Atrocities

Christian Death | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cleopatra
• ASIN: B00000IWW7
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,021 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Will O' the Wisp

2. Tales of Innocence

3. Strapping Me Down

4. The Danzig Waltz

5. Chimere De-Ci, De-Là

6. Silent Thunder

7. Strange Fortune

8. Ventriloquist

9. Gloomy Sunday

10. The Death of Josef

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Christian Death release by Valor, April 24, 2002

By 

Matthew (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atrocities (Audio CD)

A lot of people have the habit of dismissing the work Valor Kand did with and for Christian Death. Rozz Williams, god rest his soul, was indeed an exceptional lyricist, musician, and artist and without him, their probably never would have been such a thing as Death Rock. However, I have to say that without Valor, Christian Death would have ended after "Ashes" was released and though some believe that it should have, it certainly would be a shame if some of the releases that Valor was responsible for never came into being, as many open minded people do enjoy them for what they are - good Gothic Rock records. This means no disrepect to Rozz Williams. "Only Theatre Of Pain" is a classic, as is the two releases he worked on with Valor. However, I would rather listen to "Sexy Death God" or "Wind Kissed Pictures" over Shadow Project any day ;)

The initial three recordings that Valor released under the name Christian Death are some of the most influential and powerful Gothic Rock albums ever recorded. And though Valor hit a *very low* period in the late 80's and early 90's and released a few albums that have no more than one or two good tracks, he still is a remarkably talented musician with more insight and vision in one eye than most Gothic performers. He and Bari-Bari (Mephisto Walz) are basically responsible for the 'Gothic' guitar sound as it was throughout the late 80's and into the 90's.

So with all that said, I have to recommend this 1986 release, the 2nd recording Valor did under the name Christian Death. A conceptual release that explores the 'atrocities' of WWII, the album is a stark and melancholic descent into psychology and emotional trauma. Besides the upbeat, Post-Punk/Death Rock brilliance of tracks like "Will O' The Wisp," "Silent Thunder" and "Strapping Me Down," you also find the acoustic mediaeval nostalgia of "Strange Fortune" and the haunting gloom of "The Danzig Waltz," an eerie piano driven track with ghostly vocals and creepy violin effects.

As well, "Atrocities" captures Gitane DeMone's most powerful and memorable moments in Christian Death. First with the dark and sensual classic "Tales Of Innocence," an unrivaled example of atmospheric Gothic Rock. And of course, Gitane's rendition of the infamous Billie Holiday lament "Gloomy Sunday." Though these tracks are available on various live compilations, absolutely nothing compares to the original studio versions of these songs which appear on this release alone.

If you are a fan of the albums "Catastrophe Ballet" and "Ashes," then "Atrocities" will definitely appeal to you. Though it does not feature the voice of Rozz Williams, I hope that more people will be open minded and check out this fantastic and seminal Gothic Rock release. There are few Gothic Rock albums that feel as complete and satsifying as this one.

Apparently, the Cleopatra re-release has some technical glitches, not to mention a rather poor lyric booklet. If possible, try to seek out the original Nostradamus release which has a much better lyric booklet and sounds just as good.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic, June 2, 2001

By 

Josh (Boston, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atrocities (Audio CD)

Atrocities finds Christian Death somewhere between the departure of Rozz Williams and Valor's turn towards metal. The result is arguably the best release by Valor's Christian Death.

Still fueled to some extent by the musical tendencies of earlier Christian Death material as well as occassionally imitating Rozz's vocal style, Valor manages to create a truly emotional and atmospheric album. Distinct guitar and bass driven gothic rock melodies fuse with classical ambience and instrumentation. Valor's lyrical skills also seem to have peaked here, with emotional and poetic lyrics that don't resort to the religious preaching or often amusing vulgarity and sexuality that would plague much of his later body of work. Gitane is also in top shape here with wonderful vocal work on the beautiful "Tales of Innocence" and an original take on the classic "Gloomy Sunday"...

This album would also be of special interest to fans of Mephisto Walz. Central Mephisto Walz songwriter and musician B. Galvin appears here as bassist as well as co-writer on several songs. The atmospheric sound on many of the songs here is almost completely identical to Mephisto Walz's signature sound. In fact, this album contains the original version of "Silent Thunder", which would later be released in re-recorded form as a Mephisto Walz track.

The only complaint I have about this album is Cleopatra's remaster. Like their other Christian Death reissues, the disc won't play right in some portable/car CD players and there are volume/clarity issues with some speakers. However, despite the faults of the record label, this album is still a must have for fans of Christian Death, Mephisto Walz, or atmospheric gothic rock in general.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valor's masterpiece, April 26, 2001

By 

James Nihilist (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atrocities (Audio CD)

Before I really knew anything about Christian Death, for some reason the album I would always hear about was "Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ", which is quite puzzling since it's probably one of the worst Goth (or whatever you want to call it) albums I've ever heard. The album they should've been telling me about (well, as far as Valor oriented material) is this one, which is a truly the post-Rozz Christian Death masterpiece. Each song really stands out on it's own, however they're all connected by the strong emotions they project. Put on "Gloomy Sunday" and I guarentee it will move you, Gitane sounds absolutely incredible in that song! And the lyrics are also quite stand out..it is quite apparent that Valor can crank out some quality work, it's a shame about some of his later stuff ::shudder::