Decadence

Spiral Of Silence - Decadent [CD PMR 007 BEL 2002 16-Bit FLAC]

Decadent is a more coherent album than Leap given the latter was more a collection of songs from four years of sessions. This album is more up-to-date in it's sound with more electronic arrangements assisted by Siglo XXX's Anotonio Palermo on production duties. This is also a 2002 release ....so it's loud ...very loud, but that is fine, especially with that wall of guitar sound ...it is loud enough to make your ears bleed. As with any band maturing their sound, the melodies are more intricate and crafted, for instance the hooks/breaks on Zillion make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Hang on ....I am sure I can hear a melodica in there too!

The treated bass work on the opening Echo leads the march into a mix of eighties gothica, low countries darkwave and sludge-metal ....and those guitars, wow those guitars! Walk Away hits off with spangly electronics, then that wall of sound is cranked up again into what becomes a catchy, almost commercial goth-pop song following in the bootsteps of late eighties Sisters Of Mercy. The unusually titled Seed Dump is more conventional in it's arrangement and anybody who appreciates The March Violets or Play Dead will find familiarity.

Across takes us back to Benelux gothica, borrowing from early Clan Of Xymox with it's simple drum machine beat, washy synths and a catchy but gloomy chorus. Cats & Dogs is another sad lament, those guitars are back on the splendidly titled The End Sucks (Told You So) but this time it is Van Troyen's hook'ish bass leading the way.

Then you encounter the desperate yet powerful despondency of How I Miss You. Those multi-tracked vocals scream out at you over a deep throbbing bass, ending with a recognisable and distinct gentle top-string bass melody strumming low in the mix. Superb. Where Are We Now? is by comparison nothing short of a filler, purely in that it does not stand out as strongly as the tracks which proceed it. The Spirals then bravely cover Joy Division's Dead Souls ...and compared to other attempts by certain other bands, they actually do it justice by wrapping the track in sequenced electronics. Labelled as bonus tracks, there are also two alternative takes of Echo and Walk Away, plus a remix of Leap from the first album.

Spiral Of Silence were a band never ashamed to show & play to their influences ...on the closing Gratuit, Van Troyen screams 'you better lock yourself up before you grow up' ...which is a poignant reminder that this was a band who, despite the moods evinced by their music, never took themselves that seriously. Perhaps because of this they are more than just another eighties copyist dark wave band and this album deserves a damn good listen. Enjoy!

1 Echo
2 Walk Away
3 Zillion
4 Seed Dump
5 Across
6 Cats & Dogs
7 The End Sucks (Told You So)
8 How I Miss You
9 Where Are We Now?
10 Dead Souls
11 Gratuit
12 Walk Away (Luna Earn Version)
13 Echo (Luna Earn Version)
14 Peal (Leap Re-mix)