~All Murder, All Guts, All Fun~

[zombiehorror]

Speaking Of Samhain....

You brought them up but the subject wasn't discussed so here we go....

Definitely an acquired taste.  Initium can still very much be considered a punk album, with Macabre and Archangel being the slowest of the songs.  With Samhain Glenn left the horror of the movies behind and enters the world of horror legends, myths, violence and religion.  Werewolves, demons and witches were the cast members of Samhain's songs.  The songs also included; Paganism, Druidism, Wiccan and the worship of the gods of old.  The Misfits song Halloween II was an early experimentation of both this more earthly concept and the eventual sound of Samhain.

Back to Initium, I can see why some may find it hard to get over the intro but you won't be disappointed suffering thru that 2 min. of faux wind and self indulgent speech because it leads into a killer freaking song.  Samhain, the song which takes its name from the band, which takes it's name from the Celtic harvest celebration, would have been a great album opener.  Unfortunately, at least to me, it suffers from the Initium intro.  From Samhain on though it's all good, stand outs for me have always been; Samhain, All Murder, The Shift and The Howl.  Who can ever forget:

There is a grove of bleached bones
Where lupins vomit children's limbs
Taking all their liberties
With parts of human anatomy

Glenn's Samhain lyrics leave you with some of the most visceral-gritty-gory images imaginable.
He mixes back beats and tribal drumming into his already well versed mix of punk genres to create Samhain's sound.  Samhain also amped up such Misfits classic as;  All Hell Breaks Loose and Halloween II for Samhain's albums as well as a score of other Misfits tunes during live shows.

I'll skip the Unholy Passion EP and stick with albums, so next up Samhain III November-Coming-Fire.  The III, while confusing on the cd cover now made perfect since back then since it was Samhain's third release.  Much like Initium, November starts with an intro, this time Diablos 88.  Although I consider this track very much a part of Samhain I also think it is another skippable track and the album should have just opened with In My Grip.  I know Glenn was going for an overall feeling with these intros but they almost seem out of place in my opinion.  The punk purist will find alot less of it here but for opened minded listeners there's plenty to enjoy.  The only punkish tracks here are; Let the Day Begin, Kiss of Steel and Unbridled the rest can only be labeled Samhain.

That was it for Samhain's initial offerings, their Final Descent album wouldn't be released until 4 years later.  Which was a combination of unreleased tracks and the Unholy Passion Ep.  Again opening up with an intro, this time Nightchill, maybe this one is better than the rest or maybe I'm just so used to these Samhain intros I actually really like this chilling cut.  After that it kicks right into 4 songs that to me perfectly combine the punk flavor of Initium and the doom n' gloom of November, Coming, Fire.  These 4 tracks closer resemble the Unholy Passion EP, which of course closes out this album with almost perfection.  The problem being it was decided to add Misery Tomb, a track of Glenn wailing away like some lost soul (using the background vocal & bass track for the song I Am Misery) that was more fitting for an album closer in my opinion.

I wouldn't necessarily say that if you like Misfits you'll like Samhain, they are definitely a different animal entirely.   Then again you may not get The Misfits but could still get into Samhain.  If you are opened to an artist evolving and changing then they are definitely worth a listen.

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Samhain exists as a bridge between what Glenn did with the Misfits and where he was going with his solo career. Personally, I think he found the perfect blend of punk and heavy metal here and it didn't get any better later. (Okay, Danzig I is pretty good, but it's all downhill for me after that.)

I'll confess I know a little too much about this period. I'm friendly with the guys from a Louisville band that was called King Horse (whose record Danzig produced), and they toured with Glenn during the Samhain years. Sean Garrison was very generous telling me stories about being on the road with Glenn and staying at his dad's house, etc. I'll never forget Sean's imitation of Glenn when they first arrived at his house, "We got chicken fingas here. Youse guys want some chicken fingas?" Danzig used to also wear a pair of pink fuzzy slippers to get the newspaper in the morning, which Sean found hilarious. They've got volumes of stories of messing with Glen and getting him angry just to push his buttons. Apparently, Glenn liked to "thump" his chest in the studio while listening to tracks, and the King Horse guys would all do it too just to get him ticked off. I've got lots more stories if anyone cares to hear them.

[BlackLagoon]

Hmmm...I have heard some Glenn stories, and of course saw the classic "glass jaw" clip, but I don't think it makes him a bad guy...anyway withought being too off topic here.

I for one, absolutely hated Samhain the 1st time I heard them. After having heard "Death In Its Arms"...right after I was officially addicted to the Misfits I thought man, I got cheated!!

Fast forward to the next couple of years and I heard "The Howl"--end of story, Samhain officially friggin rules!!! Initium is one of my favorite albums of all time, some of it, yes moves a little slow for me... Macabre, The Shift, but some of it moves so slow and groovey its what I think the musical equivalent to heroin is! i.e. Archangel!!!...Is that just not the epitome of cool??

Can you believe that only last year an original Initium cd cost me 30.00 on ebay?...Samhain stuff is scarce, I think Glenn killed the boxset and basically if you aren't the highest bidder, you may have a hard time with comming across these gems.

November Comming Fire, again at 1st wasn't crazy about it...then the equal to The Howl's awesomeness can only be the brutally angry pull no punches anti-anthem that is "Let The Day Begin"...lol wanna piss everyone off? Play that loud!


As far as Danzig himself goes...def a late bloomer, but I think Danzig and Danzig II are both pretty killer.

By the way, if anyone is thinking of taking the leap into Samhain..that 30.00 I spent on Initium, is probably 30 of my most well spent dollars!!

[zombiehorror]

I've got lots more stories if anyone cares to hear them.

Write em' all down, I'll read everyone!! LOL!

Can you believe that only last year an original Initium cd cost me 30.00 on ebay?...Samhain stuff is scarce, I think Glenn killed the boxset and basically if you aren't the highest bidder, you may have a hard time with comming across these gems.

By the way, if anyone is thinking of taking the leap into Samhain..that 30.00 I spent on Initium, is probably 30 of my most well spent dollars!!

$30.00?!!?  I still have my Initium cd (1989), which is apparently a rare one because it has Unholy Passion as a hidden track.  It, as well as the rest of the Unholy Passion EP, was supposed to be left off that printing.  Wonder how much it goes for?  Or maybe yours was that version?  All those cd's from the boxset were released individually in 2001 but I guess it was a limited release!?!?  Although I know alot of Danzig fans need every version as part of their collections.

I have mixed feelings about the boxset since it didn't present Unholy Passion in its original form.  I also think the versions of Twist of Cain and Possession weren't really worth it, though it was cool to finally hear a cover of Trouble from Samhain.  The inclusion of the live video & cd was a definite winner and something that was sorely lacking from the Misfits coffin set.  Last but not least I think the comic that was included was much more suited to The Misfits than Samhain since they were never about the whole hokey-horror schtick.

[BlackLagoon]

$30.00?!!?  I still have my Initium cd (1989), which is apparently a rare one because it has Unholy Passion as a hidden track.  It, as well as the rest of the Unholy Passion EP, was supposed to be left off that printing.  Wonder how much it goes for?  Or maybe yours was that version? 

Ha! I wish mine had Unholy Passion on it...but no such luck, it seems to be an original pressing, and it has some pics in the booklet but thats it!

I never saw the comic, probably because I dont have the boxset but I have heard it wasnt all it was cracked up to be, which is kinda odd because I have a Danzig written comic (got it autographed by the artist too!) called "Jaguar God" which was pretty damn cool.


I never heard the Trouble cover...isnt trouble a Christian metal band? Not to say that means they cant cover Samhain, but I just always thought that for some reason.

I know on that Guitar Hero Metallica edition, Metallica covers "Mother Of Mercy". I was kinda let down by that, I would love to hear a high energy cover of The Howl or He Who Can Not Be Named.

Wasnt Mephisto Waltz a Samhain song? I remember someone telling me that when I got the Misfits box set, but didnt think it was true.

[zombiehorror]

I never heard the Trouble cover...isnt trouble a Christian metal band? Not to say that means they cant cover Samhain, but I just always thought that for some reason.

Wasnt Mephisto Waltz a Samhain song? I remember someone telling me that when I got the Misfits box set, but didnt think it was true.

The cover is of the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song Trouble made famous by the king himself, Elvis.  The song is quite a bit heavier than Elvis' version and Glenn changes the lyrics just a bit.  I believe they performed the song live at a few shows and Danzig also released their own cover of the song on Thrall: Demonsweatlive.

Mephisto Waltz was written during the Misfits years and they rehearsed it a few times but no one except Danzig liked it.  It was never recorded by any Misfits line up.  The song as it appears on Collection II was recorded by Glenn and Eerie along with 5 other songs that appear on that "Misfits" album.  Making them more Misfits than Samhain.

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Okay, here's one more story I was told about the King Horse boys messing with Danzig and his band members. This time they were "giving the business" to drummer Chuck Biscuits. Biscuits came along after the demise of Samhain, but still played some live shows with Glenn even before the whole DANZIG thing took off.

This was the story the way it was told to me, and I have no knowledge about some of truths within.

Supposedly Biscuits was an extremely homophobic, and this was well known by the King Horse boys. He was flying in alone to a show here in the South in which he was to play the drums. He was running late and needed someone to pick him up at the airport and take him to the show. The King Horse boys recruited two of their friends who were big, 300 lb guys to put pink hair spray in their hair and wear glitter and feminine clothes to pick Biscuits up. They drove him to the show with DEVO blasting on the stereo all the way there. Supposedly, Biscuits said afterwards that the drive was the longest 30 minutes of his life.

[zombiehorror]

Misery Obscura, Eerie Von's new book.  Anyone else pick this up?

My wife got it for me for Valentine's Day.  It isn't a long read, it's more about Eerie Von's photography from The Misfits (as roadie/photographer) thru his Danzig years.  Some other photographer's work help to round out the visual history as well.  Lots of people are going head over heels for this but I didn't really feel all that while going thru it.  It is definitely a cool thing to get if you're a fan of Misfits, Samhain and Danzig but nothing that you couldn't live without.  The first half is Samhain probably gets the smallest section of the book, then Misfits and the whole last half is info and pics for Danzig.  There is also a mention of Rosemary's Babies as well as what Eerie's been up to since he left Danzig.

Really cool to see all these unpublished photos especially from the Misfits and Samhain days.  Just wish there was a little more to the writing side of the book.  I was looking for more of a "Get in the Van" insider look at the touring life of these bands which it may be to some degree in pictures but not in words.  If you haven't heard about it look it up on Amazon they have a small preview there.  I won't be surprised if Eerie releases another book or in a couple years they do a reprint of this one with some added info/photos.

[BlackLagoon]

Appreciate the heads up...I would rather have a "tell all" myself, but Im due for something cool to read, this may hit the spot.

[Ynnad]

So the CDs are once AGAIN out of print?! I remember spending so much on them originally, then aimlessly selling them off once I got the box set.. I guess I should have held onto them, but from what I understand the box set is now out of print too?! Oh well, at least I held onto that.

[BlackLagoon]

So the CDs are once AGAIN out of print?! I remember spending so much on them originally, then aimlessly selling them off once I got the box set.. I guess I should have held onto them, but from what I understand the box set is now out of print too?! Oh well, at least I held onto that.

Oh man, yeah I havent seen a Samhain cd in print in a loooooong time. There are 2 indy record stores around here that couldnt get them either, so I went the way of eBay.

That boxset is a done deal too. I do think you can still get the dvd if Im not mistaken.

[marsattacks666]

Can you believe that only last year an original Initium cd cost me 30.00 on ebay?...Samhain stuff is scarce, I think Glenn killed the boxset and basically if you aren't the highest bidder, you may have a hard time with comming across these gems.

I am sorry you paid 30.dollhairs for INITIUM. There three used record stores in Vegas that have Samhain
vinyl for sale, including Initium. I've seen the LP for less than 15.00, in good condition.

[coughcool]

I love Human Pony Girl. I have the Samhain box set that has some great stuff. But I already had all CDs except one prior to buying it. I had a great Samhain Tee that I lost last time I saw Slayer. No details on how I lost it. 

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

There's one small bit of evidence you ALL can see of jesters "giving the business" to Glenn Danzig during the Samhain years. Just pop in the DVD of "Samhain: Live at the Stardust Ballroom 1984." They're trying to record the show with the LIGHTS ON, but some joker keeps turning the lights out.

At one point Glenn growls angrily, "Okay, whoever it is that keeps turning the lights out; LEAVE 'EM ON!" He then goes into the next song, "One, two, three, four--" and IMMEDIATELY somebody turns the lights off. hehehehehehehe

[BlackLagoon]

There's one small bit of evidence you ALL can see of jesters "giving the business" to Glenn Danzig during the Samhain years. Just pop in the DVD of "Samhain: Live at the Stardust Ballroom 1984." They're trying to record the show with the LIGHTS ON, but some joker keeps turning the lights out.

At one point Glenn growls angrily, "Okay, whoever it is that keeps turning the lights out; LEAVE 'EM ON!" He then goes into the next song, "One, two, three, four--" and IMMEDIATELY somebody turns the lights off. hehehehehehehe

lol thats pretty funny...almost as good as the "one more f&*%ing time you a$*h*l** and you die!" during Horror Business on Evillive...I wish I knew what that guy was doing!