Danzig III: How the Gods Kill
Third studio album by Danzig, their highest-charting release to that point.
Danzig III: How the Gods Kill is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig. Released in 1992 on Def American Recordings, it became the band's highest-charting album at the time. The album was reissued in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Danzig
- Released
- July 14, 1992
- Recorded
- November 1991 – April 1992
- Studio
- Record Plant; Hollywood Sound Recorders
- Genre
- Heavy metal; blues rock
- Length
- 49:12
- Label
- Def American
- Producer
- Glenn Danzig; Rick Rubin
Facts from the source article.
Music and recording
The album broadened the band's sound, drawing on Glenn Danzig's fascination with pre-rock blues and pop. It blended the styles of Willie Dixon, Roy Orbison, and Howlin' Wolf into something described as both deeply menacing and deeply human. Dixon had agreed to play on "Heart of the Devil" but passed away before the session. Request magazine observed that the record mixed gothic atmosphere with Top 40 soul, and that Danzig's singing had much less of a country-rockabilly drawl than on the first two albums. Bassist Eerie Von called it the band's finest work, with the group at its peak and able to lay down most basic tracks in just a couple of takes. Guitarist John Christ said a lot of effort went into nailing the guitar tones; for the softer sections of "Anything," "Sistinas," and the title track, he used a Stratocaster that had belonged to Jeff Beck. AllMusic noted that "Sistinas" and the title track tried to make the music as dark as Danzig's lyrics, moving away from the blues riffs used elsewhere. The title song is about searching for knowledge and understanding yourself. Christ called it a tough piece to write and record because of its many volume shifts and guitar tone changes. A hissing sound from a noisy vocal preamp was left in the intro because Danzig's vocal take was too good to replace. "Dirty Black Summer" was the first single, inspired by Danzig's own teenage summers. Both that song and the title track became hits and stayed in the band's live set.
Artwork and packaging
The album's cover features a 1976 painting by Swiss artist H. R. Giger titled Meister und Margeritha, referencing Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita. For this release, Giger altered the original artwork by hiding the Master's erect penis behind a dagger that displays his own version of the Danzig skull emblem. That skull design later appeared on T-shirts and the single "Dirty Black Summer." Like the band's other three albums with its original members, this one received a Parental Advisory sticker, later updated with a "strong language" warning, even though the lyrics contain no profanity. A limited-edition CD longbox came with an embossed version of the Giger art; the CD inside had a different cover showing a band photo and included a VHS tape featuring the uncensored "How the Gods Kill" music video.
Reception
AllMusic called the album "arguably the definitive Danzig album" and noted it continues to expand the band's musical range. Rolling Stone wrote that Danzig the group had evolved into a resourceful, tightly meshed unit embodying the best in contemporary hard rock while displaying originality that transcends genres. Hit Parader stated the album is too unrelenting to break into the mainstream but praised the band for playing metal as it was meant to be played. Trouser Press described it as a roaring slab of leathery rock, highlighting "Do You Wear the Mark" and "Heart of the Devil" as examples of Danzig's interest in dark topics, and called "Sistinas" a ridiculous croony gothic ballad; the review concluded that the album is economical, efficient, and great bleak fun. Bob Mack of Spin found the band too goofy to be taken seriously as regular rockers but not goofy enough for cartoon metal, and said the lyrics to "Heart of the Devil" caused him to roll his eyes; he complimented "Left Hand Black" and called "Sistinas" the best Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song since OMD's 1984 LP Junk Culture. Daina Darzin of Request praised the solidly crafted melodies, lush malevolent power, Danzig's expressive voice, and John Christ's guitar work, though she cited lyrics to "Heart of the Devil" as an exception. Pitchfork described it as the album that lived up to the mighty image Danzig had built, and said later albums did not live up to this. In a career retrospective, Cam Lindsay of Exclaim! rated it Glenn Danzig's second best album.
Music videos
Four songs from the album had music videos: "How the Gods Kill", "Dirty Black Summer", "Bodies", and "Sistinas". Glenn Danzig directed all but "Dirty Black Summer", which Anton Corbijn directed. A live version of "Left Hand Black" was also released. The "How the Gods Kill" video appeared on Beavis and Butt-Head in the episode "Scientific Stuff". All these videos appear on the Archive de la Morte DVD. A documentary filmed during the album's creation has not been released.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Danzig III: How the Gods Kill released?
Danzig III: How the Gods Kill was released on July 14, 1992.
Who produced Danzig III: How the Gods Kill?
Danzig III: How the Gods Kill was produced by Glenn Danzig and Rick Rubin.
How long is Danzig III: How the Gods Kill?
Danzig III: How the Gods Kill runs 49:12.
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