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Götterdämmerung
Morphia
~reviewed by
Blu
I'm not sure where David (who is the band Eternia and runs The Nature of Gothic website) found this band (they've been around since 1991) - but THANKYOU DAVID! Gads, this may be my favorite "new" band of the year. I'm so excited about this release not only because of some great tracks on it; but here is band who is seemingly out to break the mold. And for some reason, when I first got the CD, I just assumed it was another modern gothic or electronic CD. Well guess what kiddies? It's nothing short of new deathrock.... er - or since "deathrock" doesn't really exist in Europe as a term - new - classic goth! Think Sex Gang Children and those lovely twisted vocals of Andi's - but updated and current. MMMMmmmm. I'll explain...
Reading their bio,
it seems this band like many others, has been plagued with not being able
to find a full house
of competent musicians. From the beginning they lacked a drummer and have,
made
do as best they could with a drum machine. ( I do think good drummers
are becoming an extinct breed). It appears at some point they experimented
around with doing more industrial/electronic based music which didn't really
take off. Then, with the release of this CD - Morphia, all the original
members came back and so did their more old-school sound. And while a real
drummer would help them out immensely, as I'll point out, they do ok with
it -- enough that its still a good listen, and do use technically advanced
equipment to give this music an updated contemporary sound. Succinctly
put - they don't sound like an old school rip off or copy cat band. They
are uniquely their own but with a sound even we old-fart-goths will appreciate.
I can't even get past the first song without drooling all over myself. "Ten Grim Commandments" is sneaky though -- it starts cinematic - a dark sound scape and you're not sure where it's heading when an electronic percussive element comes in but then the guitar charges in like a solider and then those vocals... I'm in goth heaven. Twisted and creepy - the best elements of Murphy, Bowie, Williams and Andy Sex Gang all rolled into one with a dash of Mr. Fiend on the side. The beat is fast - danceable, addictive. Perfect deathrock dance floor filler. I could listen to this on repeat for DAYS.
Track 2, "Life a$ Art," is a perfect example of how this band tries to blend in contemporary sounds with classical goth themes. The song opens up with lots of industrial sounding electronics and heavy on the drum machine which would probably be enough to fool the EBM/industrial dance folks onto the dance floor. I have to admit I personally dislike the drum machine on this track - too much redundant symbol crash and thump thump thump but it eventually leads to those exquisite vocal stylings that make me forget about it altogether. By the time the chorus comes in and the beat changes, I'm quite the happy camper. There's wonderful bass work in this song as it plods up and down the register flanked by gritty, distorted guitar. It's also interesting to note that the instrumental breaks between chorus's in this song are a mixture of guitar and then electronic effects. This may indeed be the great EBM/gothic compromise song - I think there's a little of both to make both camps happy.
The title track, "Morphia" is a short instrumental
showcasing more of the band's varied talents. A pensive electronic based
soundscape with samples and atmospheric guitars; it clocks in at 1:20 before
moving onto track 4, "Echoes of Despair". Driving, smooth guitar
playing start this up and here, the drum machine is not so "thumpy" as
the last. The bass line sings a counter melody and then it all seems to
go monotone and fade out (in volume) around 1:19. Now, I'm not sure what
this is about or why it happens, because it *almost* sounds like another
short transition instrumental but I check the counter and it's still reading
track "4". What happens next is a big fat bass line comes rumbling in and
the song seems to start again in earnest this time. From a DJing stand
point this is nightmarish because if you played track 4 from the beginning,
it would sound like you let some song die out and then suddenly remembered
to put on the next track. So - note to would be DJs, you should probably
blend this one in around 1:20. Not sure what the band was trying to accomplish
here but it's effect was lost on me. From 1:20 on, it's a totally
different song from what it started to be: now it's aggressive, harsh,
propelling. And here, although I love the energy of this song; I
find the vocals are a little too distorted... I find I am unconsciously
thinking I need to tune my radio in a bit clearer when I listen to it.
It then boils itself out and ends in a string of beautiful acoustic guitar
chords. Hmm. Odd ride that one is. Götterdämmerung
is obviously a band willing to experiment even with basic song structure
to find their own voice. Props for the attempt but that one doesn't quite
work for as well as the others in my opinion.
Here's my favorite
by far -- and even though it starts out with my pet peeve drum machine,
the rest of it is so appealing I will forgive them over and over again
for it -- track 5 is "Good Things." It's got THE FATTEST bass line
I've ever heard! Turn that baby up and feel the vibrations! Good
old punk styled throbbing beats - yum. It employs a great nostalgic 80's-type
melody line and danceable beat combined with Guido's vocals, well, it's
nearly perfect. I'm dragging this with me to Ghoulschool and begging the
DJs to spin it on Wednesday. I will guarantee, people will dance to it
inspired!
Track 6 is untitled, and as you might expect is a fairly experimental track opening up with deep bass lines and cinematic guitars with very ambient textures slightly reminiscent of Joy Division. It then turns completely around and treds on primitive ground -- with odd percussive elements, noises and vocal chants echoing in the background. Very odd, but listenable. It then fades - literally mid-chord - with parts hanging into track 7, "Without your crapes" (again, the strange intro may make it a bit tricky for DJs to spin). "...crapes" is a noticeably darker song that reminds me much of early Bauhaus - lots of distortion and noise and some shouted vocals creating a bleak, desperate world.
"Quest for Dun Maura" is bouncy in almost a celtic way - another perfect one for the dance floor. The guitar does alot of sliding, the bass moves you along skipping and keyboards, sounding like harpsichords, give it a decadent feel. The 3/4 beat and the dark mysterious lyrics could very well land them comparisons to Cinema Strange -- "...kissing flesh, sucking maggot's fee, as for tomorrow, sod is here, and she's piercing my brow and my eyelids, one guilty snare..."
"Dance in devachan" is a forceful, fast paced song leaning more towards traditional industrial stylings in the beginning (think Skinny Puppy here). Lots of chanted lyrics and harsh percussion at the start and then it breaks into more melodic verses led by guitar (Field of Nephilim/SoM'ish). "Teargas" is another upbeat, fun track - post-punk bass singing on the bottom register, spinning guitar and frantic beats. And finally, "Disembodiment" - even darker in tone and reminding me much of an updated Christian Death, is noted as being from the Dion Fortune EP called Rearm. Beautiful beautiful stuff.
Götterdämmerung is definitely a complex band with alot of new ideas about what their music is and should be. The variety of sounds and styles they present is intellectually interesting. One gets the feeling they are almost more of an artistic band in nature constantly pushing their own boundaries and experimenting. What does obviously work the most here is their unique combination of classical goth elements and sounds with newer, updated technology and electronics. I never thought there'd be a band who could span the division between the newer electronic fans and the old school fans - but Götterdämmerung may just do it. They're a terribly exciting band with alot of potential - definitely ones to watch closely. This CD has just been re-released - grab it while you can... you'll be the coolest goth on the block.
Götterdämmerung
is:
Marc (bass guitar)
Guido (vocals, noise
guitar)
Almar (guitar)
LINN (the drum machine)
Tracks
1.Ten grim commandments
2. Life a$ art
3. (mophia)
4. Echoes of despair
5. Good things
6.
7. Without your crapes
8. Quest for Dun Maura
9. Dance in devachan
10. Teargas
11. Disembodiment
http://listen.to/gotterdammerung
(website includes sound samples)
http://www.gothicnature.co.uk
03/24/01