Danzig "danzig"

This album really changed the musical landscape for me in 1988.  As a metal head flirting with punk I had already been introduced to Samhain by a punk dude at school so I was familiar with this iconic horned skull.  I had seen an ad for this release, it was just the cover and an "out now".  The image stuck with me (as it has for many others) and I tracked the release down.  When I first heard it I remember being suprised at how not-heavy the album was, but the dark romantic evil elvis was quick to woo me.  My mom allowed us to play tapes of music we liked in the car when she drove, I  suspected she may not be as annoyed by this as the Possessed tape I had been playing just to be a dick.  She liked it and I remember her saying it reminded her of Roy Orbison (something #danzig himself probably would have dug).  I had a cheap white stratocaster knock off that sat as a paperweight in my room for a year.  I bought it with money I earned working at a pizzeria.  Is was a symbol of immersion to me.  That the music I obsessed over I'd be able to create some day.  I fumbled with it a few times, but since I had no idea how to tune it (or even that it needed to be tuned) I just kind of played with it rather than play it.  One day I sat and figured out how to play "twist of cain" on one string.  It was an epiphany!  A glimpse that I would be able to recreate these magical sounds!  Ground zero for the many bands I would be in.  All of which were really important to me, and all of which I owe a debt to this cd.