Xymox
Twist Of Shadows

THE REVIEW

During what was defined as the technopop period of the Clan of Xymox, the Dutch group, in addition to simply calling themselves "Xymox," released the most successful album of their career, namely "Twist of Shadows," thanks also to the shift from Ivo Watts' 4AD to the major label Polygram.

The album's main merit was its ability to break into the U.S. market, where it sold three hundred thousand copies and where Xymox can still count on a substantial core group of fans who consistently follow them.

In an interview read online, which you can easily find, Ronny Moorings, the band's founding singer, has heavily disowned the album, judging it too commercial and not reflective of the true spirit of him and his musical creation.

If I were in his place, I wouldn't be so categorical, given the success of the album, which made them known beyond the borders of the old continent.

"Twist of Shadows" is, in fact, a good album, even though heavily influenced by the 80s synth-pop that was prevalent in those years, but fortunately free of those plasticky sonic excesses so fashionable at the time.

In short, Ronny's statement seems to me yet another attempt to appear pure and hard to please the most traditionalist fans who don't forgive any commercial turn.

Indeed, after some time and a noticeable drop in sales of the following album "Phoenix," they returned to the old name "Clan of Xymox," to more distinctly electrogoth sounds, and the inclusion of the guitar in what is still today their traditional musical style.

The most representative and notable songs are also the melodic and danceable singles from Twist of Shadows, namely "Evelyn," another song with a female name title, a constant in the Clan of Xymox's discography, "Obsession," whose clip was even played by MTV, "Imagination," perhaps their most commercial song ever, in which they were even compared to Spandau Ballet, and the Depeche Mode-esque "Blind Hearts."

Negligible, instead, are the slower and darker episodes, too formulaic, with the exception of the instrumental and concluding "Clementina."

In short, all things considered, Clan Of Xymox did well to abandon synthpop for the current electrogoth, but "Twist of Shadows" nonetheless represents an important step in the band's career, which deserves your listening attention.