Songfacts®:

• According to the Bible, the first murder on Earth took place when Cain, son of Adam and Eve, killed his brother, Abel, in a fit of jealousy. In "Twist Of Cain," Glenn Danzig uses the title phrase to describe the kind of dark impulses that would drive one to murder. Danzig looks at religion, especially Christianity, with a critical eye, believing that a lot was left out of biblical texts in a very early act of censorship.
• Danzig offers a bit of a twist when he sings:
  
  Got a little twist of Cain
  From the God below
  
  The "God below" likely represents Satan, baiting his critics into labeling him a devil worshiper. Danzig has made it clear he has no affiliation with the Dark Lord, but does see the world for what it is: A blend of bad and good, darkness and light.
• Glenn Danzig founded the hardcore punk band Misfits in 1977 and was their lead singer until their split in 1983. He then formed a band called Samhain (named for a Celtic holiday that honors the dead), which got the attention of producer Rick Rubin, who signed the band to his newly named Def American Records. "Twist Of Cain" was slated for their next album, which was going to be called Samhain Grim, but Glenn Danzig changed the name of the band as well as the first album to simply Danzig. The song is the first track on the album, which Rubin produced.
  
  Glenn Danzig would have scarred away most producers, but Rubin liked what he had to offer and was happy to work in his horror-rock genre. Rubin's previous clients included Run-DMC, Slayer, and Beastie Boys.
• In the chorus of the song, the voice of Metallica's James Hetfield can clearly be heard. Hetfield was a huge Misfits/Samhain fan and was happy to help out with vocals on a couple of songs on the album. However, due to his contractual obligations to Elektra Records, he could not be credited. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Jeff - Austin, TX
• Danzig released a music video for this song made up of footage from their show at The Ritz in New York City on December 2, 1988. It got some airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, but it was another track from the album, "Mother," that got most of the attention. That song got a concept video that MTV insisted they edit, but it was a live video released in 1993 that ended up getting most of the airplay.