There doesn’t seem to be any definitive answer regarding what happened to Jex Thoth who have been mysteriously silent now for a decade. Vanishing Kids who have been active for six albums have two ex-members of the band in their ranks now. Newly recruited drummer Nick Johnson joins former companion and guitarist Jason Hartman completing the current line-up along with vocalist, organ and keyboard player Nikki Drohomyreky and bassist Jerry Sofran. If you were not aware of past affiliations or previous albums by this band you may take one look at the somewhat ghastly album cover and title and be of the mind that this could well be the Halloween themed album of the year. However, this is not exactly the horror-show one may have anticipated and is a fragrant affair best described as dream-doom psychedelia heavily rooted in the sound of the 70’s.
We are still just about in that time period where we are seeing albums presented to us which were conceived in the downtime and solitude of Covid so it’s hardly surprising that themes look upon the “deep celebration of life, death, love & loss.” We are greeted by rich harmonies, dulcet vocals, retro keyboards, string orchestrations and some indulgent guitar soloing as Vanishing Kids ‘Spill The Dark’ and despite an underlying sombreness there is a heartfelt and warm feeling of grace found beneath the surface here. Vocally the gap between bands such as Coven and Curve are bridged, blended with a proto-metal bounce and rhythm on ‘Only You’ and some cheeky up and down the scales guitar flourishes which are guaranteed to keep the listener on their toes. The organ pipes up and we move behind the velvet curtain on ‘Demon Glove’ which is seeped with atmosphere resembling a service of remembrance complete with soulful vocals ushering the departed beyond the mortal veil. Luckily its very much the aforementioned celebration of life rather than an all-out tearjerker and a song to swoon along with.
Nikki has a sublime and enchanting voice, one that would fit in with a band like The Eden House perfectly and the gothic, synth parts and dream-pop of ‘Feral Angel’ add other components to the musical versatility of the players. Everything leads to ‘Dust’ and it takes over 9-minutes for it to crumble and dissolve into nothingness via spellbinding witchy vocals and a pace moving between smooth mellowness and a care-free frolic.
‘Miracle Of Death’ is an album to richly luxuriate and indulge yourself in and has great crossover appeal for children of the night and beyond. An album for barefoot widdershins around the tombstones.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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