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Buy This CD at Darkcell Digital Music
Just for a moment my whole life scared meWho says no one makes gothic music anymore? A long while back, David Quinn sent an mp3 CD to us for review. Stephanie wrote an amazing review (included below) and he has since been one of our favorite musicians. Since then he has re-released From Dungeon's Luxury of Doubt on his own label - The Nature of Gothic. I thought perhaps it would appropriate to give it one more push for good measure as it truly is a great collection of modern gothic songs and I dare say, something the club scene has been missing. More than most, David's vision is what should be at the heart of bleeding, gothically inspired music. It's been a long time since a band has been able to emotionally capture what has always drawn me to the gothic subculture. David seems to have placed the dagger on the source. On the Eternia site, he hints that the themes are about "love and beauty... sorrow and loneliness ...devotion and redemption..." And indeed, if you venture into this beautifully bleak world of his, past the brooding music and sailing guitar melodies, you will likely find yourself turned inward, absorbed, and if you can relate in the least, quite probably with tears on your cheeks. I think it's safe to say David has had his share of heartache. In "Eternal" he sings - so did I just throw everything away on something I don't understand
lay down in my placeAnd if you're a fan of gothic literature, you also know the romantic side is not too far behind because with great pain comes the capacity for great love. In "Adore" the sentiments are this: "I will love you beyond all time / because your essence runs right through my veins / and as the days pass from months to years / my friend I will adore you ... I adore you." Comparisons will no doubt be made to many gothic forefathers but Eternia maintains a sound of its own quite successfully. David Quinn's vocals are deeply masculine yet quietly brooding and there is enormous strength in their subtlety. He sings effortlessly - never straining or losing control - almost as if the emotions he's singing about have left him cold and numb to it all. The guitars are airy and noble - the passages in some songs are reminiscent of the more psychedelic work done by Fields of Nephilim. Keyboards keep the sound updated and current as bleeps and tweaks add their own bit of cyber coldness to the atmosphere. The tempos, while not your higher EBM variety (thank god), are danceable. Me? I'll take this and spin it endlessly on an over cast Sunday while I watch the clouds pass by out my bedroom window. Many thanks to David for reminding us all what Gothic Music is supposed to sound like. Track listing:
Eternia Website:
On AmpCast
Eternia self titled ~reviewed by Steph I'm swaying in front of my computer right now with a smile on my face. Eternia is in my CD player and the volume is turned up loud. Eternia hails from Australia by way of the UK, and musician/vocalist David Quinn has assured me that he will not be offended if I compare him to Joy Division. Eternia, like Joy Division, create music that is deep, dark and beautiful, and David vocals borrow much from the dour Mancunian legend who lives still in musical mythology. Where Curtis was stark, however, Quinn is richly emotive. The instrumentation is layered and strongly melodic, a throwback to the heyday of 80's dark pop music. Guitar chords churn in and out of a sea of drum beats and sound effects, each rising and falling in accord with the other. Quinn has an unerring sense of when to turn up the intensity, and when to just let it drop away. From Dungeon's Luxury of Doubt is a truly beautiful album. "Rain" is likely to garner Quinn the most overt comparisons to Joy Division, as his vocals on this track are eerily reminiscent of Ian Curtis. Over a steady computer-driven beat, Quinn asks "Will you ever love me?" while a lovely, mournful guitar line spirals in the background. "Shattered" finds Quinn moving away from the basso profundo vocal style. This is a mid-tempo number that rises and swells unexpectedly and thrillingly. "Eternal" is almost poppy, and certainly one of the tracks on this disc most likely to lure you unto a dancefloor. The steadily churning guitar line is almost trance-like, and then it spreads out, turns almost psychelic, and you feel that you could follow this music anywhere. "Why I Hate Children" varies sparse, delicate moments with heavy grinding guitars and melancholy vocals, a more overtly goth oeuvre than the others. "Adore" bursts into life with fuzzy layers of guitars from which the vocals gradually emerge. Just when the song threatens to become monochromatic, finely tuned harmonies kick in and hover gently in the background. "Electric" is a low droning track that slinks along, all stealth and feedback. You won't be expecting the uplifting wash of sound that carries you away at the end. This is one of those songs that you pray to hear in a club so that you can feel like you're dancing forever. "Drown" rises slowly, the guitar growing ever louder as the tension in the song builds. This track reminds me a lot of the Swans at their melancholy best. "Hidden" starts off with an electro-drum beat that leads into aggressively swirling guitars. Quinn seems to be exploring his vocal range on this track, and the effects are lovely. His voice has a very appealing mid-tenor quality when he's not trying to force it into the lower registers. From Dungeon's Luxury of Doubt is a worthy debut that gives us much to look forward to. The passion of David Quinn and his collabarators is unmistakeable, and once again, I'm reminded of why I was drawn to goth all those years ago. Track listing:
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