Review Summary: The perfect soundtrack for a particularly intense thunderstorm
Danzig may have been a metal band from their inception, but they never sounded so thoroughly heavy as they do with 1992’s How the Gods Kill. It’s certainly the classic lineup’s most aggressive outing, as Lucifuge’s full production is diverted to foster harder-hitting drums and more furious guitar playing while their theatrical tendencies are pushed even further from old-timey caricatures to a more unified grandiose horror metal spectacle. The vocals also somehow manage to be even more over the top than they already were, the last traces of subtlety thrown out in favor of more melismatic drawls, wails during even the quietest songs, and more gravelly inflections that verge on an operatic Tom Waits parody.
These elements are best demonstrated on the opening “Godless,” which remains the group’s longest and most epic track to this day. It immediately grabs the listener’s attention with an explosive array of swelling guitars before engaging in a tug ‘o war between drawn out verses and faster escalations that culminate in a spoken word finish offering an ominous toast. It plays out like an exaggeration of Black Sabbath’s self-titled song, channeling a similar vibe of facing a haunting unknown with its slow/fast dynamics set to wilder extremes. Danzig’s near constant howling will be an understandable turnoff for some listeners, but it makes a memorable impression.
Such an astounding opener risks blowing the rest of the album out of the water, but several tracks manage to preserve its atmosphere. “Anything” and the title track utilize a similar building formula on decidedly more compact scales, featuring more subdued verses that can be downright unsettling in the right mood and filling those heavier segments with vibrant guitar work and driving rhythms. “Sistinas” also does well as the album’s token ballad, coming close to another crooner pastiche ala “Blood and Tears” but ultimately featuring a unique execution thanks to its creeping guitar and synths.
On the flip side, there are enough straightforward rockers to keep the pacing brisk and the hooks catchy. “Bodies” and “Heart of the Devil” are bluesy exercises with the former featuring a rare bass spotlight with its bouncy riff lifted from Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times” (which itself is a bunch of Howlin’ Wolf songs thrown into a blender, but I digress) and the latter drives a brawny shuffle with the most glorious display of cheesy testosterone you’ll ever see. “Dirty Black Summer” served as the album’s closest thing to a hit with its simple mid-tempo chugs while “Left Hand Black” and “Do You Wear the Mark” serve as the fastest metal ventures. The closing “When the Dying Calls” admittedly feels out of place with its filtered vocals and more restrained fuzz groove, but it’s got a fun vibe with a memorable chorus.
I am frequently torn on whether Lucifuge or How the Gods Kill is my favorite Danzig album as both are practically perfect in my eyes. The former certainly deserves props for its unique blues metal fusion but this album’s much heavier execution, charging pace, and greater bombast result in a more immediate listen. The band taking their over-the-top elements beyond their limits may make it even more of an acquired taste, but I can still remember how much it caught me off guard when I first heard it. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a particularly intense evening thunderstorm and even if the cheese takes away some of the horror, there is no denying its sheer power.
