Fields Of The Nephilim
Dawnrazor

Debut album for Carl Mc Coy's combo. We are in 1987. Elements, not even too veiled, that recall the sound material contained in the EPs "Burning The Fields" and "Returning To Gehenna." However, to all of this, we must add some hard rock 'n' roll Mothoread-style, powerful vocals and notes that owe much to the Sisters of Mercy. No less interesting are the Morricone-like elements (which made these cowboys' fortune) and a distinctly psychedelic imprint.

The founding fathers of gothic metal? Too simple and hasty to answer this question affirmatively! Mc Coy's beastly vocals, at some points, do resemble certain grunts very common in extreme metal, but the music, in particular, is still distant from certain riffs and distortions. Even the solos, very few to be honest, are quite different from those of various "heavy" bands of the time. Certainly, without them, various Moonspell, Tiamat, and Paradise Lost would be somewhat different from how they, for better or worse, expressed and presented themselves during the tumultuous '90s.

If the Sisters Of Mercy were still treading gothic and "wave" grounds, ours, with style and personality, were seeking a point of conjunction between darkness and "hard" music.

As if that weren't enough, Mc Coy & company loved (and still love!) to narrate morbid and disturbing stories. A strong interest in Aleister Crowley's thought, in esotericism, and in now forgotten cults. Unusual and brilliant guys! I write this despite the current disinterest I hold for the project in question. Unfortunately, one cannot be eternally faithful to all bands!

The songs that stand out the most on this release are the epic "Slow Kill", the angry "Preacher Man", the haunting and sleepwalking "Volcane (Mr. Jealousy Has Returned)", the long and captivating "Vet for the insane", the rock 'n' roll of "Reanimator", and the macabre slowness of the title track.

Even "Laura II" isn't bad at all! But, until proven otherwise, I prefer the version contained in the debut EP.

An excellent debut followed, in my opinion, by a fluctuating second chapter. The first phase of the group, which reformed a few years ago, concludes with an excellent epitaph. I am talking about the extraordinary and magical "Elizium." But others have already described it.

It may not be a revolutionary group, but it's certainly a group that knows how to entertain and transport listeners... into darkness and mystery!