CD Info

2012
Danse Macabre

10 Tracks 

English Lyrics

OK, I admit it, I like Polish music, all of it. And this band has been on my radar for a long time although this is the first "complete" review I’ve done of the band. But I have their stuff, been listening to it for a while. This, however, is new material and it captures some of the new directions Polish music has headed towards recently, and does it with style. No traditional Gothic here, this music is aimed at the dance floor. Industrial, yea, contemporary boogie till ya puke, absolutely. If you can sit still for this stuff, your mortician just ain’t paying attention. I mean, I’m having trouble sitting still long enough to write the review. This is what we want when we go out on the town; this is the sound that moves us at the Dance Halls on the Beach; Miami Beach, Daytona Beach, Clearwater Beach, and all the Beaches in LA. And, I suspect, the many beaches throughout Europe. This is what the hippest locations use to get us moving, this is what brings them out in droves, the hottest ladies, the coolest dudes, the guys and lasses who cut a rug with talent.

For the most part I gravitate towards the darkness. I tend towards the sounds that reveal the hopelessness of existence. I revel in the existential, the music that speaks towards the pain of existence. But, I do go out, I even drink with the boys and I have been known to direct a lady to the dance floor where my moves have been documented on SportsCenter. . .well, that might be an exaggeration. But, I do love to Twist and Shout when the occasion calls for it and this is the kind of music I want when those times occur. The rap doesn’t cut it, the boy bands give me a headache. But this material can bring out the best in a certified dance floor mechanic. There’s the requisite pounding sound from the drums and the bass. But the music doesn’t just adjust to this direction, it builds on it. Of course, there’s a keyboard thing, there’s the crunching femme vocal. But, all of it is tied together to produce a pulsating sound that drives the heartbeat to a higher level. If we could bottle this stuff we’d put the Columbian drug lords out of business.

Now a little of the history of the band might better put things in perspective. I mean, after all, this was once one of the premier Polish Gothic sounds around, and for a fairly long time. The band has been around since 1996 and have gone through a number of vocalists. The current one is Agnieszka Lesna and she does the current musical approach with a blend of musical styles. You’ll hear a range of sounds including elements of Industrial, EBM, Metal and Goth. They call it "dark alternative" and I guess that works. But the previous Desdemona sound was Dark Gothic and the bands interest in moving away from that direction led directly to the departure of the previous vocalist, Agata Pawłowicz. I have mixed feelings about that since I always appreciated the Gothic sound that was once the signature component of Desdemona music. But, life goes on, and I do like this as well. And the lyrics continue to take us to some relatively dark places, they just do it with a little different beat, with that electronic undercurrent that makes this music work in the dark dance halls, where the lights are flashing and the girls are doing things they might not do in a more traditional environment. And trust me, at 3AM, when that light starts to move at the same speed as the bass, this music will work like nothing else in the world. You know the Dark Prince is present and he’s boogieing just like everyone else.

The band has a long history of delivering in live venues. They’ve done the Dark Stars Festival with other big name Polish acts like MOONLIGHT, DELIGHT, ARTROSIS and FADING COLORS. They’ve opened on several tours for Type O Negative. They’ve done the Castle Party Festival, one of the biggest in Northern Europe. The big question is why they’ve not gotten the exposure in some parts of Western Europe and the US, the music sure doesn’t deviate much from sounds that are largely accepted in those locals. Of course, one explanation might be that Polish bands generally work in Polish, as do their supporting administrations. Well, this release is in English, as is usually the case with Western European acts. Personally, that doesn’t mean much to me but I can understand the marketing implications. So, don’t be surprised to see this material surface at a dark venue near you, it should fit right in.

I don’t have a lot of video to point to. This one is about it, and all it does is introduce things, but you get to hear a little. The music does go in electronic directions, but there is the occasional raging guitar work, just to let you know that we’re still in Europe. And one of the additional strengths is the capability of our Polish lady of Song to adjust her delivery to the particulars of the material she’s working with. She can go from a menacing sound, like in Desdream where we get a “close to” Gothic rendition, to a more harsh delivery, almost approaching Rammstein territory, but with a more melodic focus. But, you get the same dance floor tendencies either way.

The CD begins with Bring In All, and right off the bat we get a full blast of strange electronics that provide a roadmap to the material that follows. The dance hall beat isn’t far behind, nor are the vocals that will guide our journey. To be honest, I really don’t understand how they make all these sounds, probably keyboard based at first but what happens after that would require a “signature in blood” promise to the electronics guys. But, it’s cool, the beat is masterful, and the electro atmosphere is more than enticing, even for a sworn to the Goth type like me. We go with darker hues with the second selection Desdream which is one of those that provides that signature dark independent sound that tends to label the work. The beat is a little less pronounced, we get a more direct vocal that holds the emotion over a less radical electro chord.

Poison takes us back to more of the heavy electro stuff, but again we move closer to the darkness, here with the lyrics:

Try to find me / Try to bind me / I can take away your pain
I can please you night and day
Make your sorrow nice and bright
If you taste me, you better die

Definitely one of the highlights. I don’t recall a message like this being presented in anything approaching this type of musical vehicle.

Devil’s Game has some similarities but with a heavier keyboard based electronic sound. Here the vocals are a bit more playful, but placed against a very different background sound. It’s really amazing what you can do with this electronic stuff, and it’s even more amazing how you can position it against a trained vocal line that understands how to enhance that background material. The lyrics again take a dark direction, but they do it with that more playful delivery:

His every word is revolution
His every whisper fills my head
His every scream is the mind’s pollution
What he wants, he always gets

In Flames has the darkest musical presentation, it truly explores the darker side of the dance hall experience. Think of it as Blackthorn with a light show and an electronic side component, and no witches, of course.

The final two tracks are also highlights. Euphoria presents a catchy melody over a throbbing electronic background, Euphoria indeed. And the final track, XXX, puts an exclamation point on the CD with a pounding musical tour de force of everything the band has offered previously, but with a more abstract interpretation to the concept. You leave this one wondering where the bar is, it’s clearly time to fuel up.

Certainly there is evolution of sorts to the Polish music scene. We haven’t completely left the Gothic realms; we just took a side venture to the dance floor. But the music maintains its customary excellence; the vocals are strong as ever. Polish music is alive and well, and I need a break. But, I think you’ll find it music to work with, dancing never sounded better.

9.5 / 10

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