Entry 288 - Dead Can Dance - The Serpents Egg

 

Oh man I have missed listening to these guys. There is no other musical project that is quite like this. Each of their albums has such a unique sound and instrumentation. The Serpent's Egg is likely my favorite from the band (outside of Towards the Within which may be one of the best live albums ever).

It's actually rather entertaining how I came across these guys. I was listening to a Paul Oakenfold mix and Host of the Seraphim was used as the opener. I looked up the source material and bam I was instantly a fan of Dead Can Dance.

The Serpents Egg sounds like it was performed in a Church or holy venue. Not only does it have that cathedral type sound, but the atmosphere, the ambiance, the instruments, everything... it just reeks of a religious recording. Most of the lyrics are in other languages so I'm not sure what they are saying, but my goodness do I love how they are saying it.

Lisa's voice in particular is the very definition of haunting. Brendan's voice is the yin to her yang. Where she is haunting, he is grounded. Where she is ethereal, he is stout. The contrast works incredibly well, and they utilize both vocal styles to the utmost of their ability.

This album is one of the very best within my collection. It is short, and as such often spends a lot of time on the turntable as I keep wanting to re-listen. This particular time around its been playing for six hours straight.