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Black Laden Crown

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Black Laden Crown
a blood-covered blonde woman with a bat resting in her cleavage emits fire from her palms
Studio album by
Danzig
ReleasedMay 26, 2017 (2017-05-26)
Recorded2014–2017
GenreHeavy metal
Length45:51
LabelEvilive, Nuclear Blast
ProducerGlenn Danzig
Danzig chronology
Skeletons
(2015) 		Black Laden Crown
(2017) 		Danzig Sings Elvis
(2020)

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]

Background and production

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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]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Blabbermouth[13]
Bravewords[14]
Loudwirefavorable[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]

Track listing

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All songs written by Glenn Danzig.

  1. "Black Laden Crown" – 5:59
  2. "Eyes Ripping Fire" – 4:19
  3. "Devil on Hwy 9" – 3:52
  4. "Last Ride" – 4:59
  5. "The Witching Hour" – 5:59
  6. "But a Nightmare" – 5:04
  7. "Skulls & Daisies" – 3:58
  8. "Blackness Falls" – 5:47
  9. "Pull the Sun" – 5:54

Personnel

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Charts

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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

Releases

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AFM Records:

  • Digipak CD
  • Black vinyl LP
  • Neon yellow vinyl LP
  • Neon orange vinyl LP
  • Transparent red vinyl LP

Nuclear Blast USA:

  • Digipak CD
  • Orange/red swirl vinyl LP

Canadian exclusive:

  • Red w/ black splatter[27]

Bullmoose Indie Exclusive:

  • Orange, red, black splatter vinyl LP[28]

iTunes:

  • Digital download (includes digital booklet)

References

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  1. ^ "DANZIG Reveals Title, Cover Art and Release Date for New Album". Metal Injection. March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  2. ^ "Danzig announces new album 'Black Laden Crown'". Lambgoat.com. March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  3. ^ "Danzig Confirm Release Date And Share Artwork For New Album 'Black Laden Crown'". Stereoboard.com. March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  4. ^ "Danzig Recording New Music". Blabbermouth.net. February 20, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "Danzig shares his first album of new material in seven years, Black Laden Crown: Stream". Consequence of Sound. May 26, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "Photographic image" (JPG). Img.discogs.com. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Danzig "Black laden crown" LP, Gatefold". Emp.de. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  8. ^ "Dave Lombardo on the show this week! DANZIG PREMIERE". 955klos.com. March 31, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  9. ^ "Danzig's last studio-album?". Facebook. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  10. ^ "Bisley & Danzig Autograph New Album". SimonBisleyArt.com. May 9, 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Black Laden Crown by Danzig". Metacritic. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Black Laden Crown – Danzig – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  13. ^ "Black Laden Crown – DANZIG". blabbermouth.net. June 30, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  14. ^ bravewords.com. "DANZIG – Black Laden Crown". bravewords.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Danzig, 'Black Laden Crown' – Album Review". Loudwire. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  16. ^ "Album Review: DANZIG Black Laden Crown – Metal Injection". metalinjection.net. May 31, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  17. ^ "DANZIG Black Laden Crown". metalforcesmagazine.com/. 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Paste Review of the Day: Danzig – Black Laden Crown". pastemagazine.com. May 25, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  19. ^ a b "Danzig: Black Laden Crown Album Review". pitchfork.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  20. ^ Punknews.org. "Danzig – Black Laden Crown". www.punknews.org. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  21. ^ "Danzig – Black Laden Crown album review". teamrock.com. May 26, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Danzig – Black Laden Crown" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  23. ^ "Danzig: Black Laden Crown" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Danzig – Black Laden Crown" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  25. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Danzig – Black Laden Crown". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  26. ^ "Danzig Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  27. ^ "Black Laden Crown (Red w/ black splatter, gatefold, Canada exclusive limited vinyl):Amazon:Music". www.amazon.ca. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  28. ^ "Bull Moose. Danzig Black Laden Crown (orange Red Black Splatter Vinyl) Indie Exclusive Limited To 500 Copies". Bullmoose.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
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