Rocktober Album #20: Danzig – Thrall: Demonsweatlive (1993)

Glenn Danzig (not to be confused with Glenn Gdańsk), of course, was the lead singer of macabre punk rockers The Misfits and then Samhain. He is best known for being jacked and not wearing shirts, although he has also been famously cold cocked. After Samhain, he switched from punk to metal with the formation of his eponymous band.

Produced by Rick Rubin, Thrall: Demonsweatlive is, like G N' R Lies, a hybrid studio/live album. Half of the album is in the studio, and the other half is live. Many of the songs have bluesy undertones, and, appropriately, the live songs were recorded during a 1992 Halloween show.

The cover art is enough to make a man go sterile. Is that a maenad?

1. It's Coming Down
This is a nice, hard start to the album, with a heavy riff and powerful vocals. I don't know what's coming down, but I assume he's probably referring to Christmas decorations on December 26.
2. The Violent Fire
This one is a little slower-paced, but equally as heavy. It definitely has a horror blues-rock feel to it, and that description should make some sense when you hear it.
3. Trouble
This is an old Lieber & Stoller tune that Elvis sung in the movie King Creole. Of course, Danzig's version is darker than the original.
4. Snakes of Christ (live)
This is probably my second-favorite song on the album. It's got a great riff. And for you religious nuts out there, it talks about Jesus.
5. Am I Demon (live)
This song asks the age-old line of questions, "Am I human? Am I demon? Am I just like you?" The answer for me is yes, no, and no. Frankly, I'm not sure how you can answer the first two questions in the affirmative, as they appear to be contradictory. And then, if you do, the third question would still probably be a "no," unless you were talking to another de-man hybrid. (See what I did there? Man, I love combining words.)
6. Sistinas (live)
This is a ballad, if you can believe that. It showcases Danzig's voice (which is actually pretty good and often gets overshadowed by the guitars and the anger), and it almost sounds like a Morrissey song in some parts.
7. Mother (live)
This is the song that catapulted Danzig from the fringes to MTV.
93. Mother '93
For those of you who still own CDs (I am one), the remixed studio version of "Mother" is the hidden 93rd track. For those of you who download albums, it will just be the eighth song. What's the fun in that? Anyway, "Mother" was originally recorded on the band's 1988 debut album, Danzig, it was remixed for this album based on the early success of the album, and was included from the fourth pressing on. Obviously, this is Danzig's most popular song and has become a metal classic. Some of the lines are just delightfully evil. "Not about to see your light / But if you wanna find hell with me / I can show you what's it's like / 'Til you're bleeding." "Mother, tell your children not to hold my hand / Tell your children not to understand." Oh, mother!

Interesting tidbits:
1. Glenn Danzig has written songs for Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash.
2. The time on the CD between the live version of "Mother" and "Mother '93" is 7 minutes and 6 seconds, or 6 minutes and 66 seconds.

Of course, Playlist.com only had a few of the songs, so deal with it.