On the evidence of this, the band’s first record, Dead Can Dance can clearly be seen as a “Goth” group in the vein of Bauhaus, et al. The band’s sound here is much more clearly based in the “contemporary”–Dead Can Dance uses traditional song structures, the group’s instrumentation is almost entirely synthesized, and co-vocalist Lisa Gerrard’s voice rarely gets into the truly ethereal, other-worldly realms that it would on later albums. Perhaps the most surprising single song on the album is “East of Eden.” Built on a picked (and heavily echoed) guitar line and a rolling drum pattern, it is probably the only track in the DCD catalogue that can be described as relentlessly perky.

Standouts include “The Fatal Impact,” which boasts a crystal-clear guitar sound, a scaling base line, and tribal chanting; “Wild in the Woods,” which is underscored by a threatening, droning guitar; and “Musica Eternal,” a subtle track that clearly indicates the path that the band would eventually follow. The CD appends the group’s four-track GARDEN OF THE ARCANE DELIGHTS EP, which shows the first true steps down that path and features Gerrard using her voice startling effect, especially on “Flowers of the Sea.”

• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 07/08/2016
• Genre: Rock
• Remember, for our lowest prices, always order directly from our official JocoRecords website!

Track Listing:

A1 The Fatal Impact
A2 The Trial
A3 Frontier
A4 Fortune
A5 Ocean
B1 East Of Eden
B2 Threshold
B3 A Passage In Time
B4 Wild In The Woods
B5 Musica Eternal