M.E.A.T Magazine, 7/92
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METAL ON THE RISE
By Metal Tim Henderson

   Danzig's underlying interest in, or fear of, the unknown--that dark 
   and silent entity--keeps frontman Glenn Danzig and his band--guitarist 
   John Christ, bassist Eerie Von, and Canadian-born drummer Chuck 
   Biscuits--remaining mysteriously attractive, and successful. The 
   shroud of mystery and presupposition that bestows this act left me 
   feeling like the proverbial lamb going to the slaughter while doing 
   this interview.

   As Danzig approaches worldwide status, the anticipation surrounding 
   DANZIG III--HOW THE GODS KILL has been truly stunning. Yet this Def 
   American/Warner release was slated for early spring, but delayed, as 
   their US label is currently busy with the latest hit from the Black 
   Crowes. Will this affect the Danzig album?
   
   "It's hard to tell exactly," states John Christ. "Timing is a tricky 
   thing because originally we wanted the record out in April, so we 
   could tour in the summer. Even though it got pushed back, it's not 
   necessarily a bad thing."
   
   From the grinding Sabbath-esque intro of "Godless" to the psychedelic 
   grittyness of "Bodies", How The Gods Kill is an electrifying album 
   that will throw a dark shadow on your brightest day. Danzig have 
   managed to distance themselves away from the listener, as Glenn has, 
   in his eerie and diabolical writing style, left many holes for the 
   imagination to fill. A more intense and evil record than its two 
   predecessors, its hidden mysteries are unleashed around a spectacle 
   of raw guitars, drooling bass, and Glenn's deep-throated vocals. Christ 
   revels in it's gloominess.
   
   "I think the dark feel is intentional.When we're writing songs we want 
   dark tones, dark chords and melodies. Our thing is to capture the 
   essence of what we are, and what we're all about. Each song is its 
   own entity, its own certain thing. Fortunately, Glenn produced the 
   record, so he gave us a lot of freedom, especially in the mixing and 
   stuff. There's a lot of playing around, trying stuff that we've never 
   done before to make it sound bigger, louder, and closer to what we 
   sound like live. We added a bit more keyboard this time for mood and 
   effect to enhance the harmony, but I think it falls well within the 
   boundaries."
   
   Is the band happy with the final product? "I'm satisfied with it," 
   states Chist, "but every time I listen to it I'm always being critical 
   of my performance. But this is much closer to what we wanted to do when 
   Danzig was formed five years ago. We're really happy with the power and 
   aggressiveness. It's like a heavy rock album.
   
   "We wanted this to be an electric album," Christ continues. "The first 
   two albums did pretty well, but we wanted this to be the heavy Danzig 
   album that everybody was going to get to hear--we know that this is a 
   pivotal album for us. We wanted it to be different from everything that 
   was going on out there, but still retain the same mood that we've been 
   holding since the beginning."
   
   And the same religious overtones, for which they're known. "There are 
   some religious references and stuff like that with the dark side of 
   man," says Chist. "We have a history with that type of thing, as Glenn 
   is fascinated with the Old Testament--angels, arc angels, and Satan. 
   But Glenn puts out titles and lyrics that are ambiguous so they're open 
   to interpretation. I find with Glenn that it's often helpful to know 
   the lyrics pretty well, then listen to the way that he sings them--
   that's where he leaves clues for you. Then you're on your own."
   
   As for the direct admission, Christ manages to deflect the bands 
   connection with the demonic. "The more specific the answer you want, 
   the more specific the question must be," Christ challenges me. 
   "Obviously we do get asked our beliefs. If you want to know if we're 
   really psychos or devil-worshippers and all that kind of stuff...well, 
   no. But I can tell you this--when you put the band together as a unit, 
   especially in a performance or public situation, sometimes things can 
   happen. I'm going to sort of leave it at that. If people have a 
   problem with it, that's not our problem.
   
   "We have a lot of interests," continues Christ, "that I'm not about 
   to tell you that may freak people out. But we aren't about flaunt our 
   philosophies and beliefs. If you want to know what we're about then 
   analyze the lyrics and music 'cause it's all in there. I don't have 
   to explain myself to anybody."
   
   At present, Danzig are slated for a few US dates with Black Sabbath 
   in July/August, with a headlining North American tour following. 
   Primarily a live concert act, Christ describes their show as "a barely 
   contained power--a tension ready to blow wide open at any second. You're 
   never quite sure when it's going to happen, but it always does. 
   Sometimes it explodes right from the very first note. It's very intense. 
   Glenn has a real charismatic and aggressive personality. The fans just 
   feed off that. The music just enhances the whole vibe."
   
   As their radio/video potential becomes more imminent, (the first 
   release is the straight-ahead rocker "Dirty Black Summer") the ultimate 
   success of the band doesn't seem to phase them.
   
   "Superstardom is not a major priority on our list," Christ says. "We, 
   historically, haven't gotten any easy breaks. So we're going to continue 
   to slug it out like we've been doing, and we appreciate our fans behind 
   us. So all the people who had problems with us in the past won't have 
   any choice but to conform to our fans desire. We're not going away."