DANZIG

If nothing else, "Deth Red Sabaoth" is the sound of DANZIG as we knew it from the first three albums. Right from the start of album-opener "Hammer of the Gods" it is immediately apparent that Glenn and the boys were reaching back to their defining sound, one characterized by Tommy Victor's (PRONG) interpretation of John Christ's monolithic morbid riffs and Glenn's eerily cold, bluesy wail. As to whether it is an album in league with that unholy triumvirate, the answer would be "not quite", but the feeling of those LPs bleeds all over "Deth Red Sabaoth".

As one moves through the album, the songs may vary from, for example, "II: Lucifuge" in nature (the hollowing "The Revengeful") to the self-titled album ("Night Star Hel" and its vintage descending riff),but more often than not it is a combination of all three, at times reminiscent of "4p" as well. For the most part, one doesn't hear the muscularity of "7:77: - I, Luciferi", and occasionally the songs could stand more of that in-your-face beefiness, particularly in the sound of Johnny Kelly's drumming. On the other hand, Tommy Victor's leads are more accomplished and jagged than that of John Christ and the songs that benefit from it most are those that would not otherwise be as impacting. Such is the case with the gnarly soloing over the formulaic DANZIG melodiousness of "On a Wicked Night" and the licks that stab the air on the patented devil blues rock of "Ju Ju Bone". His twisted, squawking guitar during the rather hypnotic cadence of "Black Candy" is notable for much the same reason.

Overall, what one hears from "Deth Red Sabaoth" is something akin to a trip down memory lane that takes one back to DANZIG's classic 1988-1992 period with moments of later albums only occasionally creeping in, save for the handful of nods to "4p". Those that lost interest in DANZIG in later years – and missed out on some good albums in the process (e.g. "6:66 - Satan's Child", "7:77 – I, Luciferi" and "Circle of Snakes") - should be pleasantly surprised with the return to form (as most would see it) of "Deth Red Sabaoth". Though there is nothing here that breaks new ground, there is a decent amount of strong material in the finest DANZIG tradition, as well as the recognition that the little big guy still has gas left in the tank.