Published on Oct 11, 2002
It’s amazing what a major difference a few seemingly minor
adjustments can make. After a competent, but unspectacular debut
album, seminal goth rockers Sisters Of Mercy returned in 1987 with
Floodland, a landmark goth album. Anyone looking to get into
the genre, or at least learn more about its early masterpieces,
might as well start right here.
Strong melodies permeate the densely layered tracks, and each
song holds its own this time around. They got legendary songwriter
Jim Steinman to produce and co-write two of these tracks, and the
results are typically dazzling, if you’re into extremely overblown
marriages of pop and classical the way I am.
Yeah, he’s the guy responsible for making Meat Loaf a huge star,
and while his completely over-the-top trademark bombast is kept in
check somewhat comparatively here, it can’t just be a coincidence
that he happened to produce the two best songs. He added a couple
of very memorable pop hooks, combined with dense arrangements,
without really changing the sound of the band. Not only are the
melodies infectuous, but the music itself is far more diverse now,
which was the problem with the debut. It’s a touch heavier, and
everything from the playing to the vocals sounds much more
energetic…where the first album was sombre and quiet, this one is
often powerful and dramatic…if
First And Last And Always (the 1985 debut) could be seen as
a sort of companion to the Cure’s minimalist masterpiece
Pornography, then this one would be a parallel to the Cure’s
Disintegration, except this one came out first, so perhaps
the influence went the other way.
And dare I say it, but in a few little places,
Floodland almost sounds…upbeat! NO! That’s not goth!!! But
just listen to some of these huge choruses, complete with layered,
overdubbed vocals, fluid, imaginative guitar riffs, danceable
beats, and operatic choirs, without ever losing that slightly dark
edge, thanks mainly to lead singer Andrew Eldritch’s stunted,
forboding bartione.
How about the anthemic first track, “Dominion/Mother Russia”,
with great use of female backing vocals and neo-baroque melodicism?
And check out the brilliant use of a full operatic choir on the
11-minute epic, “This Corrosion”. Or the piano ballad “1959” where
Eldritch reaches the point of nonsensical mumbling! What about the
excellent, up-tempo “Lucretia My Reflection” which irresistably
beckons one to the dance floor to shake that pvc clad ass like a
mummy in the catacombs ?? The genius of it all is how the album
contains poppy hooks without sounding commericial, and lyrically
it’s even darker and more sinister than before, so now you can slit
your wrists with a smile!
Overall, it’s still a hell of a forboding, moody piece though. I
don’t recommend that you listen to it alone and in the dark.
Haunting melodies, ghostly wails, mysterious keyboards, and
Eldritch’s low, emotionless singing adorn the proceedings and make
certain that all remains shrouded in black. There are points in the
album when I feel that blood is about to start slowly oozing out of
the speakers…either that or pitch black tar. Nah, that would be
more like Black Sabbath, so let’s stick with blood!
Despite the much improved songwriting, melodies, and production,
(again compared to the debut album) there’s really no excuse for
the songs to be so damn long. Out of ten songs, six of them are
well over six minutes in length, with “This Corrosion” clocking in
at an insane 11 minutes, for which they obviously felt like they
had stumbled upon a chorus melody that’s so catchy that you would
want to hear it about 87 times. I mean, sure Steinman brought some
much needed life into this band, but c’mon! A bit of editing would
have made the record that much stronger.
A minor additional fault of
Floodland is that while during the first half the intensity
builds up really well, it reaches the peak with “This Corrosion”,
which is the midway point, and the second half is considerably less
energetic. The remaining songs aren’t bad by any means, but they
are all slow, very very darkly sombre excursions of heavily
synthesized ambient keyboards. The album suffers from un-even flow
in other words, but it’s not a huge flaw.
Some could complain about the cold, heartless drumming (via drum
machine again), but for the type of atmosphere the Sisters Of Mercy
create, it’s totally appropriate. Personally, I think it’s kinda
nifty how each smash of the simulated snare drum sounds like blood
splattering on the walls!
All in all, a reasonably diverse album that nevertheless remains
a defining moment in 1980’s goth rock, and exerted a huge influence
on all the brooding art pop that has come our way in the 15 years
since its release.