Most of the time, Instagram's suggested posts are garbage. And sometimes it'll spit something like "I Like To Worship The Devil" by Dan Spencer at you. That's where my curiosity about Dan Spencer started, specifically when I caught the lyric "I like to worship the devil cause it looks cool and it pays the bills." So who is Dan Spencer and why is he on this metal website? Because Dan Spencer is fucking metal.
Let's start with Spencer's latest single "Fat Vampire". Right off the bat, you're hit with a wall of extremely convincing black metal followed by… a country tune that almost feels like a deep-fried version of an Alkaline Trio track. The song is dressed up in an increasingly darker music video that, if put on mute, could easily be soundtracked by any metal song.
"Fat Vampire" feels like it's Spencer right on the verge of something very special. The black metal bit is brief, but it's well done. The visuals are there, the music is catchy as hell, and the inclusion of harder rock is present (look no further than the whole "In the graveyard I still hunger" part that sounds straight off My Chemical Romance's second record). A little more blending of the styles and the dude's on his way to the upper echelon of the metal world.
What I'm getting at with "Fat Vampire" is this – Spencer is something unique, and fits right into that whole Amigo The Devil/Steve Von Till/Austin Lunn slot that metal nurtures.
"Yeah, but 'Fat Vampire' is almost a rock song!" I hear you thinking, because I am psychic in this specific hypothetical. Allow me to introduce you to "Beat Your Ass To Death", a song that I am practically begging to be used in a trailer and for Khemmis to cover much like they did "A Conversation With Death". If this doesn't put a smile on your face and a deadly song in your heart, then I'm not sure what to tell you. I guess you just hate cool shit.
And then there's "Blues & Black Metal", which should be immediately re-recorded and put on a split with Panopticon. "Blues & Black Metal" is the folkiest we're getting in this editorial, and it might be my favorite Dan Spencer track. With lyrics like "Really what's the difference between blues and Black Metal? / It's the same line of work it's just a different devil / And the pay is just about the same," what's not to love? A metal fan, an acoustic guitar, and wit – ingredients for a song you're not gonna stop singing.
Hopefully all this is enough to garner Spencer some new fans, and maybe even get the guy on a few bills with some heavier bands. Spencer's music deserves to be heard by a way, way larger audience, and I genuinely think that metal fans should be keeping a close eye on his career.
