The real question is: is it ok for a grown man to be listening to Fields of the Nephilim, western-channeling, flour dusted anachronistic rockers?? 100% yes. This stuff is certainly a throwback to the 'golden age of goth' in the late 80s, a time when the Sisters of Mercy, Mission, Cure and the Cult all featured in the charts of the time.
This is the band's debut album, released in 1987. It starts with no small amount of drama with a version of Ennio Morricone's The Harmonica Man, before kicking in with goth anthem Slow Kill. Not a heavy track as such, guitars jangle rather than slam as singer Carl McCoy wails out the lyrics. The guitars are an almost intoxicating mix of arpeggio after arpeggio. Volcano (Mr Jealousy Has Returned) follows in a similar vein, another pacy, atmospheric anthem with McCoy's gargled vocals roaring "yearning yearning yearning".
The moody plod of Vet for the Insane provides a change of pace. Here growling guitars are added to the jangle before the tracks is rounded off with more Morricone-esque flourishes. Dust and Reanimator follow, two power anthems. Far from being doom and gloom they are pretty anthemic and uplifting. If it's drama you want look no further than the thrilling guitar swells of the penultimate title track.
This sort of stuff was pretty popular at the time and it's easy to forget how enjoyable it is to listen to.
No comments:
Post a Comment