Skeletons

This is an essential Danzig release, equally gratifying to hardcore and casual fans alike. For Misfits fans, this is Glenn's most punk-infused material in thirty years, but there's no shortage of doom-y, devil metal either. It's all covers of course, but most of the tunes are obscure and unrecognizable from their original versions. This album will be especially appreciated by those who enjoy classic Danzig tracks like "Blood and Tears," "Sistinas," and "Cold, Cold Rain"; that is to say this disc is loaded with syrupy, '50s ballad-esque melodies. The production and performances are raw and inconsistent from a technical standpoint, but at its best it features some of Glenn's most virtuosic singing to date. Standout tracks include "Devil's Angels," "Rough Boy," and "Crying in the Rain." A must for all fans-don't settle for the inferior YouTube rips.

This release was a project I approached with caution. I head the cover of N.I.B. And was appalled. I can now say that is the only dud on the whole record. First to last omitting N.I.B. We're flawless. You can tell this isn't a polished big record company push album, and it reflects the simple rawness beautifully. Buy this album! You will be suprised.

My copy of Skeletons finally arrived last week and I'm sorry to say, it's sorta on the disappointing side of things. The entire thing, packaging, liner notes, production, etc. just feels cheap as hell.I get it. In this day & age, musicians don't make squat and corners must be cut, but this is just piss poor. Cheap cardboard packaging, bare-bones liner notes, no booklet, no band photos. Then there's the music.I'm not usually one to criticize production values, so for me to notice, it must be bad. Glenn's vocals sound all echoey and too loud. The instruments sound all muddy and vary in loudness from track to track. It's evident that these tunes were recorded at different times. No consistency. I'm sure he (or rampant fans) will try to pass this off as "trying to recapture the old sound of the Misfits", but in 2015 it sounds like crap.As for the songs, some work better than others. The lesser known ones of course sound cooler if you have nothing to compare them to. I will say that on even the better known songs, he does give them enough of a Danzig spin to make them his own. No problems there. But on the ZZ Top song 'Rough Boy', he interjects a few f-bombs in there that make it sound like that scene from 'Old School' and the Dan Band. You know the one I'm talking about.It's 10 tracks that go by pretty quickly and it doesn't overstay it's welcome. So there's that. I won't say that I hate this or that it's unlistenable. It's interesting enough and I do like cover albums. But for a guy like me that lost track with Danzig some time ago, I wanted this to be a great comeback album that rekindled my interest for the man and his band. And that's where it failed. If this is indicative of what he's up to these days, I'll pass.

I went into Danzig's new album with low expectations. A covers album is rarely good; hit-and-miss at best. I'm pleasantly surprised. It is better than half his solo output. I am most surprised by how consistent the songs are from one to the next, stylistically. I like the production: a bit raw, but not forced. Most of the songs are rare enough, at least for me, that I don't have to constantly think about how the original was better, etc.Two critiques: 1) While I have much respect for Tommy Victor and feel strongly that he has carried Danzig for the past nearly 10 years, particularly live, he is not a good match for this material. John Christ would have been killer on this, or really any decent bluesy metal guitarist. 2) Danzig sounds like he struggled with some of the vocal pieces. I had this same critique of his last album. Maybe he needs more cardio. Oh, and one more: A Black Sabbath cover? Please. WAY overdone and boring, though he didn't do a bad job and it features a raging Victor solo.I give it a solid 7/10.

I really loved this cd, which features a great range of material from artists like the Everly Brothers to ZZ Top to Black Sabbath. Covers are a challenge as they generally need to do justice to the original versions while also showing the stamp of the artist covering them. In this, Glenn succeeds wonderfully. The original versions are honored while he puts his own stamp on each and every track. Definitely a great addition to your Danzig collection.