Customer Reviews

Dead Can Dance Tribute: Lotus Eaters

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"The Lotus Eaters" is a valentine for one of the most original, memorable groups of the past 20 years. Dead Can Dance produced music that was startling in it's ancient sources and hypnotic, highly emotional sounds and words. Like Jim Morrison, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry eventually became a major influence and favorite artists of choice among the goth, darkwave music crowd. It is fair to say that years from now Ashlee Simpson and Linkin Park will sound dated and confined to this era while the music of Dead Can Dance will still sound exciting and hypnotic (let's not forget a lot of what they played was already popular...2,000 years ago). "The Lotus Eaters" is full of both attempts to recreate the original songs and to propell them into the new century. Sometimes it works to impressive effect, and like all tribute albums it also has it's undesirable moments. Disc 1 features some noteoworthy performances, the first being by Persephone, their rendition of "Spirit" keeps a classic, Eastern meets mainstream feel that makes it enjoyable and fresh. Sonja Kraushofer's vocals are beautiful and though she doesn't match Gerrard it doesn't matter because it is a sound all her own. Faith And The Muse give us a dark, pulsing "Mesmerism" that stays true to the original and almost transports you to some ancient ritualistic meeting. Monica Richards croons here like a possessed artist channeling Gerrard. There are also some stabs at darkwave, hard rock that take away from the material. The Arcane's "Trail Of Tears" is actually not bad, it sounds focused but Hortus Anime's "Windfall Introducing Summoning Of The Muse" is really just a sonic assault that belongs somewhere else. The best metallic performance is Imperia's "The Lotus Eaters." It's a snarling, crawling take on the very ancient-sounding original, but with gusto and style and Helena Iren Michaelsen's vocals shine and provide a beautiful expression for the wall of chords. Sarah Jezebel Deva's "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" wonderfully displays her vocal range and she delivers a powerful, folk-laced performance. Disc 2 has some powerful moments such as The Gathering's "The Power We Entrust The Love Advocated." This is a soaring performance with a real sense of atmosphere, words and emotions, painting images for feelings. Akrabu's "Desert Song" is lush and keeps a great Middle Eastern texture that makes it sound like an artifact from the days when Alexander The Great was marching into Persia. "The Lotus Eaters" has more to offer and one can appreciate it's daring scope. One can appreciate the artist's dedication to honoring this most original of groups. Many of the tracks are lush and exotic, filled with a true sense of artistry. Some purists may scoff, but the open-minded may be pleasantly surprised.

I am primarily a metal fan who dabbles in whatever else I find interesting. I always thought Dead Can Dance had some good ideas but they were a bit too soft for my tastes. Seeing the likes of Ulver, Trail of Tears, Anathema, the Gathering, Subterranean Masquerade and Nightfall listed to perform on this tribute, I figured they would give DCD's songs a heavier edge. I was somewhat disappointed to find out that really wasn't the case. Unfortunately the bands just try to recreate the song without adding their own personal touchs to it. Basically that just makes this a worse version of what DCD did since no matter how good the band is they can't hope to compete with the people who made the song in the first place unless they adapt it to their own particular style. I would recommend buying cds from Dead Can Dance and the bands that do well on this tribute:Persephone, Trail of Tears, Hourtus Animae with Liv Kristine, (ex-Theatre of Tradgedy, Leave's Eyes) Ephmeral Sun, The Gathering, Anathema, Nightfall, Ulver and Subterranean Masquerade instead of buying this. Also check out Rhea's Obessesion, who sound a bit like a modern DCD. Overall, if your a hardcore DCD fan you may enjoy this but otherwise I wouldn't bother with it.

If you're a fan of all phases of DCD, you need this. All of the tracks are amazing--not one loser among them. Some of them are even BETTER than the original renditions in terms of spooky sensuality. In many ways, many of the pieces are more acoustic and less "produced" than the DCD originals. Hearing (for me) new artists sing and perform some of my favorites has helped me re-discover the catalog and appreciate it in new ways. Get this while it's still in print; it's disappeared before.

I tend to be wary of most tributes, they tend to have terrible cover versions of beloved songs performed by untalented bands. "The Lotus Eaters" is an exception. Even if you've not listened to much Dead Can Dance, I think you would still enjoy this album. The bands on here are all very talented and you can hear the passion they have for Lisa's & Brendan's work.