Danzig II: Lucifuge
Encyclopedia
Danzig II: Lucifuge is the second album by Danzig
. It was released in 1990 on Def American Recordings and was reissued in the USA
and UK
in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings.
or Robert Johnson
, who have both been accused of playing the "Devil's music".
Glenn Danzig said that the song "Killer Wolf" is “my version of an old blues song about a guy who wolfs around the door of every girl in town.”
Glenn Danzig has described "I'm the One" as “another blues song...about a guy realizing his destiny.” "I'm the One" was originally recorded for Danzig's debut album, but the band decided to save the song for Lucifuge. The song consists of vocals and a guitar track, with hi-hat
used in the background.
"777" is a song about "Armageddon
" and includes the use of slide guitar
.
John Christ
provided backup vocal harmonies
on the song "Tired of Being Alive". Christ has suggested that “Lyrically, I think the words are about the way Glenn was feeling at the time.” The remaining songs feature subjects including love, sex, evil and religious themes.
The introduction to "Long Way Back from Hell" begins with the use of the dive bomb
guitar technique. Guitarist John Christ explained: “We worked on the beginning of that song for a long time before we finally got it right...when Eerie
came in with that galloping bass-line, it all kind of fell into place.”
Glenn Danzig spoke about the challenge of writing the song "Her Black Wings": “I always know beforehand what kind of record I want to make. Those ideas dictate how the songs will sound. And sometimes it's not always easy to execute the ideas. For example, writing "Her Black Wings" was a laborious and tedious experience - but that's the way it had to be for the song to come out right.”
"Blood and Tears" is a Roy Orbison
-like ballad and one of Glenn Danzig's personal favorites from the album.
A song titled "The Other Side" was finished but not released on the album.
Glenn Danzig has mentioned in interviews the very noticeable similarity of the main riff of the Stone Temple Pilots
song "Sex Type Thing
" and the Danzig song "Snakes of Christ", the latter of which was released before the former.
Prior to the album release, Glenn Danzig noted how the band had improved in the interim between the debut recording
and the recording of Lucifuge: “Everybody's much more comfortable with each other now. We've toured with each other, hung with each other. The rhythm section is much tighter. It's just a much better band, and that comes through on the album.”
form of the Latin compound verb lucifugere, from 'lux' (light) + 'fugere' (to flee), which means "to flee or shun the light". If it is to be taken literally, "Lucifuge" is thus a command: "shun the light" or "flee from the light" (or logically, "seek darkness"). "Lucifuge
" is also the name of the demon in charge of Hell's government by order of Lucifer
, who is also one of the seven princes of Hell
. Before its release the album had been tentatively titled "777".
Early pressings of the CD include a booklet that unfolds into an inverted cross
. The booklet features the passage "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do", which is taken from the book of St. John
.
Newer American Recordings pressings have a "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content" label printed on the booklet artwork; previously this had been a sticker on the outer cellophane wrapping. Like Danzig
, this album was issued a Parental Advisory label despite the only instances of profanity being mild and infrequent (in this case, one use of the word "bastard" in "Long Way Back From Hell" and "Pain in the World", and one use of the word "bitch" in "Her Black Wings").
As with the debut album, Lucifuge was distributed by Geffen Records
, but due to the nature of Danzig's music, the company refused to put its name on the packaging.
All songs written by Glenn Danzig
.
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
. It was released in 1990 on Def American Recordings and was reissued in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings.
Music and recording
Lucifuge has a pronounced blues influence that adds a sinister edge akin to records by Howlin' WolfHowlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
or Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936–37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given...
, who have both been accused of playing the "Devil's music".
Glenn Danzig said that the song "Killer Wolf" is “my version of an old blues song about a guy who wolfs around the door of every girl in town.”
Glenn Danzig has described "I'm the One" as “another blues song...about a guy realizing his destiny.” "I'm the One" was originally recorded for Danzig's debut album, but the band decided to save the song for Lucifuge. The song consists of vocals and a guitar track, with hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
used in the background.
"777" is a song about "Armageddon
Armageddon
Armageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
" and includes the use of slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
.
John Christ
John Christ
John Christ, born John Wolfgang Knoll on , is a musician best known as the original guitarist for the metal band Danzig. He has been known for his bluesy metal sound and frequent use of the pinch harmonic...
provided backup vocal harmonies
Vocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...
on the song "Tired of Being Alive". Christ has suggested that “Lyrically, I think the words are about the way Glenn was feeling at the time.” The remaining songs feature subjects including love, sex, evil and religious themes.
The introduction to "Long Way Back from Hell" begins with the use of the dive bomb
Dive bomb
Dive bomb is a guitar technique in which the tremolo bar is used to rapidly lower the pitch of a note, creating a sound considered to be similar to a bomb dropping. One of the most recognized pioneers of this technique is Jimi Hendrix. Other notable musicians who are widely known for using this...
guitar technique. Guitarist John Christ explained: “We worked on the beginning of that song for a long time before we finally got it right...when Eerie
Eerie Von
Eerie Von, born Eric Stellman on is a musician best known as the original bassist for the metal band Danzig. Eerie Von's preferred bass is the Fender Jazz.-Early life:...
came in with that galloping bass-line, it all kind of fell into place.”
Glenn Danzig spoke about the challenge of writing the song "Her Black Wings": “I always know beforehand what kind of record I want to make. Those ideas dictate how the songs will sound. And sometimes it's not always easy to execute the ideas. For example, writing "Her Black Wings" was a laborious and tedious experience - but that's the way it had to be for the song to come out right.”
"Blood and Tears" is a Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
-like ballad and one of Glenn Danzig's personal favorites from the album.
A song titled "The Other Side" was finished but not released on the album.
Glenn Danzig has mentioned in interviews the very noticeable similarity of the main riff of the Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
song "Sex Type Thing
Sex Type Thing
"Sex Type Thing" is the debut single released in 1992 by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots from their debut studio album, Core. "Sex Type Thing" also appears on the greatest hits compilation album Thank You. The song spawned a music video which received moderate rotation on MTV...
" and the Danzig song "Snakes of Christ", the latter of which was released before the former.
Prior to the album release, Glenn Danzig noted how the band had improved in the interim between the debut recording
Danzig (album)
Danzig is the 1988 debut album of the American heavy metal band Danzig, led by Glenn Danzig who was formerly the songwriter and vocalist of the Misfits and Samhain....
and the recording of Lucifuge: “Everybody's much more comfortable with each other now. We've toured with each other, hung with each other. The rhythm section is much tighter. It's just a much better band, and that comes through on the album.”
Album title
The title "Lucifuge" is the imperativeImperative mood
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests as a grammatical mood. These commands or requests urge the audience to act a certain way. It also may signal a prohibition, permission, or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
form of the Latin compound verb lucifugere, from 'lux' (light) + 'fugere' (to flee), which means "to flee or shun the light". If it is to be taken literally, "Lucifuge" is thus a command: "shun the light" or "flee from the light" (or logically, "seek darkness"). "Lucifuge
Lucifuge Rofocale
Lucifuge Rofocale , according to the Grand Grimoire, is the demon in charge of Hell's government by order of Lucifer.-Etymology:The name Lucifuge comes from two Latin words; lux , and fugio ,which means "[he who] flees the light"...
" is also the name of the demon in charge of Hell's government by order of Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
, who is also one of the seven princes of Hell
Seven princes of Hell
The seven princes of Hell are, in Christian demonology tradition, the seven highest demons in Hell.The seven demon princes can be seen as Hell's equivalent to the Seven Archangels of Heaven.Often, each demon prince corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins...
. Before its release the album had been tentatively titled "777".
Artwork and packaging
Most formats feature the original full-color "faces" album cover, composed of portrait photographs of the four band members: these include the 12" vinyl LP, the audio cassette, and the original pressings of the European and Japanese CDs. The most widely distributed format, the North American CD, features the alternate "chest/cross" album cover, a cropped black-and-white close-up of the photograph of Glenn Danzig found on the back of the LP sleeve and on the interior of all formats. All CD releases feature the "faces" picture on the rear of the CD tray.Early pressings of the CD include a booklet that unfolds into an inverted cross
Cross of St. Peter
The Cross of St. Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, but in recent times also used widely as an anti-Christ symbol .-In Christianity:The origin of this symbol comes from the Catholic tradition that Simon Peter was crucified upside...
. The booklet features the passage "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do", which is taken from the book of St. John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
.
Newer American Recordings pressings have a "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content" label printed on the booklet artwork; previously this had been a sticker on the outer cellophane wrapping. Like Danzig
Danzig (album)
Danzig is the 1988 debut album of the American heavy metal band Danzig, led by Glenn Danzig who was formerly the songwriter and vocalist of the Misfits and Samhain....
, this album was issued a Parental Advisory label despite the only instances of profanity being mild and infrequent (in this case, one use of the word "bastard" in "Long Way Back From Hell" and "Pain in the World", and one use of the word "bitch" in "Her Black Wings").
As with the debut album, Lucifuge was distributed by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, but due to the nature of Danzig's music, the company refused to put its name on the packaging.
Reception
- Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
- "Second album, far stronger than the first, by a unique hard rock band that thinks evil dominates the world - and seriously examines the consequences."
- College Music JournalCollege Music JournalCollege Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
- "A dank bluesy influence makes thundering riffs crunch and groove as the band delves into more styles than ever before."
Music videos
Music videos were released for the songs "Her Black Wings", "Killer Wolf", "I'm the One" and "Devil's Plaything". All music videos from the album appeared on the Lucifuge home video.Track listing
- "Long Way Back from Hell" - 4:23
- "Snakes of Christ" - 4:33
- "Killer Wolf" - 3:59
- "Tired of Being Alive" - 4:03
- "I'm the One" - 3:21
- "Her Black Wings" - 4:46
- "Devil's Plaything" - 4:13
- "777" - 5:39
- "Blood and Tears" - 4:19
- "Girl" - 4:12
- "Pain in the World" - 5:52
All songs written by Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
.
Credits
- Glenn DanzigGlenn DanzigGlenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
- VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Eerie VonEerie VonEerie Von, born Eric Stellman on is a musician best known as the original bassist for the metal band Danzig. Eerie Von's preferred bass is the Fender Jazz.-Early life:...
- BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - John ChristJohn ChristJohn Christ, born John Wolfgang Knoll on , is a musician best known as the original guitarist for the metal band Danzig. He has been known for his bluesy metal sound and frequent use of the pinch harmonic...
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Chuck BiscuitsChuck BiscuitsChuck Biscuits is a Canadian-born drummer, now a U.S. citizen, who is best known as an original member of the heavy metal/hard rock band Danzig. Most recently, he was a member of the punk rock band Social Distortion in the late 1990s...
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Producer: Rick RubinRick RubinFrederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
- Engineers: Dave Bianco, Sylvia Massy, Brendon O'Brien, Martin Schmelze, Jim Scott
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Billboard 200 | 45 |