Review by Chad on January 24, 2020.

In many ways, Danzig's debut album is like a Samhain album that never was. Stylistically, this is a much more focused and heavier sound, but comparing Danzig's 1988 debut with Samhain's 1990 "Final Descent", Samhain was heading into a heavier direction anyway, with the final lineup of the band being the exact same members of this album. And look! The front cover of the album is the Samhain skull. The lineup on this album and the three that follow it is considered the best lineup for Danzig's discography, and for good reason, they are each talented member in their own right, but on this release, most, if not all of the original music on the album was crafted by Glenn. It's pretty apparent especially when comparing this debut album with follow up albums where John Christ was allowed some freedom with the guitar work.

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of this album. While it's usually held in high regards, I've always considered it slightly overrated and honestly, sounds like a watered-down Samhain release. While the performance on this album is much more focused and professional than the Samhain albums that preceded it, Danzig's debut is just somewhat boring half the time. Throw a dart and pick any song on the album, it's all standard stuff, a single guitar riff dictates the direction of each song, not much different from AC/DC. There's little work in the way of leads, and while John Christ's guitar tone is suitable for the blues rock played out on this album, it's always sounded paper thin to me. Sure, there's a guitar there, but it's not making much of an impression on me bar the solo from "Mother" or the main riff to "Twist of Cain". Chuck Biscuits and Eerie Von both do a pretty half-assed job as well. Still though, they manage to play it safe throughout most of the record and at the end of the day, Danzig is a competent release, albeit the entire album just feels like a rush job.

I think the thing I dislike most about this album is the fact that "The Hunter" is not credited to Albert King. For the longest time I listened to this album thinking it was Glenn's own original material until I listened to Blue Cheer's sophomore release "Outsideinside". Then I went on to think this was a Blue Cheer cover until finally discovering that it is actually an old blues song. You wouldn't know this by looking through the album's liner notes or the track listing on the back cover though, this really is Led Zeppelin levels of musical thievery, and why? What purpose does it serve when "The Hunter" is one of the worst songs on the album, second only to "Possession". Speaking of "Possession", it's terrible. It's one of two songs featuring unaccredited guest vocals from James Hetfield, the other being "Twist of Cain" and I hate everything about the song from the way the main guitar riff makes me want to vomit to Glenn and James both yelling "Possession" in unison. The whole song just sounds like a punk rock fever dream. It wasn't good when it was a Samhain song, and it's not good on this album either.

Those are the only "weak" songs on the album though. "She Rides" is a very bluesy honky tonk heavy metal waltz that I always remember being better than it actually is, but it probably is the most iconic song in terms of the blues metal style that Danzig was known for. Everyone seems to know this album for the classics "Mother", "Twist of Cain" and "Am I Demon", but I have to say that "Not of this World" does not get enough credit and should be lumped in there with them. It has all the punk rock energy of "Mother" and more technical prowess in the guitar work featuring three separate guitar solos, and it's easily the best song to play guitar along to. "Soul on Fire" is another fine tune starting off with some Roy Orbison style crooning, quickly picking up into a bouncy and catchy blues rock anthem.

I just don't see what most other's see in Danzig's debut album. Out of the first four albums in his discography featuring this legendary lineup, I have to say, this is the weakest one of the bunch. It's still by all means a good album, but it just reeks of a heavy metal album that was put together by one guy. Sure, it's raw, and at times captures that punk rock spirit of Samhain or Misfits, but most of the time the album is spinning, it's not making much of an impression on me. This is a little too minimalist in the songwriting department for my taste. Still though, this is a promising taste of what was to come, and you can hear the potential from a mile away.

Superchard gets super hard for:
"Mother"
"Twist of Cain"
"Not of this World"

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on October 7, 2019.

Classic heavy metal with a distinguished blues feel to it, if you're a fan of the 70's era of The Misfits, you'll know what to expect out of the vocals put to metal music. This album and the follow-up Lucifuge are by far my favorite Danzig releases. What's so grasping is the originality in songwriting basically the music and vocals just kill! It has a slight raw production quality, but not over-the-top raw. Distorted guitars spewing out slow riffs that are catchy, unique and heavy muted conglomerations, but these riffs are groove laden mostly, nothing too fast.

Danzig's vocals are sung with passion and candidly felt, it's as though he sings with his whole heart and soul. The drums go along very well with the guitars. There aren't THAT many lead parts though there are some at least with a hard-core blues tint to them. 40+ minutes of distinct and gripping metal music that's played so well it's one that you cannot really get sick of. I remember getting the cassette tape of this back in 1989 and what I thought of it. Scary album cover for a 13 year old kid but I embraced this one. 25 years later here I am writing about it!

This album has unique guitar and original voice by Glenn. It's really altogether a sheer triumph. It also isn't very repetitive its music is laid out exquisitely. Dark, blasphemous lyrics, atmospheric, and an abundance of pure soul filled! The band put together songwriting that was totally unlike any band that I've heard from the 80's in heavy metal except for the classic bands. It seems as though this era (80's) was notorious for bands making great metal as well. I won't list them here; my focus is on this self-titled release and what a triumph!

I suppose the reason for the dark lyrics has to do with Glenn's concept of keeping the metal underground. The heavy blues riffing is apparent on the rhythms/leads. Totally thick though, the solos shine in pure feel and poise. I really admire John Christ's efforts here not only on the great leads, but the guitars on the rhythm aspect are so well put-together that they're utterly amazing. Simple, but so catchy. This band made a huge impact in the heavy metal world back 25 years ago and yet this one you can still hear and admire!

The main songs that I thought to be my favorites are "Twist of Cain", "She Rides" and "Mother." After Lucifuge, I lost interest in the band. Danzig is to have another release this year though hearing Danzig interviewed as he is 60 now it sounds like he has no voice left! Anyway, what steals you from anything away from your own consciousness into this album because of its utmost originality. It can be heavy, but slow riffs, some whispered vocals, more soul-entwined voice and the drums hit home here. Very well execution and feel by all members!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Greg on February 6, 2024.

Begravement is the latest, and ostensibly most serious, project by estimated fellow MA user Ezra Blumenfeld. Since I'm considered young by common sense, and yet I'm still 6 years older than the eldest member of the here examined band, I can't help but speak like a man in his fifties and say that it's always nice and refreshing to see young blood delve into extreme metal in 2021 A.D., nothing less. But I better cut short the boomer-isms right here and start introducing their newest EP Conjuring the Necromancer.

On a surface level, Begravement's formula is a take on that death/thrash hybrid which was arguably mastered by Merciless, Repugnant and the criminally overlooked, contemporary Chileans Ripper. Yet, the enthusiasm only teenagers can have means that they don't want to rest on their laurels too much, and they constantly try to spice things up offering plenty of instrumental solutions, melodic twists and wannabe-progressive moments which, I'm sure, are likely to occupy more and more space in the future. The band even labels itself 'technical death' but, thankfully, they're more interested in the pioneering '90s sound than in the sterile (and saturated) post-2000 tech-death scene.

So, an old-school sound, old-school like the somewhat cheesy, but fitting, synths/bells intro with simulated vinyl scratches and whatnot. It gives way to a midpaced riff which is the perfect setup for the inevitable buildup of the straightforward opener, without a doubt the most apt song to kickstart Conjuring the Necromancer. It features the catchiest chorus, some glimpses and teases of the most elaborate moments which will be found in subsequent tracks and, in a quite audacious move, all of the four(!) guest vocalists on the EP; and while this last choice can seem (and sound) quite confusing, there's at least one thing we can all be sure after this track: these lads have chops, personality, and remarkably sized attributes. Each track here lasts for about five minutes, and while at this early stage you have to expect some trimmable fat (my picks would be 'Destroying Angel''s slightly overlong ending or the... overabundant word count of 'Opaque Malevolence'), the songwriting has already a clear vision of what it wants to be. You can clearly tell these young guys spent a good chunk of the various lockdowns refining these six compositions, even if I felt that the first half ended up being the most convincing.

Yes, all the members put their soul into their performances and more, considering that they also share lead guitar duties (yep, drummer included), never giving the impression of someone going beyond his capabilities. My personal favourite solo was undoubtedly the finale of 'Death-Obsessed': its pace change brought a genuine, if unexpected, grin to my face... but there are other brilliant moments as well. The EP production is also more than acceptable, and I sincerely hope they won't get too much old-school, in this aspect, on an eventual full-length, since that would mean sacrificing all those little tweaks and variations in the sound which would get inevitably lost in a muddier mix.

As far as Ezra's vocal work goes, taking a guess at his main sources of inspiration (or mere similarities), I would say that, on top of a pretty expectable (for the genre) raspy growl, he sometimes nails that early Martin van Drunen gravelly howl (think of a less mature version of him), with a dose of L-G Petrov for the occasional shrieks. Granted, there's a bit too much fluctuation in intensity for such illustrious comparisons, especially during extended vocal passages like in 'Opaque Malevolence', but again, it's quite a venial sin in this phase of their career. The title-track features also a snippet of, gasp, clean vocals, which plausibly betray the year in which Begravement operate, but work nicely to build a somewhat 'emotional' bridge.

All things considered, a release like Conjuring the Necromancer is unquestionably a success in the growth process of an emerging band. I haven't checked Ezra's other main band Pyreworks, but I'll surely follow Begravement more closely from now on – they tick all the right boxes to become a real menacing force in the near future.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Alex Grindor on April 4, 2021.

Spawned from Minnesota, Begravement made their debut some months ago with the release of Conjuring The Necromancer, a 6-track EP that has shown a lot of potential from this young group, as well as a proper homage to the classics of old.

With a brief sinister intro we are introduced to 'To the Grave'. Begravement's style is rooted in death/thrash, yet still they manage to incorporate technical, progressive and sometimes avant-garde elements into their songwriting, with each track having a distinctive identity on their own yet complementing each other as a whole cohesive record. This song in particular features 6 guest vocalists, who take command of track's vocals along with the band's main vocalist. 'To the Grave' feels like a classic death/thrash track, while it's follow-up 'Destroying Angel' is a bit more mid-paced and more straight-forward in its delivery, with the track being a feast of fantastic guitar solos.

From here though, everything goes up in intensity as the next track hit you in the face. 'Death-Obsessed' is a great old-school death metal track that could've easily been recorded in the late 80's, with a step-up in speed and overall intensity with perfectly executed leads thrown around. Next, we have 'Opaque Malevolence', the most dissonant, abrassive track of the entire record, with pummeling drums and twisted guitar riffs that may remind you of early Gorguts. 'Conjuring The Necromancer' stays on the opossite side, having marvelous scales and melodies throughout while featuring a brief theremin section and some short choirs for atmosphere. And finally we close with 'Obliterate The Convent', a more straight-forward death metal track than the previous ones, ending with a keyboard fade-out that some may find very familiar...

Music-wise, the band has tackled every corner of the death metal spectrum in here. Whether you like a more classic approach, a more tech-death feat or prefer the dissonant sound, this EP has you covered. Ezra's vocals may be a bit rough and could improve, but he is a very competent guitar player and it is evident that he has improved a lot since his solo project and it complements well with Owen's solos, who is a great player as well and also in charge of the drums. Matt provides backing vocals and bass, and his work is great as well, with his instrument adding that much needed weight on top of the music, while also having its brief shining moments.

Production-wise however, I have some discrepancies. First of all, the guest vocalists could've been better used if shown in different tracks rather than doing a one-off and never return, and some of them are mixed a bit lower than the others making it inconsistent in their presence. Second, the mix is a bit off, with the guitars feeling a bit too "far back" than the rest of the instruments while the vocals have a more of louder and closer sound. Last but not least, it feels to me that the tracks were longer than they should be, the average length being around 5 minutes. The repetitive nature of the tracks makes this more noticeable and (personally) the tracks could've been more compact and still showcase the band's musical abilities without overstretching it for too long.

Overall, it is a great display of prowess and passion for death/thrash metal in all its ways. It may be repetitive at moments and a bit longer than it should (and in need of some improvements), but if you give it a chance you will most than surely enjoy what Begravement has for you.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10