Thankfully,
I Luciferi finds
Glenn Danzig rediscovering his bloody
rock & roll cojones after two lackluster pseudo-
industrial artistic stumbles,
6:66 Satan's Child and
Blackacidevil. So yes,
I Luciferi is a throwback of sorts to
Danzig's heyday, when
Danzig,
Danzig II: Lucifuge, and
Danzig III: How the Gods Kill (and maybe
Danzig 4) were staples in any self-respecting punter's CD changer. So the album kicks off with mid-tempo ripper
"Black Mass" sounding impressively sinister, if a bit ham-fisted in the riff department, with
Danzig's howling vocals clean and creepy and the lyrics as black as Satan's pupils. Balls-out bombastic rocker
"Liberskull" and dirge-like album-closer
"Without Light, I Am" are the best
Danzig cuts to tickle the devil's undercarriage since the widely underrated, richly textured
Danzig 4, which boasted
Glenn Danzig's most accomplished and varied songwriting -- before his top-notch backing unit (guitarist
John Christ, bassist
Eerie Von, and drummer
Chuck Biscuits) bailed, presumably preferring career oblivion over
Danzig's ego. And that's precisely where
I Luciferi is lacking; without a truly blistering unit behind the
Jim Morrison-emulated, Evil
Elvis singer,
"Halo Goddess Bone," "God of Light," and
"The Coldest Sun" lack the spark that forces riffs into nasty black underground nether-regions. Instead, the guitars chug
Rob Zombie-style during the verses and drone atmospherically during the choruses, the songs left needing a wicked
John Christ-like virtuoso touch. Still, the leathered biker swagger of the title track and
"Naked Witch" are worthy listens, although
"Kiss the Skull" cranks a
Dumbo-eared
Marilyn Manson arrangement and
"Wicked Pussycat" is depressingly obvious and quite embarrassing, too comic book-like and tongue-in-cheek for its own good. Uneven as
I Luciferi is, it's a quite listenable and welcome return to truly metallic form for
Glenn Danzig, who, for the most part, successfully aims for the gray area between truly menacing evil and nudge-nudge wink-wink dark humor -- something conveyed best on early
Danzig material. Sure, his best years are most likely behind him at this point, but
I Luciferi proves that this old snake still has some venom left in his fangs. ~ John Serba
