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Unearthing The Underground Unquiet Grave |
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And the dead shall rise again… Unquiet Grave and "Unearthing the Underground," the third installment in the art of cutting the edge of elegy, inspiring a whole new dimension to the idea of "turning over in your grave," or that which your grandfather might do upon learning of your ill-advised turn for the worse… Disc one of this two-disc set, spotlights a wealth of worldwide Gothic artists that'll do little to interrupt the old timer's peaceful slumber… Spanning the globe, Cleopatra's assembled an impressive draconian cast to deaden the morning sky-the terms of use are in wide circulation, from Gothic, to Ambient, to New Wave, to Dark Wave, to EBM, and probably quite a few still to have been invented yet but the ideas remain the same-an atmospheric transience steeped in tranquility and occasional fear, mysterious and luxuriant, the soulful sounds echo through the chambers filling the air with an aura of fear, dread and romantic passion. The accompanying literature comes away a bit gaunt, probably not out of character in the grand scheme of things, though outlining the necessities operating in black and white efficiency including all participants, featured selection and contact information. While we may, quite rightly, ascertain the first section, thereby labeled "Sin" as a calming before the storm, a storm insomuch as a flood of industrialized mayhem, digital hardcore and beats from the underground, a black cloud obscuring the moonlit sky… While many will be quick to acknowledge the likes of Projekt Records' Voltaire, leader of this unsightly pack, others having traveled a considerable distance, from the great beyond or that which we commonly know as the Western Hemisphere-Virgin Black, The Awakening… Seattle's 3SKS… okay, far enough. Digging deeper into the dirt, or the flipside, underside, underground, Devil's disco, if you will, here's where things really heat up, again pointing toward disc two or "Doom" and the age of torment is surely upon us friends. In contrast to the echoing moans, the soul-stirring of the previous, suddenly, the ensuing madness, threatening only moments ago, is thrust upon us where the likes of Messy, Doll Factory, Endanger's "Inside," from that quaint little Hell town we call our own, Philadelphia, and the concept of "brotherly love" burnt to ashes in a matter of seconds. Heavy industrialized and techno beats roar forth, in a frothy fun-filled graveyard setting, casting aside perceptive elements of Black Metal, the mood varies, sometimes settling upon the black hand of doom, Doom the key operative here, many voices however uplifting, the tempo quickens, the pace, the pulse… Mindless Faith, appearing midway through and "All These Years," worth mentioning, an exact replication of anything you remembered of Skold in recent times-useful for a point of reference since it's quite easy to get lost in this sudden glut of hot-wiring. Again the information is thin but useful where most every participant has a Website contact so as may be the case with Israel's "Pulsa Denura," who doesn't happen to have one-but there's e-mail… Everything's covered, some thing's uncovered, some never meant to be seen nor heard but likely they're included here, somewhere, somehow… your mind soon becomes this functionless shell yet luckily the groove overtakes your body while the brain strains to keep up with all of this extrasensory overload… be forewarned, it is disc two that shall inflict most if not all of the damage… the first is a sort of primer but it lulls you to a false sense of complacency before you're sucked into this digital underground from which you'll never be heard from again… and in a strange twist of good fortune, you realize you're in possession of a thirty three song accompaniment that'll keep till long after the last worms have their way with you. Released by Cleopatra Records Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |