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There are ghostly monks, followed by gothic rock guitars that sound as if they've been drinking Red Bull. That's how "The Arrival" starts. The sound is huge – with thunderous drumming, industrial-sized bass and impassioned vocals. The nine-minute running time allows the song to ebb and flow. The chorus has the catchiness of Belisha and the intensity of Midnight Oil. Aleister Crowley is wheeled out again during one of the atmospheric passages of the song. There are rumblings from the abyss then a sinister voice urges to welcome the return of 'Satan! Beelzebub! Leviathan! Asmodeus!' His enthusiasm is infectious ... but is this a good thing?
So having shown they can do sprawling and epic, Whispers In The Shadow prove they can do accurate and deadly with the three and a half minute "Killing Time". Singer Ashley Dayour promises: "I'm just waiting for nothing at all! I'm just waiting for the God to call!" Elsewhere "Neither Neither" shows another side of the band, a hybrid of the quieter side of New Model Army and Dead Can Dance. "The Night Side Of Eden" starts with ghostly monks congregating around a haunted piano. There's a hint of torch song to this, with the sort of theatrics that would appeal to Uninvited Guest fans. "Damned Nation" starts with some Hammer Horror-style vocal samples, over the sound of lasers zapping. This song shows the upbeat – in timing, if not mood – style of the band. "Babylon Rising (Part 1)" has echo-laden guitars over a prowling bass line. Fans of Fields of the Nephilim will feel at home. There are also hints of Cure-like guitar. As Dayour sings "Rise! Babylon! Rise!" one cannot help but be reminded of Garden Of Delight. The song builds delightfully, before leading quietly into "Babylon Rising (Part 2)". I love music that moves like the sea, it allows me to escape the humdrum of my every day life into a fantasy world. This song is like a maelstrom and it's easy to imagine it proving the soundtrack to the event mentioned in its title. Dayour asks "Are you searching? Don't you stop!" before the music does exactly that. Oddly the humour doesn't dissipate the ominous mood, by offering contrast it makes the darkness darker. "Confessions" is ambient nonsense, but Whispers In The Shadow have earned three and a half minutes of self indulgence by this point. The chiming bells are evocative. "The Last Time" starts like The Sisters Of Mercy's "First And Last And Always" with coruscating guitar arcing towards the heavens. As the song progresses it mutates into The Mission's "Deliverance" which is no bad thing in my book. "(R'hley 1331)" is more ambient fun, but is really just an appetiser for the epic finale "Down By The Sea" – which is a thirteen minute monster of Tiamat-sized proportions. Indeed Tiamat-the-band is also a good comparison point, circa "A Deeper Kind Of Slumber". Highly recommended for those who like their music to take them through a dark and dismal journey, yet which at journey's end leaves the listener feeling curiously uplifted. |
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