Circle of Snakes

Danzig | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 6, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Evilive Records
• ASIN: B0002MHE7I
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,596 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Wotans Procession

2. SkinCarver

3. Circle of Snakes

4. 1000 Devils Reign

5. Skull Forrest

6. HellMask

7. When We Were Dead

8. Night, BeSodom

9. My Darkness

10. NetherBound

11. Black Angel, White Angel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Victim of his own Standards, September 2, 2004

By 

Matthew Mclaughlin (locustville) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circle of Snakes (Audio CD)

Like most of you, I purchased Circle of Snakes the day it came out, and like most of you, I rushed right home to listen to it. The cover was different, and looked more like a Black Metal album cover, and the contents therein were a mix of the usual Danzig imagery and the artwork of some newer BM releases. So I was intrigued - but my first spin through the disk was a disappointment. I didn't let this deter me, because I have a habit of being disappointed with the first listens of the last few albums, but over time, have learned to like each one (though I'll admit I still have some issues with 5.). The same here. I left it alone all day, and checked it out later that night, and...

The album is heavy, no doubt helped out by Tommy Victor, and sometimes, as others have mentioned, Glenn's vocals are lost in the maelstrom. I noticed others have stated that John Christ's guitar played suited him but, but remember the Samhain albums, and several of the Misfits albums (Earth A.D.) were mixed the same way. I think the main problem is the absence of Rick Rubin, who seemed to know Glenn's vocal strengths well. Think, we went from Samhain to You and Me from the Less Than Zero soundtrack - did you ever hear Glenn's voice as powerful as that. Since Danzig's split with American, the voice has never sounded the same. Glenn does tend to sing more here than on the last couple, but his voice isn't nearly as strong. Most likely that's just age catching up.

I don't consider this as good as 1-4, and right now, maybe not as good as 7, which I enjoyed alot of the Misfits-like wo-oh's. Circle of Snakes definitely brings back an older style of song structurings, and the vocal melodies are reminiscent of 1-4, but the guitars are as heavy as can be. I like the album and I think it will copntinue to grow on me.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The good and the bad about this cd, plain and simple., September 5, 2004

By 

K. Milner "guitar player/vocalist" (FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circle of Snakes (Audio CD)

First off, artists tend to re-cycle things. Danzig has yoked two other songs out of Twist of Cain's mold. First on Lucifuge he had "Snakes of Christ" with the same bluesy descending type of riff with the auto-harmonics tweaked in for effect, and now the title song for his new album. But, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, the chorus riff from Killer Wolf had been around (albeit in a different key) since All Murder All Guts All Fun.

That is generally the tone of this album. Danzig claims it doesn't have a theme, but the theme seems to be an updated nostalgia. Not that all the songs sound like things he has done before, just a general feel. There is something from almost every stage of his songwriting career.

At different points while listening to this, I felt a twinge of Samhain, or a little bit of Misfits - not really the song structure or the sound, but a general feel. Skull Forrest, done with a more punky delivery could have been a Misfits song for it's message. It's like the collection has grown since "Skulls" and now there's a whole forrest of them. In style and feel certain songs have an almost elegiac tone to them (Netherbound, When We Were Dead)

I only have two complaints with this cd. Some of the lyrics seem a bit "bottom of the barrell". "I want to creepy-crawl across your town" and "Come down and lay in the danger"....and then the "Blackrock, spirals down this reptile highway..." = Honestly, if any other singer besides Danzig was delivering some of these lines, I wouldn't be able to tolerate it too long. My other complaint is the length of this cd, but that complaint rides for most of his stuff. Danzig 1 only had ten tracks, and Lucifuge only had 11...I guess I was a bit spoiled by I Luciferi's track count.

All the songs are well put together, and Glenn's voice sounds alot stronger then it has for a while. Hellmask stands out for me, because I've wanted a song like that for a while. Something with riffs you would expect to hear a some stereotypical metal grunting and growling over, but instead getting to hear Danzig going all out. The whispered part in the middle is one of my favorite parts of the whole disc.

Bottom line, not once was I really dissapointed with this CD. Personally this one has a higher replay value for me then 6 or 7 because the main draw for me is Danzig's voice, which sounds so much better here. Yes, it reminds me of some of his older stuff in places but there is more then enough "new" here. Buy it, and unless you absolutely hate the way Danzig sings, or you hate heavy guitar rock/metal you'll get more then your money's worth out of it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It's..."ok"..., April 29, 2005

By 

Aerik Von "http://www.aerikvon.com" (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Circle of Snakes (Audio CD)

Danzig has been trying to step up his career for some time now and it's rather dissapointing to see him keep half-cobbling records such as "Circle of Snakes" together. Tommy Victor does manage to add a new sound to the band and works well on some numbers, but his nu-metal guitar tone leaves Danzig feeling stiff and cold (and not in a good way). Danzig's vocals sound tired and monotone, the drum production rocks but sounds TOO good compared to the rest of the instruments and the overall mix sounds like an extremely good (but less than excellent) independant production from a man who used to give us some of the most expertly produced albums this side of hell. This shows life in some key sectors, but also shows that Danzig has no shame in half-assing things to get them out on the market. This record has it's moments, but often falls FAR short of the legend that is Danzig and this seems so much worse when compared to many of the amazing records coming out around it.

Despite my strong opinion that this album is weak compared to the mans legendary back catalog, it doesn't mean that it's entirely devoid of value. "Black Angel, White Angel" may be one of the catchiest songs the man has ever done, "Hellmask" shows Danzig hammering through with a certain speed-metal vibe we've never heard before and "1,000 Devils Reign" has a certain old-school vibe. Other tracks such as "Circle of Snakes" have interesting moments/riffs but don't gell as well as the above mentioned numbers. Danzig still has some great songs in him, he just needs to be careful about the old "filler" problem that seems to be plagueing him as of late.

Danzig needs to take some time off, develop a REAL band and find a producer that can bring the best out of his vocals and his music. "Hellmask" and "Black Angel, White Angel" show that he can still get the job done...but he NEEDS to focus his energies on making entire albums that are strong and not the three-hit wonders he's been shoving to the market as of late. The man still has his strengths...but his weaknesses as a producer (and executive producer) are glaring on this record and this makes it less than stellar in a way that is rather disconcerting and poses the big question "is Danzig just too old to keep up".

Time will tell...