Samhain. A Gaelic holiday that marks the end of the harvest and the coming winter. Adopted in the 20th century by Wiccans and Neopagans, the origins of the Samhain celebration date back as far as the 10th century. As Christianity made its way across Europe, the annual observance began the metamorphosis into what we today call Halloween. This Friday, Halloween night, Samhain will rise again at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.
This time, it is not a harvest we’re celebrating, but rather the return of the gothic rock band fronted by the mighty Glenn Danzig. Celebrating “30 Bloody Years,” they have returned to play a handful of dates in 2014, including Riot Fest in Chicago. Danzig has brought back original members London May on bass and Pete Zing on drums, with Peter Adams of Baroness taking over the guitar duties.
What started as a side project became Danzig’s full-time band, as Samhain rose from the ashes of punk legends The Misfits. Drawing from varied influences and layering that with the horror-themed punk of his former band, Danzig, along with bassist Eerie Von, drummer Steve Zing, and an assortment of coming and going musicians, released Initium in 1984. A dark, experimental journey of heavy gothic deathrock, the album was not commercially accepted but gained a huge cult following. The blood-soaked, devil-locked band image on the cover became iconic, as did the first use of the skull that would be associated with Danzig for his entire career.
Releasing an EP and two follow-up albums, this band would become the bridge between the horrorpunk aggression of The Misfits and the grim, doomy, blues-based rock of Danzig’s forthcoming successful solo career. Samhain would become influences of metal luminaries such as James Hetfield of Metallica, and Randy Blythe of Lamb of God—and the music of Samhain would forever become like a much-loved cult horror movie.
Supporting Samhain for this run are New Orleans blackened thrashers Goatwhore, and the one-man black metal band from Cleveland, Midnight. Doors at 6:30, show at 7:30, and tickets can be purchased here.
