Customer Reviews

Dawnrazor

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cd should be a mandatory listen for all these "neo-goths" that think that Goth music and culture is all about techno and S&M. This is raw, in your face, Gothic Rock & Roll. The Nephilim still seem to be one of a kind. No other band has used their Spaghetti Western influenced image or sound. The dusty, decaying, floury Cowboy outfits, the slide guitar and slight twang, and those sore throat growls still sound completely fresh today. And what other band has taken on the task of covering an Ennio Morricone theme as they did with Harmonica Man? (Taken from Once Apon A Time In The West) Sure there are a FEW similarities to the Sisters but to say that this is a rip off is simply too narrow minded (not to mention inaccurate) for me to stomach.

Dawnrazor is certainly an excellent power Goth album, and it is the one FotN release where the comparisons to the Sisters make sense; The deep, snarling vocals and throbbing bass guitar were TSOM trademarks to be sure. However, where the Sisters' Floodland was a majestic work of stylized synth-Goth reminiscent of that typical Euro-Victorian aesthetic, Dawnrazor is an original blending of Goth force and the romantic Old West where lawless desperados walk alone. Carl McCoy is that desperado, half-cowboy and half-shaman, roaming the mysterious badlands within his own soul, continually crossing the line between life and death, consciousness and dreams, reality and occult mysticism.

There are any number of hard-hitting rockers here: Laura, Power, Dust, Preacher Man and Reanimator. The centerpiece and crescendo is the towering title track, though in truth the live version on Earth Inferno is probably better. There are also a couple of darkly wistful slower tracks like Vet for the Insane and Secrets - both are strong. Given the quality of all of the tracks, this is a must-have for Goths and those who like their rock with an edge of mystery.

Still this is clearly not Nephilim at their most powerful. At this time, the band and Carl had not fully developed the musical depth, emotional range and sense of grandeur that would become their calling card. I feel very sad for the reviewer who cast them off as a Sisters clone and never looked beyond this album; that review will make him look like a fool to all who know the genre well and understand what FotN would become.

Probably my favorite line of the whole CD appears in "Vet for the Insane--the flowers in your kitchen, they weep for you, I'm gonna shred them all to pieces, like I did to you, relax" Ahhh the majesty of Carl McCoy's growl is enough to make me relax while he dons the claws! I highly recommend this CD as a jumping off point for new Neph fans. This CD was their tribute to spagetti westerns. If I had to catagorize this music (and I do so hate to label things), I would say Gothabilly. Just buy it and you won't be disappointed!

Fields of Nephilim's first CD is as original as anything ever heard before, and 16 years later it sounds as brilliant as ever.The Morricone touches are a real treat and their unique sound may be compared with others but can never be a good as them. I originally bought the Revelations compilation as my first Nephilim CD and immediatally had to go back and buy them all after hearing the title track live on that CD. This band has had a huge influence on me,I even bought the controversial "Fallen" CD as well as the later Nefilim "Zoon", Rubicon "What starts ends" and Last Rites "Guided by Light" disks all by ex-Fields of Nephilim members.This is a highly influential band. Discover them and enjoy.

Imagine that the Clint Eastwood character from the Segio Leone westerns was even darker and more sombre. That would be one of the characters in this story of vengence and triumph of one form of evil over another. The music manages to be brooding while maintaining a distinctly western rhythm. The lyrics range from effective to poetic.

The voice of the lead singer is reminiscent of Andy Eldrich and the entire CD can be compared favorably with the Sisters of Mercy's Floodland. From the opening song, a sample from the movie Once Upon A Time In the West, to the final revenge in the last song, the entire CD is haunting and moving.

Don't take this to mean that it's a funeral dirge, it's a well balanced collection of songs that seem to want to become frenzied, but are perfectly reigned in by the band. It's a supernatural spaghetti western put to music. If you like melodies, good guitar work, and haunting lyrics done in a near-Gothic vein, this is worth a listen.

Preacher man! That's all I really need to say. The Nephilim is embodied in that song.

Warning, this CD version of Dawnrazor omits "Blue Water," which was on the original album. The Neph don't seem to have much respect for that song, but to me it was one of the highlights of their body of work. This CD includes some early cuts that were not on the original album, in my view for good reason. They sound like the less inspired early stuff you can hear compiled on the Laura CD. Still, Dawnrazor comes through as the work where Fields of the Nephilim left the Sisters of Mercy in their self-affected dust. This is not only original stuff but also powerful, something the Sisters rarely achieved. Dawnrazor fits into a four-disc Nephilim rotation (with The Nephilim, Elizium and Earth Inferno) that will reward the listener for many years.

The usual drowned-out vocals combined with brooding music. I like the wall of sound, but I really wish I could make out more of the lyrics. The ruddy feel of this album keeps me from tossing it away, but I just don't find myself listening to it. ..it's okay, you'll like it, but if your tastes crave lyrics you'd better look elsewhere.

Goth was barely a genre when this band started playing the hard chord rock and roll they have become known for. To this day, Fields of the Nephilim are one of only a few bands playing this tough brand of Goth music(The Cult, Sisters of Mercy). Long, Black, Rider Jackets, Boots, and Cowboy hats exemplify what old school Goth was, and still is. Forget about those baggy hip hop styled bondage pants, and weenie club kid clothes. This is serious rock and roll for serious killers. Don't know what I mean? How about sitting up in a hatch behind a Machine Gun listening to Fields of the Nephilim as Sadaam's best give you a run, and you become The Lord of Scunion as you lay Holy Hell upon their heads! Rock and Roll!!!

I don't know what to make of this group. I mean, it's obvious that they are a Sisters of Mercy ripoff through and through, and basically came to popularity immediately following the breakup of the real Sisters in the mid-80s. They filled the gap and picked right up where the Sisters, clad in Western gear, were. Carl McCoy and Co. kept it going, giving these guys a dark Spaghetti Western gothic persona. I wasn't around when it first appeared, so I don't know how it came off back then.

But listening to it today, it's difficult to take McCoy's vocals seriously in all of this. I don't know, I love Eldritch's voice, but this is very strange.

However, the fact is that they have some very good songs, and it's difficult not to really like some of the tracks. So it's the presentation, whatever. I would recommend checking this out if you must, you might dig it. Basically, it has what I would call the cliched gothic rock sounds, which is not to say bad but just typical. There are better bands out there who don't need a dark "Whoooooo oooh luh luh luh luh" howling to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere.