Label: Megaforce Release Date: July 3, 2007

Often referred to as "Satan's Favorite Singer" or the "Metal Elvis," Glenn Danzig has been captivating critics and audiences for over three decades. Often the center of controversy, Danzig has maintained a consistent fan base throughout his fluctuating career. Considered by many to be the founding father of the "Horrorpunk" genre, he is one of the few artists that has managed to stray from the punk scene and bring his fans with him. Punk fans will usually turn hostile when an artist decides to "go commercial" or "sell out," but that is not the case with The Misfits and Samhain fans. The aforementioned bands were started by Danzig as early as 1977, and were adept at the two and a half minute thrashfest that punk fans are so appreciative of. But in 1988, Danzig decided to strip himself of the bloody dog collars and started to thrill his followers with a more straight forward style of heavy metal reminiscent of early Black Sabbath, complete with Satanic lyrics and visual themes. The group, appropriately named Danzig, met with great success. The reason so many of his punk fans did not abandoned him and his change in musical style can be debated for weeks, but the quality of his songwriting is undeniably sharp, which might have something to do with it.

This two-disc set offers Danzig fans a look back at some material that just didn't fit on the albums. It's that simple. These aren't b-sides or tunes that weren't good enough to make the cut. The fact is that Glenn Danzig is just too prolific!

The set dishes out songs in chronological order, beginning with "Pain Is Like An Animal" and "When Death Had No Name," which are both excellent tracks that were intended for the first Danzig record in 1988. When I first heard some of these early tracks, I thought the songs were great but was slightly disappointed with their production quality.With the incomparable Rick Rubin producing the '88 Danzig debut, I expected these tracks to be crystal clear. But as I listened to the tracks "in context," I realized that I was digging through Glenn Danzig's virtual closet full of basement tapes, and that excited the hell out of me. Hearing the raw, under-produced urgency in these songs brought the true purpose of this collection to the forefront. This is a collection for the Glenn Danzig fan. This is a huge helping of Glenn Danzig's private stash. I now think the lack of production makes this collection even more exciting. Having a pristine production quality would make this simply another Danzig album, but instead you feel like you're getting treated to something extra special.

The set is loaded with impressive originals of course, but some of the highlights here are the few cover songs that are done. T. Rex's rocker "Buick McKane" takes on a new life as Danzig wails over the incessant guitar riffage. And one of the darkest tracks on the set turns out to be a David Bowie cover. "Cat People" starts out as a slowly creeping black cat, and just as it's back fully arches, the song attacks with an eerie brutality. The cover of The Germs' "Caught In My Eye" has a mundane and rather monotone vocal, which is offset by a snappy and hollow drum sound, making for a unique twist on the original.

Now I didn't love everything in this collection, but nevertheless, I found the stuff that didn't appeal to me to be interesting. A song like "Malefical" was hard on the ears, but I found the sound and arrangement of the song to be fascinating. The vocal track being suppressed, as if sung from under a blanket, really drove the dark theme of the song home. One of the other things I'm not a fan of is the electronic/techno side of Danzig that rears its ugly head every so often. The "Shango Mix" of "Unspeakable" is just a slow moving, pulsing, Nine Inch Nails-type of freestyle whispering. You could chalk it up as innovative I suppose, but it's just not what I'm interested in hearing from Glenn Danzig.

All in all, this is quite a gift from Glenn Danzig. There are 26 songs here that were pulled up from the depths of Danzig's heap of unfinished compositions. Every fan of Glenn Danzig and his work will praise him for taking the time to assemble this package and get it released, myself being one of them. Many times these "Lost Tracks"-type of albums are loaded with bits and pieces of inferior work that just adds up to one or two keepers. This collection is not one of those. These discs are chock full of great Danzig songs. This is surely a must for every Danzig fan.

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