Published on Jan 10, 2006
Mephisto Walz, though never widely popular, has been
making records since 1985. This band (consisting of vocalist
Christianna and multi-instrumentalist Bari Galvin), in spite of its
long presence in the music scene, has never broken out of the
gothic circle into the commercial realms of alternative music.
Judging from the duo’s latest effort Insidious, it would be fair to
say that it is high time that this duo found some decent
recognition.
The band started off in the 80’s as a goth-rock band;
there is not much change in the band’s sound, even 20 years later.
Insidious is an out-and-out goth-rock effort, and the sound brings
back the memory of good old gothic rockers like Sisters Of Mercy,
goth-punks like Siouxie And The Banshees, or goth-tinged punk-pop
rockers like Billy Idol.
In addition to the brooding sound and elusive lyrics
ridden with healthy doses of dolefulness, Insidious acquires
elements from other forms of dark 80’s alternative music that are
almost forgotten these days. The straightforward expression of
affliction in gothic music is blended with Galvin’s fuzzy guitar
hooks, which are very shoegazer, a form of music that was equally
moody as gothic, only more ambiguous. The gothic melancholy is
further ameliorated by Christianna’s beautifully ethereal vocals
that can be as angelic as Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser or as
remorseful as her “electronic-rock” counterpart, Curve’s Toni
Halliday. Either way, Christianna’s vocals add a charm of
mysteriousness and prettiness to the music.
Insidious‘s dated sound might not appeal to
the new generation of goth-rockers who prefer a more audacious and
arrogant avatar of gothic music, in the style of Marylin Manson or
Nine Inch Nails. However, this record could be an apt introduction
to a subtler form of goth-rock that has long been forgotten, and to
a great band that has a uniquely retro sound for the present
time.
[For more information on Mephisto Walz, visit
www.mephistowalz.com]