First thing’s first; yes, realize that Thrall-Demonsweatlive is an EP not an album. But it deserves a place in the top one hundred because it marks the beginning of my life-long obsession with all things Danzig. Like many Danzig fans in my age bracket, I was mesmerized by the video for “Mother ’93,” a clip mainly comprised of footage from the band’s legendary 1992 Halloween performance at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater; the image of Chuck Biscuits’ 15 foot high skull drum riser is permanently burned into my brain. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that “Mother” is a fantastic song, but combining it with the imagery of a rowdy-as-fuck live show took it to a whole other level.
Tag: Thrall Demonsweatlive
Danzig – Mother ’93 (video)
Danzig’s video for “Mother ’93” is my favorite music video of all time. And with a new Danzig album coming out this week, I figured now was as good a time as any to wax nostalgic about it.
Four bad motherfuckers sweating it out on stage for a rabid crowd. Defiance and rebellion personified. In just 3 minutes and 30 seconds, this video defines what heavy metal is all about, the things that we must never lose sight of.
To the average viewer, “Mother ’93” might appear to be the typical band performance clip. But, there is so much more. The footage comes from the night Danzig played Irvine Meadows and fans broke down the barricade, you can see the security guards straddling the stage to hold back the crowd. The video is a testament to the mesmerizing effect Danzig’s music has on the willing listener, as well as the cult of personality surrounding Danzig the man.
Then there’s Chuck Biscuits, sitting high atop the Skullthrone of Satan. I would have killed to see Danzig on that tour for the drum riser alone. I wonder what the hell became of that thing? To my knowledge, enormous set pieces in heavy metal shows had gone the way of the dodo at that time (I didn’t get to go to many big metal shows when I was 12 or 13, mostly because they did not come to my town… they still don’t), but that giant devil skull looms over the stage like a giant “fuck you!” to the grunge/alt rock trend that ruled MTV at the time.
Danzig went against everything that was considered “cool” back then, yet this video still wound up as a fucking “Buzz Clip”. This alone speaks volumes about the timelessness of heavy metal, and its ability to survive and flourish even in the most unfriendly musical climates.
These are just some of the things that make “Mother ’93” such a powerful video. Yeah, the music might just be the original studio recording with some crowd noises added in, but I’ll be damned if it matters.
And don’t even get me started on how bad I wanted that fucking belt buckle.
THKD 