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Guided By Lights Last Rites |
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If there's such a thing as being excited and bummed all in the same breath, that describes my mood right about now… and the sadness sets in like the setting sun the further along we go in spite of what could turn out to be a true Goth-Rock classic in the making. Firstly, it only stood to reason the long-awaited and apparently hung up Fields of the Nephilim reunion record would yield in the name of some progress… sooner or later something had to give-not an assumed dismissal, but now, as before, not quite the same. Last Rites features the brothers Wright, Nod and Paul-vocals and guitar-along with James Quinn and Bob Ahern rounding out the brand new line up and presenting their pale lit vision through piercing eyes, undaunted, captivating, a bridged past to future, an elemental, dark and feverish debut record with an ironically twisted name and perfect title. I loved all things Nephilim-the classic "Fields" days, Carl McCoy's solo Gothic/Industrial venture that should've been bigger yet the few heads it did manage to twist, it twisted right off from the sheer jaw dropping power and magnificence none had a right to expect and probably too few learned to appreciate. All the while, the remains of the F.O.T.M. band produced "What Starts Ends" as Rubicon, a more uplifting shot in the dark, showier and short-lived; then the anticipated reunion lurking not far off in the distance… Last Rites embraces their Goth-grown past in producing a melodiously catchy, ethereal, and edgy debut, Nod Wright handling the vocals in the finest Eldritch-who knew (?) tradition, lifted slightly above ground by a bristling autumnal presence… "Race A Train's" standout electro-inspired aura brings instant dance floor credibility to late night rave-goers, proudly, meticulously detailed, easily consumed… "Obsession" dances further in the dark, slowly this time, a hunter on the prowl-its "Lets Do a Creation" chorus darts in and around an ulterior verse, mindful of the morning, darkness and dread will have their way under a low lying cloud of passion and abduction… "What Starts Ends," came out a few years ago but the title always seems to hold true and even now, more so than before, the reverse, and a new beginning, the dawn of a new era takes shape. Last Rites are read, a cold chill grips the dampened air engulfing the past, squeezing out its very last faded memory until there is only future, and a glimmer of hope signals a break in the obscurity and a bright ray pierces the darkness… cutting through the fields of yesterday's sorrow, and the shadow's recast from heaven above… Released by Dreamcatcher Records Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |