Disney Label to Release Album from Satanic-Themed, Heavy Metal Singer

Oct. 18, 1996

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Walt Disney Co.'s Hollywood Records will release an album from Danzig, a heavy metal singer whose songs contain satanic themes.

"Blackacidevil" will hit record stores on Oct. 30, the day before Halloween. A Danzig spokeswoman said the new album has no satanic references but does have "dark, Gothic and sexual" overtones.

The recording artist, she said, denies he is a satanist.

Financially troubled Hollywood Records lured Danzig from a Time Warner Inc. label with a reported seven-figure deal. The move was unprecedented for Hollywood Records, which, in keeping with Disney's wholesome image, had stayed away from rap and other explicit music.

Hollywood Records spokeswoman Sue Sawyer also said the new album has no satanic messages. "It's only rock 'n' roll," Sawyer said. "For 40 years, people have been scandalized by it."