Scarlet's Remains
Scarlet's Remains

THE REVIEW

Scarlet's Remains is the name of a band that, although fairly recent, can already be counted among the pantheon of Californian-style death rock. Formed in 2003 in Los Angeles, from the outset they have aroused vivid interest and sparked hope: the expectation and desire that death rock (as well as gothic rock, in general) is not "Dead And Buried" (Alien Sex Fiend docet), but that it is still possible to admire wonderful examples of it. The initial line-up of the band is already an ensemble of notable and well-known names from the American scene, such as Johann Schumann - the lamented bassist of many goth rock formations (including, notably, Christian Death from the initial Valor period, Shadow Project, and Mephisto Walz), who passed away prematurely at the age of 61 in November 2020 - and Tony Havoc (former drummer of Fear Cult and Vodoo Church), who is credited with forming Scarlet's Remains. In 2004, eveghost (to be written, absolutely, without a capital initial) will also join, as a singer, and Benn Ra (former guitarist of Diva Destruction, Mephisto Walz, and Frank The Baptist), who will replace the outgoing guitarist Brian Elizondo (formerly of Vodoo Church). In 2006, when Johann Schumann will leave the band permanently, Barry Galvin (formerly of Christian Death from the very first Valor period and father of Mephisto Walz) and Marzia Rangel (already cellist and bassist of Lucas Lanthier's dark cabaret project The Deadfly Ensemble, who later participated in Monica Richards' 2006 work "InfraWarrior" and in 2009 in the beautiful album of Faith And The Muse ": Ankoku Butoh :") will join.

The entry of Scarlet's Remains into the Californian death rock scene is disruptive and impactful: in 2005, they release, for the German label Dark Dimensions/Alice in..., the eponymous "Scarlet's Remains," where Barry Galvin (also known as Bari Bari) already appears as producer and sound engineer. With this debut, the band delivers a masterstroke, presenting themselves to the world through an exquisite calling card. The album is, indeed, a sharp and roaring masterpiece in the death rock style, in which the searing voice of eveghost thunders and echoes mercilessly. It begins excellently with "That Was A Lie" and "Far From Paradise," leading to one of the most successful tracks in the entire work, "Metall Heiligenschein." Sung in German, it starts majestically with a high note by eveghost, opening the entrance to a powerful universe with frenzied and pressing atmospheres, overflowing into the equally dynamic subsequent track "Fear Not": another gem. The album continues with "Circular Thoughts," the sixth treasure of this album. It demonstrates how the band doesn't miss a beat, reaffirming their mastery once more. Thus far, it is a conjunction of splendid strokes delivered with great savoir-faire, one after the other, precisely into the pocket. Continuing through the tracks that articulate the second part of this work, Scarlet's Remains stays on the right path (that of death rock) they have taken, presenting gems like "Behind Another Door" and "Your Drug," the last stop before the true conclusion, represented by a hidden ghost track (from minute 20:55 of the thirteenth track) which is a sonic incursion in backward masking where, in the final part, electronic stimuli, similar to the noise of dialing a number on a phone keypad, are interspersed with the phrase "Nothing has changed." In 2007, Scarlet's Remains will release another fascinating and noteworthy work, "The Palest Grey," before vanishing into the mists of silence. Together with Bari Bari, eveghost will participate in the Purnama project, where the song "Friggavisur" can be heard on the various artists' compilation: "New Dark Age (Vol. 4)." In 2009, with Marzia Rangel and some members of The Deadfly Ensemble and Mephisto Walz, eveghost will form Christian Vs. Warhol before plunging once more into the shadows.

Tracklist:

01 That Was A Lie

02 Far From Paradise

03 Martyr Complex

04 Metall Heiligenschein

05 Fear Not

06 Circular Thoughts

07 Baghdad

08 1492

09 Behind Another Door

10 Hope Against Hope

11 The Bitter Pill

12 Your Drug