Goth music reviews

I was introduced to The Cure in 2004, when I heard "Pictures of You" in an HP commercial, and liked the song. If I get a Cure CD, I might get this or "Galore." I think this is their signature album!

Honestly, I'm having difficulty thinking of what to say about Disintegration. What hasn't already been said about this album? It really is one of the greatest albums of musical history, and easily the best album by The Cure. However, I will admit that I am not a Cure fan in regards to the volume of their works. The only albums I enjoy are Disintegration, Bloodflowers, and Wish, in that order, which I guess you could say are their most accessible albums. The rest of the albums are a great big meh for me, and I just don't find them interesting or very listenable. As for Disnitegration, it is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. The songs are all perfectly written and produced, with no subtle sound being out of place, and no track over-wrought with excessive production. The vocals are brilliant, the lyrics are haunting, and the music is varied and majestic. Between dark rockers like Lullaby and poppy love songs like Pictures of You, Disintegration covers the gamut of fantastic music, and no song is mediocre on this album. If you can't listen to the album from start to finish, there might be something wrong with you. If you don't own it, buy it. If you don't like it, get some taste.

From the opening notes of Plainsong to the final bits of Untitled, Disintegration grabs the listener and envelopes them in its own dark atmosphere. Everyone has heard of Pictures of You and Love Song, But the true gem is the incredible Same Deep Water as You. Each note is clear and distinct, without distraction and overlapping sounds. Every instrument is precise and vibrant. In Lullaby, Robert Smith practically exhales every word as beautiful strings play in the background. This is an album that brings the listener into its world and shares its wonderful story.

When Roadrunner Records first started out, there were a handfull of bands that kept the label rolling, and while this compilation has a few good moments, it misses the mark for the most part. Sure, Slipknot helped catapault Roadrunner to superstar record label status, but they don't belong on here, and neither does lead singer Corey Taylor's Stone Sour band either. Of all the Sepultura songs that could be included on here, they picked "Roots Bloody Roots", which was the band's only real hit. Anything from "Beneath the Remains", "Arise", or "Chaos A.D." would have been a better selection. Coal Chamber and Killswitch Engage helped find the label success as well, but they don't belong on here either, and neither does Max Cavalera's Soulfly. Not to mention that material from Fear Factory and Type O Negative should have been from their debut albums, instead of the more recent hits. Thankfully, someone remembered the band's that made Roadrunner a force to be reckoned with at one time: Deicide, King Diamond, Life of Agony, Obituary, and Nailbomb; but where is Mercyful Fate, Death, and Biohazard? Who knows, but for everything this compilation does wrong, it does a lot right. Thankfully they decided not to include any tracks from Nickelback.

This is a great cd Ididn't expect much from.I bought it for 4.99
at my fav record store.here are the best tunes and why i chose
them.
1. Fear Factory-Replica.Fear Factory kick ass and this is one of
their best songs.Never slow and always crunchy and heavy
2.Killswitch Engage-In the Unblind.KSE kick the sh@t out of every
one,I like Howard Jones,But Jesse was the man.
3.Sepultura-Roots Bloody Roots.A classic tribal/metal tune from
the Calvera brothers and co.
4.Chimaira-Fascination St.Melodic and relentless at times.GREAT.
5.Decide-.Got to have some all out death once in a while.
Well those are stand outs the rest are good though.

this incredible album is a compilation of artist from roadrunner records back in 2003! i highly recomend this cd to anyone who is or has become interested in metal. the heart of roadrunner records compilation has a very very VERY good selection of talented artist new and old.
and about a half of the songs are exclusive, like the remix of "spit it out" by slipknot and "unreal" by ill nino. it also includes the cover of the cures dark "fascination street" by chimara, which is actually pretty good even though its about 5 minutes long. the classic song "roots bloody roots" by sepultura is very catchy song and was a great way to kick of this cd. what i enjoyed the most on this compilation though was the song "brujeria" by brujerizmo! which is a very unique mexican heavy metal band. during the song "dead by dawn" by deicide they scream like frogs croaking, which is interesting i guess... i like all of the other songs to although i am sort of disapointed by the soulfly song because its kind of retarded and anoying, it sounds more punk rockish and is only a minute and 30 seconds long. but the song i really hate is the song "abigail" by king diamond. the guy screams like a little girl, its sounds really anoying. but other than that this is a great compilation and the inserts include long list of roadrunner artist during 2003 and small portrates of all the bands on the inside cover except Nailbomb and Brujerizmo. o'yeah song number 3, "In the unblind" is by Killswitch Engage!

October Rust, the follow up to Type O Negative's breakthru release Bloody Kisses, is excellent from start to finish. While the album seems to lag a bit in the middle, when these tracks are listened to in isolation they are actually quite good. While this album is not quite five star material it is chock full of great tracks like the atmospheric Love You To Death, the humorous My Girlfriend's Girlfriend, the spooky Wolf Moon, and the haunting (pun intended) closer Haunted. This is a more consistent album than it's predecessor but overall I find Bloody Kisses just a tiny bit better. The songs are more streamlined in their arrangments and the production is exquisite. This is a great album to acquire for the Type O novice.

In honor of winter's presense surrounding me, I'd like to discuss one of my favorite "seasonal" albums, Type O Negative's October Rust. And by seasonal, I mean it encompasses all seasons--just take the cover art, which by each song pairs photo of the woods in different conditions, different lights. October Rust is the most melodic of Type O's works to date, and as a result, the favorite of many fans. It may be softer than their other albums, but still retains some aggression and lots of haunting through its ambience, deep guitar bellows, and Pete Steele's bottom-of-the-well bass vocals.

Type O Negative has this way of merging sarcasm and beauty. It's just an ever-apparent characteristic of their style. In October Rust, they start out by playing a little gag on us, but before we have too much time to respond, we are immediately thrust into "Love You to Death," a song of ultimate gothic romance. The romance continues with "Be My Druidness," a tale of pure lust. The sun is alive and burning in "Green Man," a song about the human condition through the seasons. Next, if you're dreaming of a black Christmas, you have to experience "Red Water." It's not a song of Christmas morning, but rather Christmas mourning. The mood and the transitions in this song are amazing. "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend," the most catchy tune on the album, is all about kink and unconventional romance. "Die With Me," a song about the departure of a loved one, is softer with beautiful crescendos. "Burnt Flowers Fallen," though minimal in lyrics, carries some great moments, though one of the weaker tracks. Themes of burning continue into "In Praise of Bacchus, where we have wounded images of New York City--a song that intensifies the most at the end. "Cinnamon Girl" takes the basic melody of the Neil Young version and twists it into something completely Type O. "Wolf Moon" carries moods of isolation in the deep woods; of the warning and spell-like quality of a full moon shining upon darkness. Tortured sensuality drifts through "Haunted," the final and darkest track.

October Rust, since the very first time I heard it has been one of my favourite albums. You can put it on any time and I find it just washes over you...in a good way of course. It's one of those strange albums, Cult of Luna's 'Reciever' being another, that is all at once heavy and almost chilled, haunting and uplifting...but whatever else it may be, start to finish it's amazing.
Tracks to look out for; Green Man, Wolf Moon, Love you to Death.
Nothing but respect for the Negative, and in my opinion it is their finest work.

One could not fathom a darker, bleaker, disturbing, haunting, clouded, doomed album than "Pornography". The opening song, "One Hundred Years" immediately captures the listener and sends them on their way to the catacombs of darkness. As soon as this song starts, I picture a large manor on the top of a hill with a spiral staircase in the very center of the main room and a gray faced dressed in a black tuxedo carrying a tray of stale food, slowly making his way down the staircase with his head staring straight ahead, never looking down, yet somehow remaining perfectly balanced. The man continues his plight, down and down he goes, down and down. He never will make it the the main room above the staircase again. He will try and possibly even get his feet to the second stair from the top, but he will remain trapped in that spiral staircase for eternity.

I have to stop there, because the imagery gets much worse, nearly unbearable. The thoughts and images that form in my mind are far too morbid. They are colder than an ice woven knife sliding down the vein of a warm wrist. If you aren't ready to endure something comparable to what I have described then be wary of purchasing this album. If you believe you are ready, then you are in for an experience like none you have ever had before.

"Pornography" is my second favorite album of all time. In case you were wondering, my favorite album of all time is "Disintegration".

This album is so incredible by every use of its sensual elements within each and every song track. With its unique beat and lyrics, it's everything you would expect from the always pleasing Robert Smith of the Cure. The complex and entrancing approaches will get you in a state of euphoria in which 8 tracks won't seem like enough and you'll find yourself setting your cd player on repeat as you beg for more.

Never has there been an album that one can so easily describe as sounding sinister. You don't have to listen carefully to find this album deeply disturbing. And of course music that can affect a person's pysche this much is masterful and appears rarely. This is my second favorite Cure album after Disintegration but it's really a photo-finish. And I don't even like the title track. But the rest is so strong it doesn't matter. Lyrically, it's another masterpiece of course. Musically, I just love the drums. And everything together just speaks the tone of bleakness and despair.

Best Songs: The Figurehead, A Strange Day, Siamese Twins.
Least Favorite: Pornography, Hanging Garden

I'll make this brief: the band has an amazing violinist. The vocals aren't very interesting, but the cello and violin playing make almost all the songs on the album worthwhile experiences. My favorites are "Ex Lover's Lover" and "The Man Upstairs." Voltaire's lyrics are somewhat witty and lighthearted; their music is not at all depressing, despite dealing with some "dark" matters. If you want to listen to Voltaire for their reputation as a goth band, I'll tell you that this album is heavily influenced by European folk and seems more alternative to me than anything else. His singing style is rather typical of the goth scene, though.

To quote the man, himself, "Good enough for Goth."

I ran across Voltaire completely by accident. I bought a Projekt CD in a used CD store, a holiday CD of all things, because I love irony. Goth Christmas songs. Ho ho ho! Well, turned out I actually liked it, so a friend of mine hopped online on the Projekt website and found out where to buy their CD's. Hot Topic, wouldn't ya know? She bought me a compliation CD from there for Christmas and Voltaire had two songs on there: "Good Night, Demon Slayer," and "BRAINS!" both songs I'd never heard before, but soon fell quite in love with. Not long after, I happened to make a pilgrimage up to a North Denver record store that actually carried a few of Voltaire's disks. I bought "The Devi's Bris" on total impulse and the rest was history.

I grew up listening to folk music, and I gotta say, it's refreshing to hear new music without the heavy use of drum machines and synthesizers--not that I don't love those too, mind you, but Voltaire's simple melodies and modest accompaniment are a refreshing change of pace for burnt out eardrums. Voltaire's songs convey a deep sense of irony and dark wit in their lyrics, something you just don't hear very often in songs anymore. (When did "I did it all for the cookie" become great songwriting??) And for Godsakes, Voltaire actually ENNUNCIATES when he sings, so you can really understand what he's singing! AMAZING!

When you've had it with the radio and would rather drive a spork into your jugular vein than listen to another Linkin' Park song, put on "The Devil's Bris", or any other Voltaire CD for that matter, for something altogether new, yet comfortably familiar.

This Cd is really great. Not only is it the type of music you would listen to while caked in mud, sliding over a cliff, it's the type of music you listen to caked in mud, sliding over a cliff, holding the hand of the person you love. It is romanic, dark, twisted, and best of all humorous.

This band H.i.M, i have actually only just gotten into. I've heard about them for years now, mostly in Metal magazines, and never thought to check them out until now. I actually thought they were over-hyped, and like most over-hyped bands..I thought they wouldn't be able to live up to the hype surrounding them, and especially this Album "Razorblade Romance", when it came out. ..I was totally wrong. And now i know what all those Metal magazines were raving about..

This Album blew me away. Not one single song is "filler". Pretty much every song could be released as a single. It's that good. Songs like "I Love You (Prelude to Tragedy)", "Poison Girl", "Join Me In Death", "Right Here In My Arms", "Gone With The Sin", "Razorblade Kiss", "Bury Me Deep Inside Your Heart", "Heaven Tonight"..I mean, i just realized i'm naming them all. This Album is just..classic really. For this genre at least. H.i.M have produced a masterpiece.

The songs, most of, if not all, do have lyrics that are pretty self-explanitory and have everything to do with Love. But that definitely shouldn't be an immediate turn-off to open-minded Metal/Rock fans. And you don't have to be "Goth" to like this. People over 40, who are into Led Zeppelin, could get something out of this. People who write-off a band just because of the lyrical content, really don't listen hard enough to the music being played. H.i.M are talented for what they do, and yeah, they can write very good, catchy, anthemic Love songs. I can just imagine them playing Live and having the entire crowd singing along..

In saying that they'd appeal to fans of any age, and to Led Zeppelin..i would also add that they'd appeal strongly to fans of Type O Negative. Although not as 'depressing' and 'dark humoured', there are alot of similarities in both bands music. H.i.M would probably also appeal to fans of other bands like The Cure, New Order, The Sisters of Mercy, Nine Inch Nails even.. ..And pretty much any hard rock/metal/80's rock bands.

If you enjoy this CD, i strongly recommend their other Albums too.

Hey This Cd Is The Best!
go Buy It.

Best cd out by any band! I would give this CD 6 stars if I could. The best song on there, by far, is "Join Me". Number 1 is cool "Your Sweet Six Six Six". I would definetly get this album as soon as possible. The heartogram looks awesume to.

Back when I was in college this CD played a big part in my underground/goth/alternative life and then over the years, I kind of strayed away from that scene, but I just pulled this CD out again to convert it to my new iPod and as it was playing back, I just realized how completely amazing it still sounds. This is one of the genre that hasn't lost any of it's power and certainly doesn't seem dated in any way. Starts out powerful and then just builds exponentially, so that by the time they hit Lucretia My Reflection, I dare anyone listening to remain sitting still. It's a real crossover from dark goth to almost a goth-electric or dark wave sound. Very upobeat, powerful and dare I say, even danceable.

I wish it were dark and raining outside. I'm in the mood to go stand on top of a stone church in a thunderstorm listening to this on full volume.

After having prodiced some previous interesting music, When the Sisters of Mercy released this record, and above all the preceding singles, most people were completely blown away. Indeed, while the more dark Goth-era music had been interesting, it had inherent limitations that are obvious and that have been a problem for any other artist involved in the genre. Here they cleaned up their sound which still stands up today, which is clearly impessive. While the move towards metal was probably unexpeced since the earlier works sometimes had an experimental and electronic feel, this was clearly a clever choice. They would also never really top this record which is very very heavy, still somewhat dark in its overtones but has a majesty that you will rarely find in any kind of rock music. The guitars and the bass playing are splendid es pecially on eronal favourite Lucretia My Reflection.

Ahhhh. Breathe in, breathe out, and bow before the majesty of _Floodland_. There has never been an album quite like this one, and there most likely never will be again. Overblown? Unapologetically. Pretentious? Possibly. Brilliant? Inescapably. If the prog-rockers can get away with it, then so can the goths. (Uh oh...I may just have inserted myself into an argument over whether the Sisters are legitimately goth or not. Dear goths and goth-haters: I respectfully abstain from this debate.)

There's not a bad song here, and tracks 3-5 alone are worth the purchase price.

I'd pay a lot for a remixed, amped-up version of this album. The sonics here do sound a bit flat by today's standards: play "This Corrosion" (the signature track) next to, say, "Faint" by Linkin Park, and you'll probably see what I mean. Which is a shame, since from a melodic and lyrical perspective, Andrew Eldritch at his best makes Linkin Park look like a bunch of sixth graders.

Oh well. The Sisters are touring again this year, and those shows will sell out effortlessly despite the fact that Eldritch has released only one other album of new material since _Floodland_, and it's largely due to this 1990 release. Ignore the tedious "is it or isn't it goth" debate. Labels are boring. This album is not.

When this album came out in the US in 1985, it seemed really interesting to me. The mood...Andrew Eldritch keeps the accelerator going up and down, always feels like the band has a terrific pent-up energy that is never released. Perfect innovation in a time when rock music was going either to simple basics or to wretched excess. This is dark without drone. It was appealing to a college student who didn't want any more sappy love music or "Slow Ride." I cannot highlight one song over another; the theme is consistent.

Years later, I heard Fields of the Nephilim for the first time. Yes, in the earlier stuff there's some striking imitation. If you listen to "Laura," which includes pre-FALAA tunes from the Neph, then pick up "Dawnrazor," the Sisters absorption becomes obvious.

This is not to disparage Fields of the Nephilim. In my view, the Sisters of Mercy dissolved into nothing more than Eldritch's playtoy due to incessant lineup changes. The Neph hung on a little longer and took that gothic-inspired theme much farther, before exhausting it and piddling off into obscurity. "Nephilim" and "Elizium" are more enduring works, not matching Eldritch's lyrical poetry but surpassing the Sisters in musical creativity and studio polish. Today, these recordings are a lot more enjoyable to listen to than anything the Sisters put up. I don't believe the Neph would have amounted to anything, though, without a serious shove from "First and Last and Always."

Over the years, I have gotten a great deal of pleasure out of all of these albums and have mourned the groups' inability to extend a momentary flourish into a more expansive genre. The great thing here is the power the Sisters and the Neph generated without guitar distortion--loud and clear.

I bought FALAA after I had bought Floodland, and I was suprised when the former was so noticeably different from the latter. This is, in my opinion, the Sisters of Mercy at the top of their form; the album is an absolute treat.

The most striking thing about FALAA is its masterful consistency- this is a testament to what an album should sound like in execution. The songs stand apart well enough to be memorable as individual pieces but are cohesive enough to make the whole satisfying and coherent.

And the songs themselves are all fantastic. In a true display of the original band's talent and skill, they manage to make dreary, brooding lyrical subjects into beautiful pop songs. "Marian [Version]" is a hauntingly immaculate number that can be described as "just plain pretty". It also has one of Eldritch's best vocal performances- he drops his voice to a soft, melodic baritone and croons (or as close to crooning as he's gotten) out the lyrics. In the gorgeously minimal "Nine While Nine" he laments over a love gone sour to a piano tune. "Some Kind Of Stranger" is among the most haunting of the bunch, as Eldritch gradually digresses into a desperate wail as the song moves along. Fast and catchy dance tunes like "Walk Away", "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Logic" inject movement and energy when needed.

The album's title track, and one of my favorites, shows just how excellent a guitarist the musically-underrated Wayne Hussey is. The whole album does. His guitar work is one of the key ingredients into making this such a fantastic listen. His focus isn't on the mindless execution of three chords, but on structure and melody.

This is an example of soild, well-structured pop brilliance. There's not a single track that necessitates skipping over- they're all damn good. This is a true album, not just a collection of bare-bones studio drudgery punctuated by singles. It works best as a whole, and that's how it should be listend to. Dreary? A tad. Brooding? Sure. Overly dramatic? Of course. But that's why this album is a true gem- the fact that it can be all those things and still be beautiful, original and satisfying. An absolute must.

Folks, I have a tendancy to change my favorite artist/album, very often. I know I recently stated ELO's 'Discovery' as my all-time favorite, but after listening to this album a few times today, I have been forced to change my mind. I may change again, and trust me it gets annoying - but I will never stop loving this album. The guitars are low, haunting, and chiming echos that linger in your thoughts for the longest time. Eldrich is a pure musical genious. His dark, haunting, and extremley low vocals have influenced every Goth band this side of the equator. Amazing vocals. This music sounds like something you would hear at a graveyard. It's not rock, It's not metal, It's...Goth. It is hard to describe. IT Is beautifully crafted, dark, romantic, classical influenced goth music. And It's excellent. Everything. 'Black Planet', 'Walk Away', 'No Time To Cry' and 'Marian' are all dark and brooding, dismal and dreary. They my disturb as during the music you will begin to think of death. But this music is excellent. A must own, pure brilliance - A Classic.

I just recently managed to get a copy of danzig's Black Aria, and all I can say about it is wow..
I had heard of it, and had been trying to track it down for about 3 years now, so when my roommate bought it the other day I have to say I was excited about the chance to finally experience it for myself, rather than from the descriptions of friends.

All in all, I must say I wasn't disappointed in the least.
Danzig, you are a musical god.

Go to emaginemusic.com and get it now! It will be re-issued February 8th. If I were to go to the moon and never return and I were allowed to bring only I album with me this would be it. I wouldn't even have to think about it!

If you have never heard this album, you are missing out on one of the most emotional charging albums released this decade. Glenn Danzig proved that he is far from a rocker with this album. To me he showed he is a musical god. He illustrates through his pieces on this album more than gothic images. He paints beauty and darkness in a single vision. I am a huge fan of his work with the Misfits, Samhain and Danzig, but this is something special. It truly needs to be re-released to give the those in the dark of the true gifts of Glenn Danzig a chance to witness it.

This is by far my favorite release by the Damned and is also considered by many to be thier best release. This is the album they recorded and released in 1979 after their first break up in early 1978 they reformed in late 1978 without original guitarist Brian James. With a sound that rival a machine gun and produced 12 tracks of non stop sound. The cd (which had a naff yellow and orange cover) issued in 1990 added four non album tracks that didn't appear on the original album release which are the following tracks

1.Ballroom blitz features Motorhead's Lemmy on bass

2.Suicide

3.Rabid (over you)

4.White Rabbit (extended version) released as a b side if I'm not mistaken it was a cover of the Jefferson airplane song

Here was the line up at the time of release

Dave Vanian vocals

Captain Sensible (Croydon's favorite son) guitar played bass on the previous albums Damned Damned Damned and Music for pleasure

Algy Ward Ex-saints bass player who later went to form his own band Tank

Rat Scabies Drums


I can't stress enough how essential this album would be in your music collection but then again I do own 4 versions/copies of this fantastic album. :)

After a great debu album and a mediocre follow up the damned broke up for a year or so before releasing this gem. This has to be one of the best punk albums of all time. This bands influenced a lot of your faves like the misfits , dickies, and even guns n' roses. Best songs are: " love song ","machine gun etiquette", "melody lee", and " anti -pope".

As the name implies, this album is like getting riddled full of bullet holes, but you don't really mind because the culprit does it with class and style and charms you to death first. The Damned had refined their punk onslaught on this platter, mixing bombastic rat-a-tat punk with sing-along melodies, psychedelic organ, and ambitious song structures. The Damned sound as nihilistic as any of their contemporaries on this album, but you have to give them the edge: whereas the Clash sounded like they want to take over the world with their political rhetoric, the Damned sound like the world's exploding, and they're the evil clowns hired to entertain at our last big shindig. This could be the single best punk album to come out of the 70's... absolutely smashing. Standout tracks include "I Just Can't Be Happy Today", "Love Song", "Machine Gun Etiquette".