Wiki
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Release Date
1 January 1990
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Length
11 tracks
Danzig II: Lucifuge is the second 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.
Lucifuge was recorded at three studios in Hollywood: Hollywood Sound Recorders, Larrabee Sound Studios and Summa Music Group over an eleven-month period, between June 1989 and May 1990; up to this point, it was the longest time Danzig had taken to make an album.
Lucifuge has a pronounced blues influence that adds a sinister edge akin to records by Howlin' Wolf or Robert Johnson, who have both been accused of playing the "Devil's music". Thematically, a number of songs throughout the album ask questions about the concept of evil.
Glenn Danzig said that the song "Killer Wolf" is "my version of an old blues song about a guy who wolfs around the door of every girl in town."
Glenn Danzig has described "I'm the One" as "another blues song…about a guy realizing his destiny." "I'm the One" was originally recorded for Danzig's debut album, as John Christ explained: "We actually recorded 'I'm the One' for the first record, but we decided to save it for this record. It fit the mood of the second album much better. Glenn wanted to do that song for a long time – he even knew what kind of video he wanted it to have long before we did it. It's a cool song: just some guitar and vocals and a little hi-hat in the background."
The introduction to "Long Way Back from Hell" begins with the use of the dive bomb guitar technique. Guitarist John Christ explained: "We worked on the beginning of that song for a long time before we finally got it right – it always sounded too empty. But when Eerie came in with that galloping bass-line, it all kind of fell into place. It has a lot of energy to it and was probably one of the best songs on that album."
Glenn Danzig spoke about the challenge of writing the song "Her Black Wings": "I always know beforehand what kind of record I want to make. Those ideas dictate how the songs will sound. And sometimes it's not always easy to execute the ideas. For example, writing 'Her Black Wings' was a laborious and tedious experience – but that's the way it had to be for the song to come out right."
"777" is a song about the biblical concept of Armageddon and includes the use of slide guitar.
"Blood and Tears" is a Roy Orbison-like ballad about "a girl's failed relationship and her subsequent torment", and is one of Glenn Danzig's personal favorites from the album.
The lyrics to "Snakes of Christ" tell of Glenn Danzig's view that the teachings of Christ have been perverted by religious groups. Glenn Danzig has mentioned in interviews the very noticeable similarity between the main riff from "Snakes of Christ" and that of the later Stone Temple Pilots song "Sex Type Thing".
Regarding the song "Tired of Being Alive", John Christ has suggested that "Lyrically, I think the words are about the way Glenn was feeling at the time." The remaining songs feature subjects including love, sex and religious themes.
A song titled "The Other Side" was finished but not released on the album.
Prior to the album release, Glenn Danzig noted how the band had improved in the interim between the debut recording and the recording of Lucifuge: "Everybody's much more comfortable with each other now. We've toured with each other, hung with each other. The rhythm section is much tighter. It's just a much better band, and that comes through on the album."
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