Danzig Demonstrates It Has the Mettle for Metal

With its combination of punk energy, sophisticated thrash-like time changes and exotic Doors introspection, Danzig is a strikingly original band that may help redefine the course of hard rock. Though the East Coast group has yet to make a dent on the national charts, the turn-away crowd at the Country Club on Friday indicated that the band is attracting a following in the metal world.

Danzig is the brainchild of Glenn Danzig, formerly of another visionary group, the punkish Misfits. Where the Misfits’ two-minute songs were as fast and explosive as gunshots, the new group--without sacrificing energy--slows down its music so that it has an almost eerie, unsettling effect on the listener. Add Glenn Danzig’s spooky, Morrisonesque vocals to the winding riffs of “Twist a Cain” and the bluesy “She Rides” and the effect is even more darkly haunting.

Occasionally, a cold blast of speed broke the tension, but a tune like the relentlessly driving “Am I Demon” builds it up again. The band’s cleanly produced Def American LP only hints at the powerful grit that Danzig contains. In a live situation, its seductive wickedness intensifies to a hypnotic resonance.