Blackacidevil

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Blackacidevil
Image:Danzig5.jpg
Studio album by Danzig
Released	October 29, 1996
Recorded	1995 - 1996
Genre	Heavy Metal
Length	58:00
Label	Hollywood Records
Producer(s)	Glenn Danzig
All Music Guide (2.5/5) link
Danzig chronology
Danzig 4 (1994)	Blackacidevil (1996)	6:66 Satan's Child (1999)

Danzig 5: Blackacidevil (pronounced black as a devil)^{[citation needed]} is the fifth full-length album from Danzig. It was released in 1996 on Hollywood Records, and was reissued on E-Magine Records in 2000 with three extra tracks and a new album cover by Martin Emond (see below).

The album is a landmark as the first Danzig album recorded after the demise of the "classic" lineup featuring John Christ, Eerie Von, and Chuck Biscuits; only the band's leader, songwriter / vocalist Glenn Danzig remained, joined by drummer Joey Castillo, who had joined the band late in 1994 after Biscuits' departure. Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) plays guitar on tracks 3, 7, and 8 (tracks 3, 8, and 9 of the reissue). Aside from the contributions of Castillo and Cantrell, Danzig himself plays nearly all the instruments on the remainder of the album.

Blackacidevil was widely criticised for its apparent shift from heavy metal to industrial rock, though Danzig himself has repeatedly downplayed such assessments, noting that the album draws on much more than just industrial influences. Some fans consider the change a blatant attempt at making a commercially accessible release, while others consider it a natural progression from the style of Danzig's earlier project, Samhain.

Image:Danzig5 Emond.jpg It is also the first album recorded after Danzig's departure from producer Rick Rubin's record label, American Recordings. In interviews Danzig has said that Rubin discouraged the more elaborate and experimental Samhain-style elements in the music, especially on the first two Danzig albums, which Rubin produced, in favor of a more traditional "stripped-down" heavy metal / rock style in the mould of AC/DC.

Besides the changes in lineup and musical direction, Blackacidevil's original release caused more controversy: Danzig's violent music and so-called Satanic imagery conflicted with the corporate image projected by Disney, the parent company of Danzig's new record label, Hollywood Records. Tower Records' Pulse Magazine created a mock radio advertisement and a cartoon drawing spoofing this odd relationship. The cartoon featured Glenn Danzig shaking hands with Disney CEO Michael Eisner at the entrance to "Danzigland" (instead of Disneyland). The two are surrounded by skulls, children wearing "666" T-shirts, a horned and fanged Mickey Mouse, etc. Perhaps not surprisingly, this was the only full-length Danzig release on the Hollywood Records label.