The Damned
Phantasmagoria

THE REVIEW

They were among the pioneers of the English punk scene, but punk was too limited for them: already in 1977, without even having the time to absorb the relative success achieved with their debut album, they had their second LP, "Music For Pleasure," produced by one Nick Mason: the album itself is entirely negligible, not to say very poor, but at the time of the famous T-shirt flaunted by "pistola" Sid Vicious, it was quite a significant gesture, reflecting the strong personality of the band led by Dave Vanian, who over the years embarked on new paths and experimented with new sounds, reaching the peak of success in 1985 with "Phantasmagoria": dark, one might instinctively think judging by the title and the cover, but it's an inaccurate and not entirely truthful label, "Phantasmagoria" is simply a mature, fascinating, and sophisticated rock album with multiple nuances.

Objectively, a voice like Dave Vanian's, baritone, warm, sensual, and masculine, was absolutely wasted on songs in the style of "New Rose", and in this context, the great vocal potential of the frontman is finally fully exploited. One of the most evident influences characterizing "Phantasmagoria" is undoubtedly that of the Doors, also due to the remarkable vocal affinity between Vanian and Jim Morrison, along with a gothic rock sound that was riding the wave at the time and glam reminiscences displayed by the frontman's look: theatrical, studied, opposed to the punk standards with which they had become known. The influence of the Doors is particularly evident in the enveloping, dark, shamanic atmosphere of "Shadow Of Love", signaled by Bryn Merrick's bass and in the more rhythmic and psychedelic "There'll Come A Day", where keyboards hold the scene, as well as in a more expansive "Street Of Dreams", an engaging journey with multiple nuances, energetic yet refined and almost baroque in its compositional richness. There is no lack of a classy and radio-friendly single like "Is It A Dream", a melancholic, reflective, and bittersweet melody that does not renounce the theatricality and energy inherent to this album, while the typical irony of the Damned is well represented by "Grimly Fiendish", a fun, dark-ish march with Beatles-like nuances showcasing the compositional flair of keyboardist Roman Jugg, who, along with Vanian, was instrumental in the Damned's gothic turn. Here Jugg worthily replaces Captain Sensible as guitarist and tries his hand (with good results) as a singer in "Edward The Bear", another light and relaxing moment of the album. The fascinating theatrical show of "Phantasmagoria" is worthily closed by "The Eight Day", another perfect example of the pop-rock sound with dark nuances developed by the Damned for this album, enhanced by a particularly successful and effective chorus, leaving room for the muffled and twilight atmospheres of the instrumental "Trojans", dominated by the melody of a trembling electric piano and a lively rock escape for the grand finale.

The magnum opus of "Phantasmagoria" is undoubtedly "Sanctum Sanctorum": aesthetics, atmospheres, and gothic theatricality embodied in music in the most immediate and vivid form: the spectral organ introducing the composition is as filmic as it gets, as well as the composition that unfolds with sinuous elegance through intense climaxes and moments of great atmosphere, in a decadent serenade where the union between Dave Vanian's masterful interpretation and the mood created by piano and orchestrations gives life to a standard of absolute perfection, a stereotype in the best sense of the term. The keystone that has determined the fortune of "Phantasmagoria," besides the wonderful cover of "Eloise", unfortunately not included in the album, is undoubtedly the theatricality: this is a rich and sophisticated album but that doesn't want to be anything more than an entertainment product, in the manner of the best Queen: the incarnation of a character, a style, an aesthetics, great music dedicated to representation and not self-referentiality, charismatic and top-level rock.