Samhain (band)
| Samhain | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Genres | Deathrock, horror punk, heavy metal, punk rock, gothic rock |
| Years active | 1983–1987 (changed their name to Danzig) (Partial reunions: 1999, 2011, 2012, 2014 [30 years of Initium shows and Danzig Legacy TV Special]) |
| Labels | Plan 9, Caroline |
| Associated acts | Danzig, Misfits, Son of Sam, Minor Threat, Bad Religion |
| Past members |
Glenn Danzig Brian Baker Lyle Preslar Al Pike Steve Zing Eerie Von Pete "Damien" Marshall London May Todd Youth John Christ |
Samhain is an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from Misfits. Samhain played in more of a deathrock and heavy metal-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band. By 1987 Samhain's membership evolved into a new band, Danzig. After briefly reuniting in 1999, and again in 2011 and 2012, Samhain announced their fourth reunion in 2014.
Glenn Danzig originally planned Samhain as a side project with Eerie Von. After his earlier group, the Misfits, contentiously dissolved, Samhain became his full-time band. Samhain is the least-celebrated of Danzig's major musical outlets and catalogs a transitional period in his musical career, bridging the gap between the punk rock of the Misfits and the dark, heavy metal and blues-influenced sound of Danzig. Both Samhain and its successor, Danzig, use the same horned skull image originally drawn by artist Michael Golden for the cover of the 1984 comic book The Saga of Crystar No. 8, published by Marvel Comics. The font often used in the name logo of Samhain, and later Danzig, is taken from the film The Giant Gila Monster.
Danzig took the name of the band from the ancient Celtic New Year: Samhain, the origin of the modern Halloween. The band's name is typically pronounced "sam-hane", though when the word occurs in song lyrics, Danzig himself pronounces it "sah-win", in conformity with the generally accepted pronunciation of the eponymous ancient holiday.
Samhain's lyrics were much darker than those of the Misfits, with themes rooted in paganism and the occult and eventually the horrors of reality, 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.
...
Wikipedia