Duran Duran
Danse Macabre

The embryonic idea for this album was conceived years ago but only materialized last year at the Theatre at the Wynn Las Vegas, in light of the success achieved at the end of the concerts held in the American city, with the band members bizarrely masked for the imminent Halloween. The event's lineup included covers from the past and other artists whose common denominator could somehow be attributed to the Celtic-origin festival.

The prolificity two years exactly after the release of the last and successful Future Past is astonishing; it should be noted that they are well over 60 years old, and the fire that fuels their art is far from extinguished, much to the delight of fanzines around the world.

The weak moments are represented by their Love Voudou (miracles can't happen if the original is bad, without ifs or buts), Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones that sounds like a karaoke absentmindedly sung in Manila or Seoul, and the pretentious and not entirely successful Bury A Friend by Billie Eilish.

The opening is entrusted to the spectral cover of Nightboat, a classic Duran Duran from 1981 where the inspired Nick Rhodes with his synths skillfully draws dreamlike patterns. The first new track emerges from the synergy with Nile Rodgers, so expectations are high but partially unmet because Black Moonlight, which is a cheerfully funky piece, is sparse in arrangements and production compared to other works composed together with the co-founder guitarist of Chic. Danse Macabre continues the trend of the last two decades of title tracks distant from their melodies (except for All You Need Is Now, a worldwide hit that titled the 2010 album). The interesting and Arabic-sounding Ghost Town by The Specials, while Spellbound symbolizes a cathartic moment in the perhaps darkest period of the great Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The Birmingham quartet rarely releases albums without noteworthy songs, and Danse Macabre does not shy away from this happy custom: the cover of the Talking Heads Psyko Killer possesses a majestic bass and drum progression; Secret Oktober 31st was a pleasant b/side from 1983, and this version, arranged and sung masterfully, becomes even more engaging and elegant; Supernature by Cerrone, a late '70s disco hit, is best listened to while seated because it radiates energy from every note; the fusion between the wonderful Last Chance On The Stairway (one of Duran Duran's most representative tracks of the '80s new wave - 2 minutes and 34 seconds of splendid music) and Super Freak by Ricky James creates Super Lonely Freak a truly surprising song that would have deserved to close beautifully instead of the “sad” and whiny new track Confession In The Afterlife.

Those who know their discography thoroughly will probably wonder why they reimagined Love Voudou instead of more valuable songs like Shadows On Your Side or Come Undone or Vertigo, or others in their artistic portfolio in whose title something dark and gloomy related to Halloween is represented.

The great ex-member Andy Taylor was reabsorbed on this occasion; his longtime friend Simon Le Bon, in light of his precarious health conditions, traveled directly to Ibiza last spring, where the "old" fifth member resides, to record the parts concerning his guitar. Two other famous musicians present are Victoria De Angelis, who can be heard on the electronic bass in Psyko Killer, and the co-author of Ordinary World and many other successful songs, Warren Cuccurullo, also an ex-member of the band, unfortunately relegated to the guitar in Love Voudou.

Ultimately, an album that flows pleasantly and is listened to with interest, well-played, arranged with meticulous details, sung with professionalism, and with a cover suitable for the title, directly provided from Nick Rhodes' private photographic collection. Indeed, John and Nick, lanky blond teenage boys from Birmingham, dreamed of founding a globally successful band when they attended Mick Ronson and Japan concerts in smoke-filled theaters in London at the end of the '70s; they have indeed come a long way.