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REVIEWS
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Into The Ether
Cassandra
Love And Hatred
Flames
The Sentiment Inside
Winterborn (This Sacrifice)
Untrue
A Stranger Moment
Waiting To Leave
East
Citadel
Afterall
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The Crüxshadows
Ethernaut
Dancing Ferret Records
Posted: Wednesday, March 15, 2006
By: Carl Jenkinson
By: Carl Jenkinson
Despite becoming a well-respected name in the electro-goth world, this is actually the first time I've been able to savor The Crüxshadows' music. What I expected was an expert fusion of poppy electro-goth played and produced in an expert manner with a high level of musicianship, and that is pretty much what's offered here. Each member contributes an important part to The Crüxshadows sound, making it a real team effort, with the keys providing the perfect foil to Rachel McDonnell's graceful and haunting violin, which emphasizes the band's ever present sense of deep emotion more forcefully along with George Bilkos' guitar, which has a good deal of backbone throughout, along with frontman Rogue, whose star quality can hardly be doubted.
The longer than average tracks (five minutes or more is not uncommon) allows them to make the most of these differing sounds, introducing a whole range of solos and melodic breaks that are never allowed to become too self-indulgent or rambling. This is another benefit of the band's experience and means that the album never becomes dull or tedious. There's always something going on that perfectly suits the mood of each track, be it the excellent piano which forms the focal point of the emotive "The Sentiment Inside," the beautifully wistful "A Stranger Moment," where Rogue's vocals perfectly complement the tender musical backing (the crashing waves are another effective touch here), and the symphonic touches that add a powerful boost to "Waiting to Leave." "Cassandra" is not only another immediately enjoyable track, it even gets the name right (well, it wouldn't have been very gothic to call it "Tracy" or "Debbie," would it?).
Allied to this though is a slightly more progressive approach that I wasn't expecting; an approach which manifests itself during the opening "Into the Ether," by means of solid tribal percussion that is a touch of the unexpected, and more forcefully during "East," where a number of differing sounds, both melodic and abstract, are used. These experimental touches, slight as they are, never threaten to disrupt the flow of the album and add a welcome touch of the unpredictable that is another feather in the band's collective cap.
Ultimately, though, this album is all about good, catchy, well-played tunes, and if that's your bag, then there's plenty to choose from with the highlights coming thick and fast. Personally speaking, the powerful and rousing "Flame," which further benefits from a top vocal performance from front man Rogue, takes some beating (I can imagine this being a live favorite too). So, excellent songs, top-drawer musicianship, and a touch of the progressive; I don't think you can ask for much more than that, although I was intrigued to learn that certain people in the know don't consider this their finest material, in which case I've definitely got some catching up to do!
The longer than average tracks (five minutes or more is not uncommon) allows them to make the most of these differing sounds, introducing a whole range of solos and melodic breaks that are never allowed to become too self-indulgent or rambling. This is another benefit of the band's experience and means that the album never becomes dull or tedious. There's always something going on that perfectly suits the mood of each track, be it the excellent piano which forms the focal point of the emotive "The Sentiment Inside," the beautifully wistful "A Stranger Moment," where Rogue's vocals perfectly complement the tender musical backing (the crashing waves are another effective touch here), and the symphonic touches that add a powerful boost to "Waiting to Leave." "Cassandra" is not only another immediately enjoyable track, it even gets the name right (well, it wouldn't have been very gothic to call it "Tracy" or "Debbie," would it?).
Allied to this though is a slightly more progressive approach that I wasn't expecting; an approach which manifests itself during the opening "Into the Ether," by means of solid tribal percussion that is a touch of the unexpected, and more forcefully during "East," where a number of differing sounds, both melodic and abstract, are used. These experimental touches, slight as they are, never threaten to disrupt the flow of the album and add a welcome touch of the unpredictable that is another feather in the band's collective cap.
Ultimately, though, this album is all about good, catchy, well-played tunes, and if that's your bag, then there's plenty to choose from with the highlights coming thick and fast. Personally speaking, the powerful and rousing "Flame," which further benefits from a top vocal performance from front man Rogue, takes some beating (I can imagine this being a live favorite too). So, excellent songs, top-drawer musicianship, and a touch of the progressive; I don't think you can ask for much more than that, although I was intrigued to learn that certain people in the know don't consider this their finest material, in which case I've definitely got some catching up to do!
