26/08/2004 
Intro : Wotans Procession
Skincarver
Circle of Snakes
1000 Devils reign
Skull Forrest
When we were dead
Night be Sodom
My Darkness
Netherbound
Black Angel, white Angel
Glenn Danzig - vocals, keys, guitars
Tommy Victor - lead guitar
Jerry Montano - bass
Bevan Davies - drums
distributed in Switzerland by Irascible Distribution
review by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo____
review - Circle of Snakes is announced as the darkest work from Danzig. There is surely a pronounced dark tone, mainly applied to a kind of Heavy Metal highly mixed with Blues-Rock in full American concept. Circle of Snakes is quite different from albums who have delivered us tracks like Black Mass, or Unspeakable. Here the Rock ingredients are stronger, full of reminiscences for 70's and the 80's; sometimes streams of Blues indeed surface too. Distortions are in a middle way between new Type of Negative and very old Black Sabbath and very old Deep Purple , actually the influences from Black Sabbath and Deep Purple's rhythms and inspirations are more stronger than what it can seem at a first listening. In Circle of Snakes all this is mixed with Danzig pounding rhythmic session and his unmistakable vocals that here appear even more "alcoholic" and false-unwilling than the usual, but (sorry) without much energy. Though Glenn actually delivers a varied range of tones. The pounding rhythmic session, that has been always a distinguishing mark of Danzig, still remains the more faithful and successful sector. Lead solos are good and very agreeable too (see Axe-man Tommy Victor of Prong).
The main negative fact is that 3 tracks in the first part of the album are a total flop (the title track
Circle of Snakes + 1000 Devils reign and Skull
Forrest) , moreover, imo, all songs are a bit repetitive, some in a "agreeable way" , some others
not, not even Skincarver. In spite of a superficial mask there is not much original and deep in this album, nevertheless some tracks can be appreciated by all and can
be included in a metalhead's playlist. Obviously, you can see things in a different way if you're more Rock oriented than me.
Personal taste remains personal taste. But my fav tracks are When we were dead , My Darkness, Netherbound , Black Angel ,
white Angel. The instrumental-chorus intro is a thing different from all the rest , in
itself very positive.
And let's begin in fact with Wotans
Procession: an intro that is totally
"per se". Pounding and ritual, a bit repetitive but
full of
effect, with light choirs and
guitars distorted
in Type o Negative style
. This track with its ritual appeal remains a bit isolated
if compared with the body of the album, though under the
conceptual point a view it can represent a valid beginning. A very
cool track however!
Skincarver
is one of the heaviest
tracks,
with an enthralling beginning, therefore Skincarver promises much but
doesn't keep all these enthusiastic promises. A moment of force
however, a launch in which Danzig's heaviness tries to give their best.
Pity that , though not perfect, is followed by even worse tracks and
precisely 3 ones.
The titletrack Circle of
Snakes is one of the biggest disappointments of this album, at least for me.
Based on Rock mid tempo -rhythm with a recurrent use of awesome strokes of overdriven guitar and typical rock solos it shows however only easy and cheap hooklines, that
re-put us violently (and doesn't matter the modern arrangement) back to a certain 70's 80's
atmosphere without adding that much to anything. If you're not a huge rock fan it will be good only for the skipping . the same i could say for the following 1000 Devils reign that inspite of a more pounding rock structure and a pretty refrain (this must be underlined) it is not that
exceptional: catchy yes , but easy enough and nothing more. Moreover in these 2 songs
Danzig's vocal sound absolutely disagreeable at my ears and sometimes
even boring.
And if we speak about boredom nothing in this album can beat the first part of
Skull
Forrest ,
that
apart a good final enhanced with a nice refrain and a climax in despair, lets
you die of exasperation and boredom in this first part that has the aim to sound like
full of emptiness, but the result is almost unbearable.
When we were dead wants communicate us a sense of heavy distorted fear with a touch of nocturnal metropolitan slow- rock, united with a sophisticated subtle eroticism and i must say that the result finally is excellent. Vocals too seem to get finally more power.
Night be
Sodom rocks a lot
(in the best way of the term)with a catchy though again very easy refrain. it is played tight heavy
, pressing . In the refrain the word Night is sung with force and
gets the total foreground, while "be Sodom" becomes almost an
inaudible whisper. Very good and let's hope well!
My Darkness is very gloomy and asphyxiating with its mighty hammering mid tempo-
Rock/Heavy Metal . it seems that Danzig don't derail any more.
Yes, from now on the album is getting the top of the slope: the imo
irrefutable conclusion is easy to be taken: the second part of the album is far
and far better than the first one.
The again heavy and gloomy
Netherbound is very interesting, more original, extremely
cadenced: it is an attractive poison.
Its guitars are very atmospheric though always rock
oriented. It is a really dark track for what this
musical direction can produce. Black Angel, White
Angel is the best way to close this CD:
oh! the Heavy Metal tendency finally gets the advantage, with a lot
of rhythmic energy.
In conclusion i am a bit disappointed by this new Danzig, i really don't know
how the fans can react. But if you like a
Heavy Metal with not many deep musical phrases but with a tight and pounding and gloomy
almost blues_y , old fashioned Rock, proposed in a revamped dress, well
... in that case you can only jump from joy. And even more knowing that
the sound quality is excellent.
rating: 7/10
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