn Danzig (Cover art), Michael William KalutaMichael William KalutaMichael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S...
(Interior yin-yang "angel/skull") - Photography - Dirk Walter
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
29 |
| 1994 | Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
36 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Cantspeak" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 39 |