We could all see the cover art: a barely-clothed woman with a massive bat nestled in her cleavage. We could all hear Devil On Hwy 9: Glenn Danzig sounding like Abe Simpson as he scraped the bottom of the bikers’ barrel with lyrics such as “Pedal to the metal on a thousand miles”. We all thought ‘Black Laden Crown’ was going to be terrible, didn’t we?
Danzig’s 11th LP – and 10th of original material – isn’t terrible, but it is a difficult listen. First of all, before you even properly delve into the songs, you have to face the mix. ‘Black Laden Crown’ finds Danzig’s vocals sitting obscenely high, drowning out all beneath him. When he shouts, it’s like he’s right there next to you. But his hoarse bellow sounds less Evil Elvis and more grumpy old bastard complaining about those damn kids.
You’ve also got to excuse Tommy Victor, too. He got excited, OK? The Prong guitarist gets his moment on ‘Black Laden Crown’ and yes, he makes himself known.
Pinch harmonics and guitar solos have always been a core component of the Danzig sound – Twist of Cane from 1988’s eponymous debut being a prime example – but Victor squeals through this record like he’s just heard Zakk Wylde play for the first time. It’s a bit distracting, to say the least.
Which is a shame, because the album starts so mightily. The title track’s brooding, mid-tempo beginnings bode well. Here, Danzig’s velveteen croon is smooth yet husky, commanding and so undeniably him. It’s a controlled, dominating performance, far from the ‘past-it’ accusations slung at the man after his – pretty dire, admittedly – ‘Skeletons’ cover album in 2015.
The album’s second bookend, Pull The Sun, is its other peak as Danzig pulls out a gentle, almost vulnerable vocal take during the verses. It’s not exactly Anything from ‘How The Gods Kill’, rather a weather-beaten ballad that just sounds so creepy thanks to an ominous piano lurking in the background. But then Victor comes in with a fat guitar solo at the end. Ah, tricky.
And that’s the thing about ‘Black Laden Crown’: its gold is mixed with loose change. Tracks like Eyes Ripping Fire and Last Ride are decent enough bluesed-up rockers, but why the laboured fade-outs? Why the shoehorned solos? On first listen, it’s a bit laughable. When you go back to it, it’s just annoying. This could’ve been a decent Danzig record, but it turns out we just can’t have nice things anymore.
It’s been seven years since ‘Deth Red Sabaoth’ reinstated both Danzig the man and Danzig the band. ‘Black Laden Crown’ doesn’t warrant the wait, but it shows some potential. Danzig’s voice is in relatively good nick and lends itself wonderfully to those slower, murkier tracks. Going forward, he could spend his days crooning over a piano and it’d be way more evil than shouting about skulls. Maybe if he gets someone else to mix his records and convinces Victor to pipe down, our favourite fiend’s road to retirement could be a spooky one indeed.
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