I, for one, have loved each and every single Danzig release ... with 4p being my overall fave and 6:66 Satan's Child my least fave. Not that it's a bad album, but 6:66 doesn't seem to have the memorable moments that the rest of Danzig's releases do. Still a good album ... but not GREAT, in my opinion.

When 777, I Luciferi was released I thought that it would lay to rest any misconceptions about the "new" Danzig sound ... but it didn't. People still bitched and moaned about the continued use of NuMetal influences ...yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, it was your loss if you missed it. 777 was a musical step backwards towards the roots of Danzig with even a nod or two to the Samhain sound. The subsequent tour also proved that Danzig (the man) and Danzig (the band) were still a solid, tight, powerful live act which could teach the new breed a thing or two.

Circle of Snakes is Danzig's latest CD and also the first without a number in its title. The upcoming tour is also said to be Glenn's last for the "foreseable future" in order to allow him time to concentrate on his many other endeavors (including an upcoming movie, the comics, a second Black Aria, various other musical projects, etc.). So the question must be "does he go out in style?" Oh yeah. HELL yeah!

This new album is very raw sounding, with the vocals not overproduced or processed ... showcasing Glenn's still powerful lungs. The songs are mostly mid tempo and heavy in that early Sabbath (and early Danzig) way. It comes across as "classic" Danzig, even with this all-new lineup. There are even moments when the guitar sound is reminiscent of original guitarist John Christ's. For those of you that will undoubtedly still (wrongly) utter the accusations of "NuMetal" ... be reminded that current guitarist Tommy Victor pretty much originated that sound many years ago with Prong, before it was "borrowed" and bastardized by just about every single NuMetal band of the past 5 years.

Here we have eleven songs and just over 42 minutes of sheer audio intensity. Each and every song is amazing in its own right and even the ones that didn't immediately grab me ("My Darkness", "Netherbound", "Night, BeSodom") have slowly grown on me and are now amongst my faves. Overall favorite song (as of this writing) is "Black Angel, White Angel", which could also be HUGE on the more adventurous rock radio stations if given the chance.It has a great feel to it and is also the most "modern" sounding of these eleven tracks. But who am I kidding? Commercial radio programmers have no balls! They are puppets for the major companies and corporations that control the market. Ahhhh ... whatever.

Other standout tracks are : "When We Were Dead", which could very easily have been on the How the Gods Kill album; "Skin Carver", a heavy stomper with John Christ-like guitar and brutal double-bass drum fills ... not to mention the whispered chorus; "Circle of Snakes", which reminds me a bit of "Twist of Cain"; "1000 Devils Reign", with its amazing chorus; "Skull Forrest", a slower yet still heavy number in the tradition of "Blood & Tears", "Sistinas", and the like; and "HellMask", which incorporates a classic Thrash metal riff leading into a full sonic assault, showcasing Tommy Victor's style and chops.

If you've dismissed Danzig in the past do yourself a favor and get your paws on this album. Give it a listen ... LOUD! Then also go out and pick up copies of the rest of the Danzig albums that you previously wrote off. Give them a chance ... and you just might find that you were WRONG in the past. Then call up your local radio stations and DEMAND that they play more Danzig ... and not just "Mother", for Christ's sake. Finally, do some research and find out when Danzig will be hitting your town on this (final?) tour and drag all of your friends with you. Show some support for a man (and band) that has undoubtedly had more of an effect on the musical landscape than most people will freely give him credit for.

10 out of 10 skulls!