DEAD CAN DANCE: Anastasis...

   Dead Can Dance are back! It took them almost 16 years, but the super duo Brendan Perry/ Lisa Gerrard are back together, with a new album and a new world tour!

The new album’s name is “Anastasis” is a Greek word,  (means resurrection), and it was released a few days ago.

   Here I would like to open a-rather big-parenthesis to write a few things first, in order for you  to understand better what I’m going to write afterwards about this album…

[I am a fan of DCD since 1988, and I was lucky enough to watch them live through “Aion” and “Into the Labyrinth” tours. I’m also fan mostly of their first ‘Medieval/dark’ period and not so much of the second more ‘ethnic’ one.  My main problem was that I love almost every song that Lisa Gerrard sings, and very few that Brendan Perry sings, which I find kind of boring. I always wondered why they didn’t try to sing together in a few songs instead of separating the songs of each record in that way. In their last album (before they disbanded) in 1996, they did that and it was great! They were singing together in most songs. Well, unfortunately that lasted only for that record as it seems…  Because in this brand new album each one sings his/her own songs again. (With the exception of the song “Return of the she-King” that they are singing together.]

   Now, let’s take a look at the new album. “Anastasis” continues in the ‘ethnic’ style of “Spiritchaser” (1996), but in a lighter way. Not so many African rhythms, but more Oriental I could say.

But the problem is that the whole record is very low beat and monotonous. The songs lack the usage of percussions which elevated the spirit of the rhythm and gave the style somewhat of a upbeat tempo in their previous albums. But it doesn’t end there. The lowbeat and monotonous style of the album it has effected the way they sing.  Br.Perry’s voice is deep and depressive. Ok it has always been like this, so not so many changes there. But Lisa Gerrard’s way of singing is very different here.  Most of the times she just mumbles and murmurs the lyrics and notes of each song, without any display on her part to the degree of the strength of her voice, something which DCD fans were used to.

   I listened to the record 3 times before sitting down and writing this, and I’m very sorry to say that I can’t make any comparison with their old records. It gives me absolutely no pleasure to admit that, because I was waiting this record’s release most impatiently!

I will not say that is a bad record because it isn’t! But it’s nothing special either.
Maybe I had great expectations for it, I don't know...

   For sure many people will like it, maybe some will adore it! But I’m not one of them I’m afraid.

For the ones that grew up (like I did) worshiping records such as: “The Serpent’s Egg”, “Aion”, “Within the realms of a Dying Sun” etc, this record I’m afraid has nothing new or exciting to offer.
    Now, for all those that are not Greek I will explain a few unknown words you surely have here…

As I wrote before, the name Anastasis means Ressurection.

The second song’s name is ‘Anabasis’. Again a Greek word here which means ‘going up’ (a hill or a mountain).  But I’m pretty sure that it refers to the ancient Greek historian/philosopher Xenophon, whose most famous book was   Anabasis .

Third song’s  name ‘Agape’ means 'love' in Greek, and fourth song’s name ‘Amnesia’, well, I guess you all know what that means… :P
   In the following videos you can listen to the songs 'Kiko' and 'Agape', two of the best songs in this album...