Customer Reviews

Feather & Fate

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The beauty of Lisa Hammer's voice and the power of Eric's orchestra/folk/rock/goth are stronger than ever. This album has a LITTLE less rock than on "Primrose," and the band's most cinematic sound to date. Lisa's vocals are FINALLY mixed with clarity!

"The Hues of Longing" starts with a clang that suggests the album will sound like Mors Syph's 1996 debut. According to Eric, he got mad one day trying to get his bass guitar to cooperate, and flung it across the room. That interesting KRRAAANNGGG! fades into a glorious piece of baroque pop.

The galloping urgency of "Naturally Cruel" is strengthened by Lisa's operatic style and some cool strings. "Only a Whirlwind" has a relaxed, shoegazer sound right out of Cocteau Twins' "Milk and Kisses." A few other tracks also harken to Liz Fraser's angel-pop. "Nostalgia's Sea" reminds me of The Sundays, and has less instrumentation going on all at once than the other songs.

"Fountain of Tears" sounds like that song you heard in a dream, then couldn't recall when you woke up. Gorgeous plucked strings (mandolin?). "My Virgin Widows" features a banjo and a vocal lament much like "This Love Ours" on the previous album. "Far from Loneliness" sounds like the folk ballads Heart or Led Zeppelin did in the early 70's, only with Charlotte Church on vocals. "How Long" ends the album with a renewed emphasis on Eric's guitar and an overall sound like their 1994 album as Requiem in White, "Of the Want Infinite."

As long as bands like Mors Syphilitica and Faith and The Muse keep writing songs, there's hope for the world. If this review seems too long and overdone, just be glad I didn't title it "Stop - Hammer Time!"

I loved Mors Syphilitica's last CD "Primrose", it was a dark, passionate and romantic album. When I first heard "Feather and Fate", I was stunned at how the band had progressed and matured. I thought they couldn't be more romantic than they were with "Primrose", but this album seems to have even more love put in to it than their previous albums. The songwriting is more elaborate than before, yet at times it seems more stripped-down and simple...There are some really straightforward songs. The CD is not as goth rock as before, but more ethereal/indie/shoegaze/folk/middle-eastern...I don't know what to call it, it's just beautiful.

This cd is truly a remarkable achievement. The instuments are simple, but beautiful, the singing heavenly. I honestly cannot understand alot of what Lisa Hammer is singing, but it doesn't matter. The emotion just pulls you in and the playing sweeps you along. The mandolin is classic! The cover is remenisent of art from the 20's or 30's. You get the feeling it was from a traveling circus...and the the pictures of the Hammers make it seem evn more like that period. And when the music starts, you really feel like that period! It's timeless and ancient at the same time!I think of Todd browning's movie"Freaks" when I listen to this cd, even though neither have anything in common other that the period feel. It kind of also makes you think of the old time tent revivals in the hot south with the wagons and humidity, and the women and men in ther Victorian style clothing.This is a remarkable acheivment musically, and a must for all Gothic fans everywhere!

i have come to believe that anything lisa and eric hammer come in contact with will turn forth music possibly too beautiful for the human ear. not only this album, but also their work with requiem in white and the order of the NCS, should be part of any good gothic collection.

mors syph doesnt write particularly "catchy" music. rather, it swoops you along for the course of the album, leaving you at the end breathless and awed. feather and fate boasts several gems of note, such as "nostalgia's sea", "my virgin widows", "only a whirlwind" and the final track "how long". lisa's voice shines throughout, floating over the rest of the instruments, almost one of them.

mors syph deserves to be one of the best-loved bands in the goth scene - dont believe it? listen for yourself!

I ordered Mors Syphilitica's Feather & Fate album from Amazon.com and I love it. It was delivered very quickly, and came to me in good quality. As for the cd, it is awesome. Lisa Hammer's voice is truly beautiful and distinct, with the unique style of Eric Hammer's instrumentation, styled a little differently for each song. Each song has a different vibe to it, bringing variety into this album, so that every song is beautiful in it's own way. Once I recieved this album, I could not stop listening to it. This is a must-have for anyone who likes "gothic" music and has an appreciation for talent like no other.

Update 9/14/10:

I have listened to this CD probably at least 100 times now, and it gets better every time. The instrumentation is so beautifully constructed, with a sound that reminds me of The Cure but is it's own. The instrumentation is also sometimes folk-ish. Lisa Hammer's voice is "hauntingly beautiful". I read that description somewhere and thought it was very fitting. This album has a lot to offer, and I highly recommend it.

I love love love female fronted goth bands so much. Even better if their voice is operatic. Lisa Hammer's voice is the perfect example in what I look for when searching out new bands. Her voice is simply beautiful. Mors Syphilitica is hands down my favorite goth band ever. It's so sad to see that their music is becoming hard to find. I'm glad Feather & Fate is still available though, or relatively easier to find than Primrose. Every song on this cd is great and I'm not just saying that. You know how a lot of goth cd's have filler to make it seem you have a full length album? Feather & Fate is not one of those albums. Every song makes you want to hear it over & over.

If I could rate this cd with ten stars I would. That's how great it is. If you're new to this band, you won't be disappointed and if you can find Primrose, get that too. I really wish Mors Syphilitica would get back together and put out another cd. Please!!!!

I absolutely adore Mors Syphilitica...I had really high expectations of Feather and Fate because of their previous album, Primrose, and I was frankly astounded that they lived up to my expectations. I gave both albums 5 stars...and would give Primrose more if it were possible.

This band has been around for a while...and I rank Mors Syphilitica along with Faith and the Muse and the Cruxshadows to be my absolute fave contemporary Goth bands.

I was really expecting this CD to be much better. I had heard Virgin Widows and really loved it, but the rest of the album is mostly a let down. I would say overall there are only 3 descent songs, and the rest is mediocre at best. There seems to be a strange lack of genuine energy and passion, and the production is very, very poor. Maybe this is because the label didn't have the money to spend or maybe the band does their own recording in a bedroom closet? They really need help with the mixing...the vocals get so muddy and forced sometimes. I know there is lovely music in here, but the production just doesn't bring it out. That would be fine for low-fi indie rock, but this sort of "beauty" music really begs for a richer, fuller sound. After all the wonderful reviews I was really shocked and disappointed...wish I could get my money back. Oh well. Live and learn.