Beyond Metal: Dead Can Dance

 

SWITCH TO PL

This week, we continue our journeys beyond the world of Metal... 

Oh, how I hate writing about the obvious... The things that everyone knows, and everyone appreciates. But at the same time, thanks to them, my readership is gradually increasing... Oh well... Time to roll up my sleeves and get back to work. 

It's very easy to be a fan of Dead Can Dance's first album. And yes, it's their only work I own, but that doesn't mean it's the only one worth owning. Although this week wasn't supposed to be about Metal, we can't avoid the topic, because this band was introduced to me not only by... Metalheads themselves, but also by a lot of Death and Thrash metal bands from the '90s, either through interviews or in the acknowledgements in album's booklets. There are some non-Metal artists (David Bowie?) that everyone seems to like. So I had to satisfy my curiosity... 

Strangely enough, my first contact with their work was their video (promoting their debut nonetheless) for "Frontier", which I saw one summer night on MTV (yeah, I'm such a music-loving maniac): 

It was incredibly surrealistic and almost dehumanized.

So, although the debut is quite iconic, their music truly became more interesting starting with their fourth album, "The Serpent's Egg" (1988) - the title likely taken from Bergman's film. Afterwards, they increasingly ventured into faraway regions. Their music is always characterized by a considerable amount of mystery and darkness, along with its sad, and moving sound. Of course, many people will probably find it boring and pompous, but oh well, I want to believe that everyone will give them at least a chance, because they're worth it.