ALBUM REVIEWS

ARTIST: Various

TITLE: A Tribute to The Sisters of Mercy -

Firsts and Last and Forever

LABEL: Cleopatra Records (CLEO6647-2)

TRACK TIME: 67:00

Since this disc is actually the embodiment of a vision by various artists rather than give this disc a plug or condemnation as a whole, I will take the tracks, in order, and give commentary on them individually. The space I dedicated some may be shorter than deserved, while others may be too long. I have been a Sisters fan for years, so I may be harsher than someone that has no emotional ties with these songs, but I've listened to The Sisters of Mercy for long enough to earn this right. I was hoping that these songs would be so great that they would even be good when done substandard (no one can live up to the Sisters). In some cases this proved to be true. For the most part, the bands on the disc are next to unheard of, and it takes a huge sense of humor to accept many of the songs. This CD is a picture disc of some Aztec looking design and looks pretty cool. Dispose of the misconception that this will be a gothic disc before you start to listen. Probably only about half can even be considered gothic.

BLACK PLANET by Automatic Head Detonator This song is a hoot! It's a great song to start off a disc such as this with. This group sounds eerily like Jesus and the Marychain, right down to the buzzy feedback guitar and whiny vocals. I'll be on the look out for other discs by this band.

FIRST AND LAST AND ALWAYS by The Prophetess Sounds a lot like the original Sisters song musically, but is changed enough to be fresh. Bizarre beginning. This track also reminded me of another band. Imagine the singer of Midnight Oil laying down the vocals on a remix of First and Last and Always, and you'll have some idea of how this song sounds.

ALICE by The Shroud Cool idea, but not pulled off. Not bad, but not great either. Listen to this one, but only if your stereo is too far away to track past this one.

AFTERHOURS by Eleven Shadows This is my absolute favourite Sisters song, so I almost didn't even listen to it. I was afraid it would be murdered by a rap group or some other "experimental" crap, but listen I did. I was not at all disappointed by this song. In fact, I got the same shivers that I get when I listen to the original. This is a spooky, neat song, with dark poetic lyrics. If there is anything wrong with this song, it would be that it is so much like Eldritch singing that one can wonder why they even bothered to redo it. (One interesting side note: I think the singer's watch beeps during this song at 2:48)

BODY AND SOUL by The Last Dance Whatever. Decide for yourself.

LOGIC by Wreckage Sounds like a Sisters Demo. I like it. Great back-up.

WALK AWAY by Shamefaces Music is slightly annoying and the too polished, up and down, singing sucks. Not at all dark, but tries to be. Sounds like it has Peter Murphy signing parts in the background, but still bites.

VALENTINE by Halo Music is okay, but could have been done a lot better, and the singing is near crap. I'd be prepared to write this group off completely, but they redeem themselves with a later cut (Lights). This song is worth listening to, but isn't going to stick in your mind for days or move you to greatness.

BURY ME DEEP by Faith and Disease This group has a mellow chick singer. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that this song should have been on the TV show Twin Peaks. This does not sound at all like a Sisters song. The music is a little lacking, but otherwise this song would be one of the best.

MARIAN by Flesh Of My Flesh Oh no, not the evil whisper. The singer for this band shows what a bad imitation of Eldritch sounds like. The back-up singing is terrible. The German part is done by the Peanuts teacher (Whan wha whan wha wha). This should have either been done by someone that could actually speak German, (instead of being mumbled) someone who listened to the song a lot more than this band, or just plain dropped. I don't know what people were thinking, but whoever selected this band, to appear on this disc, should be shot...several times. Track ahead, it's for the best.

HEARTLAND by Triana Not bad, but sounds as if the vocals were recorded in a bathtub. Hard to understand anything but the chorus.

LIGHTS by Halo Starts good, sounds strange but acceptable, nice layering of vocals. Lots of fast guitar and buzzy effects. The singer can't sing, but would probably ruin the song if he tried. Ends good, but one is ready for the song to be over by the time it does.

BLACK PLANET by David E. Williams Yuck. This song comes close to capturing the Sisters' sound, but ironically fails miserably in the attempt. Hard to explain, but it almost sounds like a parody of the original. For a disc that started as strong as this one did, it sure goes wimpy. Yuck yuck yuck.

ALICE by The Prophetess I had a big problem with this track. It is nothing like "First and Last and Always." I hated this song and thought it was a horrible pick to end this disc with. All in all, if I had a problem with any song it was usually with the singing, but there were a few that were total shit. I really liked this disc when I first got it, but it hasn't done so well with time. I seldom find myself reaching for it. My advice, borrow a friend's, listen to it, and if you like it, buy it, if not, don't.

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ARTIST: Thanatos

TITLE: This Endless Night Inside

LABEL: Projekt (pro37)

TRACK TIME: 73:00

I was once asked what my favourite Projekt Records disc was. I answered, "Whichever one's playing." I was serious about this. It is hard to pick a favourite among great releases. I am reduced to picking those that I don't like as well rather than those that stand above. I find myself confused by This Endless Night Inside (pro37) the debut release by Thanatos, I'm just not sure what to think. The tantalising tease that one receives from the two Thanatos tracks appearing on the Across This GrayLand #3 compilation had me awaiting the arrival of this disc with a quivering soul. I bought this disc as soon as I could get it ordered. "The Shadowed Sky Now Settled" made me think of Peter Murphy style vocals to the degree that I had to check the liner notes to reassure myself that it was indeed not Murphy singing on this disc. Then, to

insure that I wasn't going insane, I played this song for a Bauhaus fan friend of mine and told him it was Murphy singing. He looked at me and said, "No it's not...is it?" This track is awesome and renamed "The Shattered Sky Now Settled" on This Endless Night Inside. This release is radically different from the other CDs which Projekt has seen fit to gift the world. For one, a majority of its cuts have an energy that is quickly apparent and sets this disc apart from its fellow Projekt CDs. For another, this disc has an edge that the other releases appropriately lack. I hate classifying music. The best I can come up with and remain true to the artists is Good and Bad. To say that Thanatos is "alternative" does the artists a great disservice by lumping their music in with a lot of bad crap. but to say Thanatos is just Gothic would simply In fact, until track 8 ("Tel Meggido") I was prepared to write off This Endless Night Inside as an acoustic venture by two talented people (Padraic Ogl/Sam Rosenthal). If you are one of those that can't sleep at night without know where each of your disc "belongs," then I say do not get this disc. Same goes if you are a strict Gothic collector. Thanatos is all across the board with this disc, there are many acoustic driven songs, vocal dependent songs, songs that seem to be on this recording for their humour value. It barely make use of the "ambient" sound that has come to almost define the Projekt line. Much of this Disc reminds me of David J's Crocodile Tears and The Velvet Cosh, or Etiquette of Violence, and perhaps the early years of Bowie. This Endless Night Inside is not at all what I expected it to be. With the touch of Sam Rosenthal, I had the misconception that I would be served up another assortment of Black Tape for a Blue Girl cuts under another name. I was dead wrong, and am still trying to deal with this. Instead, I am reminded of three of my favourite artists' work, and still Thanatos does not sound like a clone band. There is enough fresh artistry here to satisfy me. "Tel Meggido" is a dark slow poetic piece and could be considered one of the best on the disc, then a case could be made for each track. "The Cobra school of Happiness" is another such tune. This disc has a "though the years" feel to it and supposedly Thanatos has been around for a decade, so if this is true this is understandable. The artist gives this warning, "We take no responsibility for the chimp-like simplicity of the lyrics written when we were 15 years old." The only thing is, they don't identify which songs these are! As I listened, I kept wondering what had been written then and what now. In

the end I don't think it matters. One of my favourite songs on this disc is "Connie." Which amazes me to say, as I don't know of another comparable song that I do like. Some of the words in "Connie" are hard to understand, but while the emotions behind the song are complex, they are universal.

The only song I have a disliking for is "Thanatos," which is beginning to make me wonder if I just happen to have a personal problem with all of Projekt's self-titled songs (although the title track is one of the best). The chorus of "Thanatos, Thanatos," begins to grate and I have a great dislike of such lines as "Patience wearing oh so thin/nothing

where a brain should have been/remember touching skin to skin/thanatos." These words would be fine if they weren't meant to be taken seriously, but they are the only ones given on the disc insert (I don't think this song is supposed to be funny). The flags that signal CD players, that it is a new song, end at this track, and for the next minute, 25 seconds, there is nothing but the sound of a needle dragging across the end inner groves of a vinyl record. This effect has appeared on many Digital recordings and generally incites a confused reaction among CD buyers. Many can't understand why one would wish to put such annoying "archaic" sounds on a disc at all, when the whole point of CDs was to get rid of such. I have no answer, and a minute 25 could also be considered a

little excessive, and well I'd have to agree. It's as if Thanatos wishes the listener to stop the disc here, but immediately after these needle pops are several more songs, most of which are quiet good. It would be a shame if these went unheard because of a lack of patience. I will be able to find aspects of this disc to enjoy for years to come, and this disc will be one of those that I reach for often.

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Chris