Subterfuge

ANOTHER GIFT FROM GOTH – 90’s Gothic Rock

STROB036

17. June 2011

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Double-CD featuring 34 Bands,
24 page full colour booklet with countless pics
and prefaces by Mick Mercer, Thomas Thyssen and yours truly.

GOTHIC ROCK, people!

90’s Goth – the genre – is what is being both presented and celebrated here. A type of music that has always had it tough, even in its own times, so to speak, namely the 1990’s (who would have guessed?). Reproaches of being hopelessly derivative, uninspired, and simply boring have been directed at 90’s Goth bands without end, even within the „scene“. While maybe true with some acts, we feel that a whole lot of exciting bands have emerged in the aftermath of the heyday of 80’s Gothic Rock, a phenomenon perhaps most helpfully presented in MICK MERCER’s groundbreaking „GOTHIC ROCK BLACK BOOK“ with in-depth features of THE SISTERS OF MERCY, THE MISSION, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, THE CULT, and ALL ABOUT EVE. And since we are fairly fond of this genre we decided to continue our STROBELIGHT ESSENTIALS series with a compilation on 90’s Gothic Rock, co-compiled by the great THOMAS THYSSEN.

ANOTHER GIFT FROM GOTH features loads of fantastic music, ranging from well known protagonists such as ROSETTA STONE, NOSFERATU, THE WAKE, LOVE LIKE BLOOD and many others to rare gems such as „Rebirth“ by the unfortunately short-lived Scottish 110%-Goths SERAPHIN TWIN, (first time EVER released here), „Another Track“ by Belgium’s CASUAL SANITY or „Bleed For Me“ by Swedish cowboy hat rockers THE PREACHERS OF NEVERLAND (both first time on CD). With a variety of songs ranging from ASYLUM’s rrrock torpedo „Siren Prey“ to vocally brighter areas of DIE LAUGHING’s „Malediction“, from fragile evergreens such as SUSPIRIA’s „Allegedly, Dancefloor Tragedy“ to the progressive power chord anthem „Pleasure Death“ by Germany’s DRONNING MAUD LAND, from the psychedelic seriousness in GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG’s „Fears Behind The Mask Of Unfold Mystery“ to the just seemingly lighter glory of CHILDREN ON STUN’s classic „When Lovers Die“, we fail to see how this genre can be regarded as uninspired or „always sounding the same“.

But there’s not just the music (even though that’s clearly the most important thing). We also wanted to show how these songs were embedded in their subcultural niche. ANOTHER GIFT FROM GOTH tries to give an overview of the scene as a whole, therefore the booklet features pics of every band along with the covers of the record that the song was actually released on, as well as a vast amount of flyers, gig set lists, zines, buttons, and other memorabilia of the time. Not to forget the two texts introducing the compilation.

Of course, even though it’s a double CD (as opposed to its predecessor KALIFFORNIAN DEATHROCK), there are still many bands that had to be excluded from ANOTHER GIFT FROM GOTH. We’re sure quite a bunch of you people will protest that bands X and Y are not part of such a compilation that claims to be at least rudimentarily balanced or „objective“. True, true, but that’s the result of a multiple compromise that we come up with. We had to include our personal favourites (and we’re not ashamed) as well as bands from as many countries as possible and also bands that were relevant regardless of what we personally thought of them – and all that under the constraints of the capacity of a double CD. If you’re not happy with the result, well, then please release a compilation of your own. This is not meant to sound cocky at all, mind you. As Oskar Werner once said, it’s better to fight a book with a book written against that book than to ban or destroy that first book, since you’d have two books in the former case as opposed to no book at all in the latter. Another compilation on 90’s Goth? Well, terrific!

All in all we hope you’ll enjoy this compilation of 90’s Gothic Rock, „Trad Goth„, or „Brit-Goth“ as it’s not entirely unhelpfully called sometimes (for example when pestering a DJ who’s replying „… but I’ve just played your Marilyn Manson, dude!“) – even though everybody knows that despite its origin and the big amount of acts hailing from Britain there are many bands from all around the world playing 90’s Goth – THE STYLE, the genre – and as such noone’s bound to either a certain decade or a certain territory. But enough of that: there’s great 90’s Goth, and you’ll find loads of it in here. Happy apple picking!

CD1:
1. ROSETTA STONE – Something Strange
2. THE WAKE – Sheet Metal Eyes
3. NOSFERATU – Darkness Brings
4. LOVE LIKE BLOOD – Walking In Demimondes
5. COMPLICITY – Playing God
6. DRONNING MAUD LAND – Pleasure Death
7. SERAPHIN TWIN – Rebirth
8. DREAM DISCIPLES – Eternal
9. STILL PATIENT? – Bad Dreams
10. THIS BURNING EFFIGY – Affliction
11. RETURN TO KHAF’JI – Today
12. CASUAL SANITY – Another Track
13. THE HOUSE OF USHER – Wrecked In Faith
14. BURNING GATES – Il Regno Del Vento
15. GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG – Fears Behind The Mask Of Unfold Mystery
16. KISS THE BLADE – King
17. ASYLUM – Siren Prey

CD2:
1. SECRET DISCOVERY – Friday 13th
2. VENDEMMIAN – Only As Far As The Burning Grounds
3. FUNHOUSE – Forever True
4. THE LAST DANCE – This Tragedy
5. DIE LAUGHING – Malediction
6. CHILDREN ON STUN – When Lovers Die
7. IKON – For Eternity
8. THE MERRY THOUGHTS – Dreamland
9. SUSPIRIA – Allegedly, Dancefloor Tragedy
10. THE MORENDOES – Sackloth And Ashes
11. SUBTERFUGE – Darkland Awakening
12. PASSION PLAY – Down To You
13. REMEMBRANCE – Your Sex, My Agony
14. CORPUS DELICTI – Patient
15. THE PREACHERS OF NEVERLAND – Bleed For Me
16. TWO WITCHES – Burn The Witch
17. INCUBUS SUCCUBUS – Catherine