Record Review - 1 February 28 2001

Following the break-up of seminal punk band the Misfits, Glenn Danzig formed Samhain. Samhain would provide a transition for many aspects of Danzig’s music and also serve as an example that genres weren’t as rigid as some punks believe. Over the course of Samhain’s albums, imagery went from shock horror to more subtle paganism, and music from three-chord thrash to atmospheric metal to the heavy gothic blues of Danzig’s solo career. As well as remastered copies of all four Samhain albums, this self-titled boxset features rarities and concert material, a booklet of photographs, a collectible stickpin and a lively video. The inclusion of a mid-’80s comic book shows that Danzig never took his own dark Elvis image too seriously, just continued doing his thing, while the reformed Misfits became the real cartoons.