I used to DJ a few goth clubs back in the day, most of them had a strict “No Metal” policy, so it was always fun to see what I could get away with on the playlists in the midst of all the drama and darkness.
I wonder if I could’ve played this lot?
The Black Capes, from Greece, set to “bring gothic back in style”.
Musically, think retro occult rock with generous sprinklings of Type O Negative and The Birthday Massacre, but not quite as heavy as those bands, and thankfully not pushing the tired Misfits horror-punk angle that became so boring at the tail-end of my goth DJ “career”.
The debut album ‘All These Monsters’ is a rocking and catchy affair that hits all the right spots in its user friendly 35 minutes.
Frontman Alexander S Wamp’s rich bass-baritone is certainly gonna bring in the Peter Steele comparisons, but this is more upbeat and less confrontational. But like Steele, Alex can unearth some incredibly infectious hooks, with the confidence of the delivery making up for any moments of lyrical cheese.
Bookended by spooky keyboard-backed soundbites, (that I’ve yet to identify), this record serves up some real tasty morsals.
The occult/doomy stylings of ‘Sarah The Witch’, the chugging lycanthropic spell of ‘Wolfchild’, and the Cult-ish swagger of ‘Purple Heart’ (featuring a monstrous chorus to die for) set the tone brilliantly. Then we are into full-on Sisters Of Mercy territory with ‘Now Rise’ (yet another killer chorus), and ‘Black Capes’ introduces some nifty Duane Eddy trem guitar into its thundering biker rock, then with some sparkly keys and tangy bass it’s not long until we hit the utterly irresistible title track. Catchy, exciting, and like the rest of the album, produced to lively perfection.
Clad in striking design, ‘All These Monsters’ is a great gothic-hued rock album that should hopefully see The Black Capes taking flight and getting loads of attention from open-minded DJ’s of darkness.
(8/10 Stuart Carroll)
Leave a Reply