| Samhain (band) |
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Information AboutSamhain (band) |
Samhain was a Deathrock / Horror Punk band formed by Glenn Danzig in 1983 as The Misfits were in major turmoil and close to disbanding. Danzig originally planned Samhain as a side project, but after the demise of The Misfits in October of 1983, it became his full-time band. Samhain is the lesser known of Glenn Danzig's musical outlets, and catalogs the transitional period of his musical career, bridging the gap between the punk thrashing of The Misfits, and the dark, Heavy Metal sound of Danzig . Glenn took the name of the band from Samhain , the ancient Celtic New Year, which influenced the modern Halloween . Samhain is pronounced "sow win" (which is the pronunciation that Glenn uses in songs), although the band name is often pronounced "Sam-Hane" for the sake of simplicity. Samhain was much darker than The Misfits, with lyrics rooted in the horrors of reality and the Occult , as opposed to the sometimes cartoonish ghouls and ghosts of The Misfits. Samhain's musical style was a dark, gritty, and experimental combination of Punk , Gothic Rock , and on the last album, Heavy Metal . As a footnote, Glenn wrote the songs 'Bloodfeast' and 'Death Comes Ripping' with intentions of using them on the first Samhain album, but they ended up on The Misfits '' Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood '' album as part of a last ditch effort to salvage the band. Samhain released two full-length albums and one EP during their three year career as an active band. Some criticized their first album for being merely the Misfits slowed down, but Samhain demonstrated noticeably superior musicianship. The fact that Samhain re-recorded a few Misfits songs cemented the idea in some peoples' minds that Danzig couldn't move past his work with the Misfits. However, as their career progressed, they evolved into their own unique style of Lo-fi Goth Metal and gained a cult following that surpassed that of The Misfits. LIVE SHOWS A Samhain show was an energetic and unpredictable event. Sometimes Danzig could be seen donning a bizarre demon-shaped leather S&M mask and covered in mock blood. Occasionally, he would leap from the stage to physically attack fans who had spit on or made obscene gestures towards him. Amazingly, he has never been involved in a lawsuit for Assault . NAME CHANGE In 1986 , Samhain was signed by Rick Rubin to his Def Jam label. In 1987 , Glenn decided to change the name of the band to Danzig . Rick Rubin at first wished only to sign Glenn with the promise of helping him assemble an all star line-up, however, Glenn refused to agree to the deal unless Samhain bassist Eerie Von could remain in the group. Rick Rubin and Glenn thought the band's sound should be taken in a different direction, and so Samhain guitarist Damien was replaced by John Christ , while drummer London May was replaced by Chuck Biscuits , completing the first Danzig lineup. LATE ALBUM In 1990, '''' LP and featured members of Danzig . It was released after Samhain's demise to expose fans of Danzig to Samhain and to help bridge the musical gap between the two bands, including two previously unreleased Samhain songs that would eventually end up on Danzig's first CD ("Possession" and "Twist of Cain") which appear in their original forms on ''Final Descent''. Incidentally, the ploy worked and sales of Samhain LP's rose considerably. REUNION Samhain briefly reunited in 1999 to celebrate the release of the Box Set . They went on one national tour with the band Danzig headlining. The lineup consisted of Danzig, Zing, May, and then Danzig guitarist Todd Youth. Founding member Eerie Von was not asked to participate due to him libeling Danzig in several periodicals and over the internet. Danzig has since stated that the band will not tour again. MEMBERS
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