Freak369's Full Review: Dirty Black Summer [Single] by Danzig
Almost ten years ago I stood on a dark road in the middle of nowhere. The fog was thick, dense and wrapped the land with moisture. The road I walked on led to a small cemetery – the place where I felt most at peace. Old headstones, a few mausoleums and the token broken gate. This was the one place I felt no pressure, stress or need to fit in with my peers. As dark as it may sound, this was my utopia; a place that most feared and avoided after sundown was my place of refuge.
I spent many a night in this graveyard, listening to music on my portable CD player, clearing off the headstones of people who’s loved ones could no longer tend to them properly, writing poetry that never seemed to rhyme and sitting against an old tree and watching the moon. It was mid-October when I got my paws on this CD single and I had to resist the urge to rip the plastic wrapper off of it – knowing that if I waited a few more hours I could have the graveyard to myself. It was so worth the wait.
The Tracks
Dirty Black Summer 5:12
Off of the How The Gods Kill release of the same year, Danzig once again thumb their noses as the masses who demand a mainstream sound. While it’s just my opinion – this track seems a little watered down when stacked against the tracks from How The Gods Kill or Lucifuge. It’s nowhere close to being “a sold out sound” but my question is – where’s the guitar work that put them on the scene? Sure you are about 15 seconds of bliss but all too soon it’s out of sight.
Dirty Black Summer is a little off the beaten path for Glenn as far as lyrics – they are a bit repetitive and you only get to hear a few of Glenn’s trademark grunts. No ear piercing howls or screams, no heart bounding bass attack and less than impressive lead guitar work.
No summer in the wintertime
Will keep you warm
Like a funeral pyre
And nothing drips like an August night
Bodies 4:24
When you think of Danzig you immediately think of the song Mother - and justly so – it’s one of their best to date. One thing you don’t think of is a Danzig song with a ‘rhythm and blues’ overtone. Now, a few tracks get close to this genre but none of them grab it, squeeze it with all it’s might and leave it dead on the side of the road. Bodies does all that .. and more.
Slower than most of the usual Danzig material, this track is loud and gritty and shows yet another side to the music they have the potential to create. I’d venture to say that this is one of the more daring songs they’ve done – in the fact that it’s not all screaming guitars, obnoxious vocals and racing beats. Die-hard fans of Danzig might turn their nose up at this since it’s not exactly on track with their style – but if you’re a fan you have to have.
I been taking all the silver
I been saving all the gold
I'm gonna stuff it down the throat
Of a week old corpse
Save that doggone soul
When Death Had No Name 4:35
It’s just this freaks opinion but this is one of the best songs ever written and produced by Glenn Danzig. Sure Mother, She Rides and Hint Of Her Blood are in leagues of their own but this is the true embodiment of the band as a whole.
If someone were never exposed to the music of Danzig - this is the track I would use to introduce the two. While it lacks the attractive lure of the more popular songs of yore – it’s a slow, unwinding song that pulls you in. It should be a cornerstone in the ‘music food pyramid’ – something I rarely refer to. Listening to this tracks delivers the recommended daily allowance of screaming guitars, heart pumping drums, howling lyrics and a touch of the darkside – just for good measure.
When death had no name
Time stood still
Life had no ending then
The Breakdown
Each person’s description of a CD Maxi Single is different; some prefer a few songs that are remix while others want different versions of one song. Danzig delivers a powerful and dark punch to the bowels of music with this CD single – proving that any band with the balls can turn their noses up at mainstream music and get away with it.
While Dirty Black Summer and Bodies are the same exact version released on When The Gods Kill the true gem here is When Death Had No Name. Seeing as it was previously unreleased until this CD single’s debut – it’s gathered many points amongst the hard-core fans of both Danzig [as a group] and Glenn [as a producer as well as solo artist].
The total playtime is almost 15 minutes – so if you aren’t a die hard, hard core, blood and guts fan chances are you won’t want to fork out the suggested price of $10.99 [or more] for this. As I mention in all my reviews of CD singles – if you are a true fan no price is ‘too much’ to acquire a piece of the bands discography.
As far as packaging – this is sent out to the massed in the usual Digipak cardboard sleeve. Don’t bother looking for extras like stickers, liner notes, photos or fan club information. Either this was a rushed release so someone didn’t want to for out the extras that accompanies most of the other CD single releases.
The casual listened will find this a bit boring if they haven’t been exposed to other songs by the band. The hard-core, head banging, fist pounding, teeth clenching mosh pit maniacs will eat this up and ask for more.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Dirty Black Summer [Single] by Danzig](http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/77/54/14/c5/2001999045.JPG)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.