Danzig — Skeletons: Glenn Danzig Sings The Songs That Made Him

Glenn Danzig Sings The Songs That Made Him — the Vault Deep Dive on Danzig — Skeletons (2015).

The Story

For decades Glenn Danzig teased a covers record, an album of the songs that shaped him before Misfits, Samhain, or the self-titled Danzig debut. Skeletons finally arrived in 2015, gathering material he had loved since childhood and adolescence. This is not a career overview or a hits package; it is a personal map, tracing the garage rock, soul, and hard rock that fed his songwriting. Danzig chose each track himself, avoiding the obvious in favor of songs that meant something to him personally. The result reads like an autobiography told entirely through other people's music, deeply revealing.

The Sound

Danzig approaches these songs on his own terms rather than delivering faithful photocopies. He slows some, heavies others, and drapes his unmistakable croon across arrangements built for a very different singer. The palette runs from raw garage stomp to smoky soul, and he leans hard into the darker, more brooding readings that suit his baritone. Guitars are thick, drums deliberate, and the atmosphere favors mood over polish. Longtime fans will recognize the same gothic weight he brings to his originals, applied here to material spanning several decades. It is affectionate but never reverent, filtered fully through his sensibility.

The Sessions

Skeletons was recorded across a long stretch, reflecting the project's decades-long gestation rather than a single burst of studio time. Danzig produced it himself, as he has done throughout his solo career, keeping tight control over arrangements and tone. He handled vocals and contributed guitar, drawing on trusted collaborators to flesh out the tracks. The selections range widely in origin, from soul standards to hard rock and garage numbers, which meant reshaping each to fit a unified feel. That curation, more than any single technical choice, defines the sessions: Danzig assembling disparate songs into one cohesive, shadowy statement.

The Legacy

Skeletons stands as one of the most personal releases in Danzig's catalog, a rare glimpse at the roots beneath his gothic empire. It rewards fans who want to understand where his obsessions came from, revealing influences that predate the horror-punk he helped invent. As a covers album it is divisive, but that is part of its charm; it refuses to flatter expectations. This picture-disc pressing turns the record into a collectible object as much as a listen. For completists and curious listeners alike, it fills an important gap, closing a loop Danzig had left open for many years.

What the pressing tells us

The part most listings skip. This is how we grade and how you can tell copies apart:

• This is the Limited Edition Picture Disc pressing on Nuclear Blast / Evilive.
• Copy is factory sealed with hype sticker, condition SS.
• Picture discs favor visual impact; collectors prize sealed examples.
• USA release; sealed picture discs are increasingly hard to source.

Session file

• Self-produced by Glenn Danzig, consistent with his solo career approach
• A long-teased covers project finally realized after decades
• Released in 2015 on Danzig's own Evilive with Nuclear Blast
• Danzig personally selected every song for the tracklist
• Material spans garage rock, soul, and hard rock origins

Who played on it

• Glenn Danzig — Vocals, guitar, producer

Vault Trivia

1. Danzig's Blackest of the Black festival, active in this era, was themed around what?

1. Dark, extreme, and industrial metal acts
2. Classic thrash reunions only
3. Traditional heavy metal revival
4. Nu-metal crossover bills

Reveal the answer

Dark, extreme, and industrial metal acts — Blackest of the Black gathered dark, extreme, and gothic acts curated by Danzig himself.

2. Around Skeletons' era, Danzig also revisited which of his older bands live?

1. Samhain reunion sets
2. Original Misfits full reunion tours
3. A Danzig acoustic-only tour
4. A Samhain studio comeback album

Reveal the answer

Samhain reunion sets — Danzig performed Samhain reunion shows in this period, predating the later original Misfits reunions.

3. Danzig released his solo debut on which label?

1. Def American
2. Metal Blade
3. Nuclear Blast
4. Roadrunner

Reveal the answer

Def American — The self-titled 1988 Danzig debut came out on Rick Rubin's Def American label.

4. Which of these is a genuine Danzig album title?

1. Deth Red Sabaoth
2. Blood and Fire
3. Static Age
4. Unholy Passion

Reveal the answer

Deth Red Sabaoth — Deth Red Sabaoth arrived in 2010; the others belong to Misfits and Samhain releases.

5. Skeletons features Danzig's take on a song originally by which soul artist?

1. Aaron Neville
2. Sam Cooke
3. Otis Redding
4. Wilson Pickett

Reveal the answer

Aaron Neville — Danzig covered Aaron Neville's 'Tell It Like It Is' among the album's soul-rooted selections.

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