User Profile

I've been a fan DCD since 1985. This album does carry on their "tradition" and style of evoking several emotions one wouldn't usually encounter blended together in music, such as joy and ominousness. They've continued here to bring inspirations and influences from Eastern Europe, Greece, Africa, India, and the Middle East. In part to lower the cost of production and studio time, Brendan Perry said that they've really gotten into sampling instruments a lot. While I would very much prefer the sound of the real thing, I have to admit that here I sometimes can't tell if it's real or a sample, so accurate the technology has become.
Apart from it's disappointing brevity, another strange thing about this release is Lisa Gerrard's voice being relegated mostly to the background textures. Seldom is she singing up-front at all, and when she is her voice is processed electronically to some desired effect...which is fine, they've always done that at times, but where are the performances in the foreground and simply direct-to-microphone as on Spiritchaser and Into the Labyrinth? Her (straightforward) vocals are always stunning, and I miss them here.
All in all however, this is a worthy release to add to anyone's DCD collection.