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The Cruxshadows 
The Mystery of the Whisper 
~reviewed by Kimberly 

"The Mystery of the Whisper" (out on Dancing Ferret Discs), the stunning follow up to the band's "Telemetry of a Fallen Angel" is a magnum opus that seamlessly intertwines classic, Gothic-era elements with a thoroughly modern sound. The anger that had been prevalent on the former album has been replaced by a more mature, sadder tone. Songs with such titles as "Heaven's Gaze", "Regrets", and "Even Angels Fall" displays Rogue's attempt to not make his listeners full of rage as to make them think and feel. The album overall stirs the soul; Rogue and the rest of the band forces the listener to look inside him or herself. The band employs universal sentiments that manage to touch the individual. 

"Cruelty" is the band's new dance single. When I first heard it, I thought it was about love. However, while listening to the recorded version, it's not about a love affair gone wrong at all. The song seems to be more about the cruelty and callousness of the outside world; and the struggle of trying to be a sensitive person inside of it. Simultaneously, Rogue sings about the personal hurt of being no angel while being empathic to the world's sorrows; and living for one's dreams. 

"Sympathy (For Tomorrow)" is the first of the two songs on the album that actually brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. The poignant violins, delicate keyboards, and amazingly light guitars before the lyrics evoke a reaction before the lyrics, which opens the listener's own guarded sorrow, commence. With Rogue's gentle, heartbreakingly smooth vocals, and lyrics such as "'a little more respect was buried here'", one can't help but empathize with the feeling of pain and sorrow plainly in Rogue's heart. 

"MONUMENT" is the last track with lyrics on the album. It's a sad song. Really sad; as in be prepared to have your heart ripped open sad. I had been listening to this album with my boyfriend, and I started crying uncontrollably, without being quite able to explain why. The lyrics, about lost love, and his regret of not creating anything to display his love while she was still in his life. The song is a "monument" to the fallen relationship. It's an incredibly poignant song about regret. In fact, Rogue's voice during the ballad reminds me of the Poppy Z. Brite short story, "Optional Music for Voice and Piano". It's a tale about a singer, whose voice is so rawly emotional, and touches people in such a basic, primal manner, that they go crazy; or have heart attacks, or commit suicide. It has a similar inexplicable yet very tangible despondency to it. I don't know if it's a compliment or not, but I couldn't help making the comparison. 

The Cruxshadows are: 
Rogue- Vocals, violin, sequences, keyboards, programs, words & music 
Chris Brantley- Keyboards, analog modeling, backing vocals 
Kevin Page- Guitar 
Rachel McDonnell- keyboards, violin, backing vocals 

Tracks: 
1. Isis & Osiris (Life/Death) 
2. Cruelty 
3. Leave Me Alone 
4. Insomnia 
5. Breathe 
6. Regrets 
7. Confusion 
8. Sympathy (for Tomorrow) 
9. Aten-Ra 
10. "Do you believe…" 
11. Heaven's Gaze 
12. Heart On My Sleeve 
13. "There are some secrets…" 
14. Nothing 
15. Even Angels Fall 
16. MONUMENT 
17. Death/Reunite 

Webpage: The Cruxshadows 
Label: Dancing Ferret 

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The Cruxshadows 
The Mystery Of The Whisper 
~Reviewed By: Mike Ventarola 

The Cruxshadows ( pronounced: Croo - shadows) latest offering, demonstrates this band is built to last. Many have heard their song "Monsters" on the Black Bible compilation and may be anticipating some more of the same playful spooky goth dance chords. Wipe that sound from your head and take notice that this band strives for yet another sound that will begin a new rage. "The Mystery Of The Whisper" brilliantly combines elements of Egyptian style sounds and marries them to Gothic Industrial chords on some of the songs featured on this disc. The current "hit" being passed around these days is "Cruelty" however that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of how wonderful this CD sounds. The lyrics are timely and poetic that you may find yourself listening to a particular passage repeatedly, somewhat stunned that the gammut of your emotions have been put to recorded music like no other artist has done in quite some time. 

The only major drawback is the print inside the CD cover which is rather small, especially for some of us "elder" Goths, however the band humbly apologizes for this. Considering the scope and the breadth in which they have created this body of work , it is seriously doubted that their fans will mind all too much. 

"Isis/Osiris (Life/ Death )" begins with a bit of drumming that evolves into reverberated chanting. Electronic pulses collide with ethereal middle eastern blends and tones. Welcome upon the sands of time where past meets the present. 

"Cruelty" is a brilliant bit of poetry set to music. A touch of wind and spooky goth chords opens this track which allows us to indignantly broach the heartlessness of others. The track is quite danceable with subtle weavings of the middle eastern tones. The chorus forthrightly declares "cruelty and consequence cannot eliminate this relevance/ Your selfishness , your hatefulness cannot take away my immanence/ cruelty and consequence cannot eliminate this relevance/ your selfishness, your hatefulness cannot take away my innocence from me." 

"Leave Me Alone" pulses with electronic bubbles and drum beats that sear into the chasm of ones mind to unleash a Gothic anthem about being a "freak." Rogue starts this song in an almost pondering stance which he further challenges by unleashing the cry to "leave me alone I dont want to be a part of your world." Upon delivering the refrain, Rogues vocals singe the nerves to feel total empathy and identification for one who is forced to undergo the scrutiny and provocation of a mindless unsympathetic world. Any Goth who ever had to be the target of the "jock" mentality will fully appreciate this song. 

"Insomnia" has church style gongs and a clock like ticking that segues into ethereal swirls and electronic rhythmic drumming. The vocals are up front yet there are also spoken suggestions that emanate from the background. This is best heard with the headset on, as this was totally missed while it was playing on the stereo. This song deals with the terror of a cold handed apparition that jars you from your reverie, leaving you intrigued and terrified. 

"Breathe" opens with a bombastic orchestration that yields to a mid-tempo industrial style groove. Stylistically, this song is reminiscent of some of the early New Wave music from the eighties. The chorus is catchy and mentally repetitive, which is almost liberating ; "And I am the face you see within the mirror / And I am the hand that holds the fist away / And I am the dream forgotten in the morning / And I amI am" It seems almost impossible not to take in a deep breath and sing along with Rogue with yet another skillful choral declaration that seems to quietly demand audience participation. 

"Regrets" once again pulses with low, sharp electronic chords in a dance beat. We confront the reflection of a child like vision coupled with adult cynicism. " Have you ever heard the butterfly cry? / would you sacrifice beauty for adrenaline?/ and would he hate you if he died?" 

"Confusion" has a dark sci - fi sound of badly tuned radio frequencies in a back drop of starkness. The background vocals and the up front delivery are very reminiscent of early David Bowie which further demonstrates the scope that this band is able to bring to recorded sound. 

"Sympathy (For Tomorrow)" provides a simple piano opening which sounds like falling leaves. The violin harmonizes with the piano while a steady drum and cymbal effect converge into a mid -tempo. " I dont care if time just passes us by/ I can stand the change / but not the cruelty / too many promises / too many lies / too many faces for me to know." Toward the end of the song, a recitation of E.A. Poes poem "Spirits of the Dead" is very skillfully delivered and blended into the song. 

"Aten - Ra" takes middle eastern sound to a new height with this hybrid between ancient and modern sound reproduced on modern equipment. This is an homage to the Egyptian Gods that would do the Pharaohs proud. 

"Do you believe.." is not a song but a sound byte that asks if we believe in angels. We then hear a phone ring and the sound of one who is disconnected. No comments necessary. 

"Heavens Gaze" segues from the preceding sound byte. " Gods and Angels and devils smile/ stare into our crying eyes/ fire in anger and hate beguile/ but look into your heart tonight," is another chorus that will continue to play in your head after hearing this piece. Middle Eastern sounds are layered under a very modern dance groove to again provide a unique hybrid. 

"Heart On My Sleeve" poetically focuses on a doomed relationship, "your eyes/ they often lie/ and leave me feeling misunderstood / our tragedy plays out like a symphony / a breath and a whisper are your only clue." This tune has a Pet Shop Boys flavor to it but with more heartbreak and less cynical angst. 

"There Are Some Secrets" is another sound byte with church bells and electronic swirls. It is whispered that "there are some secrets no one understands." 

"Nothing" frothily bursts into a heavy dance and electro groove that seems to quietly remind us the things we do for fun which ultimately can be self destructive and leave us totally devoid of anything at all including our own lives. 

"Even Angels Fall" sounds like a descent from the heavens that is accompanied by the mournful tension that is rendered by the violin chords. " I beg for comfort with inadequate verse/ it meant so much to meand so little to her / and I am sinking into a mountain of self pity / why cant I simply disregard all the things I feel?" which ends on a harsh gunshot like sound and then ocean waves. 

"Monuments" segues from the previous song with waves that are encroaching the shore. The violins are mournful and play a somber and sorrowful duet with the keyboard accompaniment. The layers are built yet again to sound almost Celtic. Rogue pulls out all the stops with this passionate ballad about not writing that love song for the one he loved and now it is too late. His chorus, "but I will build this monument to remember all the love we ever had / and Ill close my eyes and make it how it used to be / I swear I never stopped loving you with everything I am / and it hurts so much to think you stopped loving me," exudes such painful and truthful emotion that it is almost impossible not to get a tad bit misty eyed. 

Again, Rogue treats us to another recitation of an excerpt from La Belle Dame Sans Merci by W.B. Keats. 

"Death/ Reunite" begins as a mournful piano rendition that again blends and suffuses with Celtic symmetry. It is a marvelously bittersweet instrumental finale for an album that is worth every penny of the purchase price. 

The Cruxshadows manage to take the Gothic sensibility to heart felt introspection. There is a lot of pride and humility carefully woven into the body of songs which makes the entire outfit so endearing that you cant help but cheer their success. Rogue takes his lyrics to such impassioned heights when he sings the choral verses that you want to sing along and, somehow, he makes you feel like he wouldnt mind the company along the way. Many of these songs have generous dance beats geared for club play. The real "whisper" from this CD comes from listening to it alone with your headset on. All the subtle nuances come bursting to the forefront, that is seems as if the band made this CD exclusively for you. Make no mistake, Rogue doesnt just "sing" these lyrics, he feels them and relives the agony and the ecstasy which may get missed during a club playing. He surrounds his voice around the lyric in gentle lilting ways that only the headset can truly pinpoint the passion of the rendition to its fullest height which allows us to feel it along with him. 

This is such a stunning CD which will only garner this band many more fans along the way. Dancing Ferret Discs will be running into overtime for additional pressings on this outing. 

Track Listing: 
1. Isis & Osiris ( Life/Death) 
2. Cruelty 
3. Leave Me Alone 
4. Insomnia 
5. Breathe 
6. Regrets 
7. Confusion 
8. Sympathy ( For Tomorrow) 
9. Aten - Ra 
10. "Do You Believe" 
11. Heavens Gaze 
12. Heart On My Sleeve 
13. "There Are Some Secrets" 
14. Nothing 
15. Even Angels Fall 
16. Monument 
17. Death/ Reunite 

Band Lineup: 
Rogue - Vocals, violin, sequencers, keyboards, programs, lyric & music 
Kevin Page- Guitar 
Rachel McDonnell - Keyboards, violin, backing vocals 
Chris Brantley - Keyboards, analog modeling, backing vocals 

http://www.cruxshadows.com/

Released by: 
Dancing Ferret Discs 
4939 Catherine Street # 3F 
Philadelphia, PA 19143 
Web: www.ferret.com/discs/