Review Summary: While Danzig 4 has proven to be the most divisive album of the classic era, I find it to be a strong dark horse
Danzig’s fourth installment has a rather strange status in the group’s legacy. It’s the last album to feature the original lineup but whether it can be grouped in with their classic era seems to depend on who you ask. It had a notable hit with “Cantspeak” though its more atypical sound makes for less enduring appeal in the mainstream than something like “Mother.” The fact that it’s also the only Danzig album after the debut to not include some Satanic word salad along with its number reinforces a sort of afterthought attitude behind it.
If How the Gods Kill was a raging tempest, then 4 is more like the calm yet still ominous aftermath. The band retains many of the over-the-top tendencies seen on the last couple albums but sets them to a more melancholic overcast with slower pacing and bleaker lyrics. They also experiment with some different styles as their blues backdrop is given a more gothic sheen, the riffs take on a more doom metal makeup, and they even dabble with industrial on the strange “Sadistikal. Fortunately, the musicianship retains the balanced chemistry that keeps this from being the drastic departure it could’ve been.
Though with that said, go figure that the album kicks off with its most arguably out of place track. “Brand New God” is certainly an interesting number, immediately starting off with held out chords and Danzig briefly offering his usual boasts before going into the punkiest riff set that he’s howled over since the days of Samhain, ultimately closing out on the slow brooding sludge that defines the subsequent tracks. It isn’t anywhere near the epic declaration of “Godless” but manages to be enjoyable once you get used to its disjointed structure.
Once things get properly settled, there are several stellar tracks to work with. “Little Whip” does well to ease into a depressive mood that is then pushed to its most mournful extents on the awesomely melodramatic “Going Down to Die.” “Bringer of Death” and “Son of the Morning Star” are among the album’s strongest doom exercises, the former injecting warped vocal distortion and piano chords for some extra substance to its pummeling riffs while “Son of the Morning Star” is a more methodical slow burn with its gradually intensifying verses and catchy recurring riff making the most of that Sabbath tradition.
However, an hour-ish runtime results in Danzig’s longest album to date and some tracks that admittedly run together. “Cantspeak” is the most literal instance of this in action as its guitar lines are a studio-induced reversal of those on “Let It Be Captured” and both tracks ride on a similar mix of haunting drones and minimalist rhythms. “Dominion” and “I Don’t Mind the Pain” are both driven by somber yet upbeat post-punk pacing with eerily similar introductions, but they manage to divert thanks to the former’s explosive chorus and the latter’s building urgency. It’s strong enough quality for me to enjoy every song, but it’s easy to see why some folks might not stick around for the ritual drones that make up the closing hidden track “Invocation.”
While Danzig 4 has proven to be the most divisive album of the classic era, I find it to be a strong dark horse. Its gradual shift toward an industrial-tinged gothic doom style not only does well to follow up the trajectory of its predecessors but manages to offer its own unique sound. It becomes especially impactful when you consider its place in hindsight, as the unified musicianship and depressive mood take on an even heavier connotation. It’s not the sort of album to recommend for first-time listeners, which makes the minor hit status of “Cantspeak” a little funnier, but it’s in the top three for Danzig as far as I’m concerned. It’s a strong display of majestic sadness just before everything completely unravels…
