REVIEW: FLOODLAND - THE NOW AND HERE IS NEVER

 

FLOODLAND - THE NOW AND HERE IS NEVER (Serpent Qui Danse, 1998)

Produced by michael Strasser and Axel Rob

Recorded at Future Sound Studios, Vienna

Photos by Gerald Zugmann

Tracks: 1- The Now and Here is never, 2- War In My Head, 3- Digital Heaven, 4- Sister of Mercy, 5- Talking To My Radio, 6- Trust, believe and Die, 7-Shepherd Death, 8- marionette, 9- The Plague, 10- Black Rain, 11- Neon Dreams, 12- Too Late, 13- Behind the Unicorn

This is the prelude of what Floodland was going to achieve in their new release, "Ocean of the Lost". There are three years between that album and this one and the band got better in that time sounding tighter and doing more intrincate arrangements. The music here is again very dark with an emphasis on vocal arrangements, guitar melodies and keyboards that help the music to be as climatic as the band wants. It is interesting the way in which the vocals are harmonized in some tracks like "Shepherd Death" where you can listen to a deeper vocal in the background while the main vocal is completely in the middle range. The palms here go to the guitarist, Burnhard Wieser, who is the risponsible of many of the moods contained in this recording through his constant change between clean and distorted guitar. A classic. Favorite tracks: "Trust, Believe and Die", "The Plague" and "Neon Dreams". Contact: www.floodland.org