Quick Take: Danzig - Black Laden Crown

Oh, how the mighty continue to fall. There are several records coming up in the next couple of weeks that feature once great bands or musicians who are currently embarrassing themselves (spoiler alert) that will get the full review treatment, and while I will be spending fewer words on Danzig, he is added to that pile.

Danzig was once one of the msot enigmatic and important men in rock. His early solo albums were hulking beasts of bluesy metal, the kind of music that crafted a legacy. But as time wore on, Danzig started to buy into his own image, and eventually he was left being a caricature of himself. That culminated in "Skeletons", a cover album that is legitimately one of the worst things I have ever heard, and it carries over into this record.

Look, Danzig was great. Was. His voice is absolutely shot now, and there isn't anything on this record that can save him from that pain. The songs are slow and tuneless, the mix is below even the quality someone can make with a laptop and a free recording program, and Danzig refuses to acknowledge his own age. He's too old to be putting on the act, but he keeps trying. I'd be willing to forgive him if he could make another "Lucifuge", but he can't. This record is a pale imitation of Danzig; it's like a bad cover band that tries to write their own material. Everything about this just isn't up to snuff. Sorry, Danzig, but you no longer wear that black laden crown.