We are diving into the new double album from Corlyx who is one of my favorite new "goth" acts. They always deliver though 19 songs require some prolific consistency. Some of these songs were released last year as singles, but we do not really cover singles here so digesting this as a whole body of work. It starts off with a little more rock injected into their trademark smolder. It's on "Up On the Cross" that features Blutengel that showcases their strength of embracing both the past of traditional dark wave and still not shying away from paying tribute to this era, with new sounds, like vibrant synth-wave keyboard lines, and pop-inflected hooks.
"Apocalypsis" bounces with grooves that flavored the 90s output, such as Lords of Acid and My Life With the Thrill Kult once churned out. The sultry attitude of the vocals is a welcome return to a time when music dripped with forbidden temptation. The vocals slither with subtle hooks. There is more of a post-punk growl to the tense bass line of "Downtown". The chorus pulls the song together, and it's a nice reminder that this kind of music can be organic and made by picking up actual instruments and playing them, rather than relying on the libraries of Digital Audio Workstations. Finland's Suzi Sabotage represents how fluidly they can flow back into the new school darkwave with "Kill Cave". The chorus is highly effective on this song. Suzi's voice mainly haunts the background.
"Psycho Sensual" finds them back in more of a post-punk vein. The chorus reminds me more of 90s alt-pop like Garbage. It's more guitar-oriented than the rest of the songs so far. There is more of a new-wave feel to "Darkness is the Future' which intersects Gary Numan-like synths sounds with modern pop. With "Pretty" They take on a groove that reminds me of KMFDM's more recent material that strays from the militant industrial march to slinky grooves. The first part of this double album closes with "Death is Just the Beginning". This indulges in a more ethereal ambiance. It is more like Switchblade Symphony in its melodic vibes that drift through a cloudy night in your mind. Feels more like an outro than a free-standing song.
The second album opens with a more organic take on New Wave. The vocals have pop smarts to them as their knack for hooks remains strong. 'the Sacrifice" rides off a similar beat as the previous song. Leading me to believe this second album is going ride on a more post-punk tension, though they did switch it up a good bit on the first album. "Zombie Kid" works off a similar uptempo tension to support my beliefs regarding the theme of the second album. Her vocals have an urgency to them that might bring Boy Harsher to mind for some listeners. The darker pulse that haunts the 80s music we refer to as goth flows during "Witches Dance' which plays to this band's strengths.
"Creatures Howl" also dances into the more shadowy side of their sound with Kaitlyn's voice sounding perhaps its strongest and most dynamic. Overall her growth as a singer is evident in these songs. She is certainly now in the upper tiers of female vocalists in modern goth. "Take the Money" sounds like it could have come from the Cleopatra Records heyday. Lyrically it might be the album's best song. "Midnight City' is a dancier take on post-punk. "Our Shadows" finds a more dark wave beat powering it through the neon-lit landscape. The album ends with a balance of atmosphere and seductive throb, with the chant of the chorus creating a memorable anthem. I will give this album a 9.5, it's an ambitious outpouring of songs, that shows their melding of all the varied sub-genres of goth into something familiar without becoming a tribute band as their own unique vision is the lifeblood of these odes to darkness, in all of it's shades and seasons.
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