This band formed in 1980 making them one of the pioneers of the early goth/ industrial scene. Much like goth music in general that holds a certain nostalgia for the sacred sound of the past, this band re-recorded their 1993 album "Death and Sex". They have brought along former Rollins Band guitarist Chris Haskett and Mera Roberts the cellist for Black Tape For a Blue Girl and Faith and Muse to add to what they originally did. Rodney Orpheus never wowed me as a singer back in the day, so I never gave these guys much time then. Now I can hear he does create some hooks here and there that I appreciate, as he has more of an Ian Curtis cadence to his voice at best.
I like the more dissonant guitar parts that sound like they are courtesy of Haskett which adds a great deal to the overall mood of these songs. "Kneel to the Boss" leans more toward the punk side of post-punk. "Give Me What I Need" has a simple groove that works really well, and plays to what Orpheus can do with his voice. "Come Out' drones on a similar sonic zip code as the previous song, but works well enough. Lyrically this album is sort of bland, which plays against them as I expect more from the lyrics when it comes to goth music as that is normally one of its strengths. His vocals do not work as well on "Statisfy Me". In fact, midway into the song, I get pretty bored with it.
We have heard some of the strengths of this project. Instead, the last song sums up more of their weakness and makes me suspect that Orpheus might have a hearing issue or be tone deaf, as the vocals are too pitchy on this song to be from a band that releases albums on a record label and plays festivals. I will give this album a 7.5, it's not terrible and works more often than it doesn't but the problems are more galring than what I prefer top listen to.
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