| Black Laden Crown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 26, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2017 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 45:51 | |||
| Label | Evilive, Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Glenn Danzig | |||
| Danzig chronology | ||||
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Black Laden Crown is the eleventh studio album, and the tenth of all-new original material, by the American heavy metal band Danzig, released on May 26, 2017. [1] [2] [3]
Black Laden Crown is the band's first album of original material since Deth Red Sabaoth (2010), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career, and sees Danzig reunited with former drummer Joey Castillo, who appeared on two tracks but did not officially rejoin the band. The album took approximately three years to materialize, with the recording sessions taking place between 2014 and 2017, the longest length of time Danzig had taken to make an album. [4] [5] Black Laden Crown was recorded with five different drummers (Castillo, Johnny Kelly, Karl Rockfist, Dirk Verbeuren and Glenn Danzig himself [6] ), while the bass parts were handled by both Tommy Victor and Danzig. [7]
The track "Devil on Hwy 9" premiered on Full Metal Jackie's radio show "Whiplash" on April 2, 2017. [8]
The album's second single, "Last Ride", was made available on iTunes on May 12, 2017. A music video for the song, directed by Glenn Danzig and featuring Diane Foster, was published on the official Danzig YouTube page on September 1, 2017. The song was originally set to appear on a soundtrack for The Walking Dead TV series, but did not come to fruition: "It's on this album and it's called 'Last Ride'. I think the soundtrack album was scrapped. There were supposed to be a lot of other bands on it – I think Soundgarden was one of them – but it never came out. I had told people that if the soundtrack doesn't come out before my new album is being done, I'm putting it on my new record. It's not so much about the show itself, but more about the theme anyway. But who knows, if I do a video-clip for it, it could even have zombies." [9]
The album cover art is by frequent collaborator Simon Bisley, who also painted the covers for Thrall: Demonsweatlive (1993), 6:66 Satan's Child (1999), and Lost Tracks of Danzig (2007). [10]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 61/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Blabbermouth |   [13] |
| Bravewords | [14] |
| Loudwire | favorable [15] |
| Metal Injection |  [16] |
| Metal Forces | [17] |
| Paste Magazine | [18] |
| Pitchfork | [19] |
| Punknews |  [20] |
| Teamrock | [21] |
The album was released to generally favorable reviews scoring 61 on aggregate website Metacritic, based on 8 reviews. [11] In his review of the album for AllMusic, James Christopher Monger said "Black Laden Crown is at its best when the band keeps it slow and low, as they do with great success on workmanlike candelabra-burners like 'Last Ride,' 'Skulls & Daisies,' and 'Pull the Sun' and it's in those solemn moments of churning, Jim Morrison-esque torment and woe that Glenn Danzig sounds the most sinister and at ease." [12] Loudwire's Michael Christopher, in a favorable review, said "... he sinks deeper into the blues for the darkest, dirge-filled Danzig work in years...Production-wise, Black Laden Crown is sometimes muddled leaving a bit to be desired, but that's no surprise given Danzig's renowned taste for old amps, analog recordings and anything else from way back in the day...the wheel isn't being reinvented; it's rolling exactly the way Danzig fans have come to expect." [15] In his review of the album for Pitchfork , Andy O'Connor gave the album 6.4 out of 10 and said "Black Laden Crown is Danzig's strongest album in some time, because he's mostly built it around his own limitations. His thunder has quelled, but his ear is sharpening again on these metal blues. And it's that ear that made some of the most approachable yet enduring metal of the late '80s and early '90s." [19]
Giving the album 6.7 out of ten, Aris Hunter Wales of Paste Magazine was slightly less positive stating "It feels a little unfair to hold Black Laden Crown up to the standards of Danzig's first four LPs, but that's where the mind naturally goes. It's important to give the forefathers a fair shake when they release new material, but in the end, odds are you're gonna reach for the inception of their renaissance before the newest slab." [18]
All songs written by Glenn Danzig.
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [22] | 42 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [23] | 35 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [24] | 35 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [25] | 97 |
| US Billboard 200 [26] | 97 |
AFM Records:
Nuclear Blast USA:
Canadian exclusive:
Bullmoose Indie Exclusive:
iTunes:
Danzig is an American heavy metal band led by former Samhain and Misfits singer Glenn Danzig. Formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey, the group early on became a unique voice in the rock scene, playing a bluesy, doom-laden metal with Glenn Danzig crooning in the style of Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. Danzig's openly satanic lyrics and image stirred controversy. After a major hit with a live version of its 1988 song "Mother", the band experimented with industrial music but later returned to heavy metal. As of 2023, Danzig has released 12 studio albums, two EPs, one live album, and one compilation album.
Glenn Allen Anzalone, better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns the Evilive record label as well as Verotik, an adult-oriented comic book publishing company.
Danzig is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig, released in August 1988. The album was the first release on producer Rick Rubin's new label Def American Recordings. Def American's successor, American Recordings, reissued the album in the United States and United Kingdom in 1998. It remains the band's best-selling album having been certified gold in the U.S. in 1994, and has since been certified platinum. Danzig promoted the album with a successful world tour in 1988–1989.
Danzig II: Lucifuge is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was released in 1990 on Def American Recordings and was reissued in the US and UK in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings.
Chuck Biscuits is a Canadian drummer best known for his work in several punk rock bands.
Thrall-Demonsweatlive is an EP by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was released in 1993 on Def American Recordings and has been certified Gold.
Danzig 4, also titled Danzig 4P, is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig. Released in 1994, it was the band's final album on American Recordings, and the last to feature the original lineup of John Christ (guitar), Eerie Von (bass), and Chuck Biscuits (drums). Danzig 4 followed 1993's highly successful Thrall-Demonsweatlive EP and singer Glenn Danzig's 1992 instrumental solo effort, Black Aria.
Danzig 5: Blackacidevil is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was released in 1996 on Hollywood Records, and was reissued through E-Magine Records in 2000 with three extra tracks. The album sees the band shift to a largely industrial-based sound.
6:66 Satan's Child is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was released in 1999 on E-Magine Records.
Danzig 777: I Luciferi is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was released on May 21, 2002 by Glenn Danzig's Evilive label and distributed by Spitfire Records. Danzig stated that this album was the last in a series of seven numbered albums, each with its own general concept.
Live on the Black Hand Side is a double-disc live album by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was recorded at various shows between 1992 and 2000, and was released in 2001 on Glenn Danzig's Evilive Records label, distributed by Restless Records. It is the first official, full-length live album from the band, however, the 1993 EP, Thrall-Demonsweatlive and select CD singles have featured live material. In fact, Thrall-Demonsweatlive, includes four additional live tracks from the Halloween '92 show that are not included on this release.
Simon Bisley is a British comic book artist best known for his 1990s work on ABC Warriors, Lobo and Sláine.
Johnny Kelly is an American musician, best known as the former drummer of gothic metal band Type O Negative. He is the current drummer for the bands Silvertomb, Kill Devil Hill, Danzig, and Quiet Riot.
Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood is the second album to be released by American punk rock band Misfits. It is the last album the group recorded with founding member Glenn Danzig on vocals, who issued the vinyl record on his Plan 9 label in December 1983, two months after he played his last concert with the band. Though the original album runs under 15 minutes in length, it is listed as an LP.
Joseph William Castillo is an American musician. He is best known for being the drummer of the hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age from 2002 to 2012. He is currently a member of Circle Jerks, The Bronx, DOOM Regulator and Zakk Sabbath and Sugartooth, with former bands including Danzig, Wasted Youth, California Breed, Zilch, and Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts.
Karl Rosqvist, also known as Karl Rockfist is a Swedish drummer. He played in the Swedish metal band Sorg in the early to mid 1990s.
Deth Red Sabaoth is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig, released on June 22, 2010, through Evilive/The End Records. Deth Red Sabaoth marked Danzig's highest-charting album since the release of Danzig 4 in 1994.
The Ride Majestic is the tenth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork. It was released on 28 August 2015 and is the first album to not feature longtime bassist Ola Flink who left before the recording of the album and also the last album to feature longtime drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who left the band in July 2016 to join Megadeth.
Skeletons is the tenth studio album by the American heavy metal band Danzig, released on November 27, 2015, and consisting entirely of cover versions of songs from the 1960s through 1980s, selected by singer Glenn Danzig.
