samhain
Although not the best known of Glenn Danzig ’s musical projects, the short-lived Samhain helped bridge the gap between the fierce punk of his Misfits days with the Sabbath-y metal blues of his solo band, Danzig. [1]
Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. [2]
It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the “Celtic New Year” from the late 19th century, following Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer. [3]
Danzig has said that he wrote two songs (”Death Comes Ripping” and “Bloodfeast”) with the intention of using them on the first Samhain album, but instead recorded them with the Misfits for the Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood album in order to round out that band’s final series of recordings and release a full album. [4]
Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. [3]
Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. [4]
At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical properties. [2]
Danzig would play guitar on live performances of the song “Archangel”, freeing his guitarist to instead perform a second bass track. [1]
Possibly to avoid potential legal disputes with former guitarist Damien, Danzig had overdubbed /re-recorded all of the original guitar tracks with his own guitar playing. [4]
With former Minor Threat guitarist Lyle Preslar signing on soon after, Samhain recorded their debut album, Initium, which was issued in 1984. [1]
The Samhain celebrations have survived in several guises as a festival dedicated to the harvest and the dead. [3]
Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. [2]
The medieval Goidelic festival of Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”. [3]
This article is about the American rock band. [4]
This lineup remained together for a lone release, 1985’s extremely limited-edition four-track EP Unholy Passion, before another lineup hiccup occurred when Zing was replaced with London May. [1]
Sources:
[1] Samhain: Information from Answers.com
[2] Samhain
[3] Samhain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[4] Samhain (band) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia