The Mission
Children

The major criticism that could be made against Wayne Hussey and his Mission is that they have never quite managed to shake off the enormous weight of 'First and Last and Always', for which, alongside Gary Marx, he was the main author of all the musical parts. Perhaps for this reason, for the despot Andrew Eldritch, it was easier to break away sharply from the gothicism and heartbreaking melancholy of the Sisters of Mercy's debut, and perhaps all of dark rock, by experimenting with more electronic and liquid sounds in the subsequent “Floodland”.

For Wayne, the reflection of the sisters' debut opus was much more difficult to digest, perhaps also due to a conscious choice on the part of the guitarist himself, in re-presenting a confluence of gothic rock sounds in the debut album of his Mission, reminiscent much of 'First', especially, and obviously, in the guitar arpeggios, seasoned with pop experiments, symphonic ballads, and sound references that draw on Native American culture (a characteristic they share with the Cult). An album (Gods Own Medicine) that, however, cannot help but enter the hearts of lovers of the macabre dances of the Sisters of Mercy's debut.

Listened to superficially and limited to a purely surface analysis, the subsequent “Children”, sounds halfway between the usual influences still tied to the past with Eldritch and the gothic rock era of the Cult, that is, before they became stubborn with the typical eighties American hard rock linked to Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and AC/DC.
But, trying to listen to the songs that make up the album without thinking of derivations or influences from other records or other bands, one can imagine endless deserts to cross in solitude, nights spent strumming the guitar in the company of Native Americans dancing their rituals in front of the sacred fire, sensations of melancholic pleasure that accompany you in discovering the deepest recesses of your subconscious. All this thanks especially to the decadent vocal tones of Hussey and his unmistakable instrumentally evoked melodies.

The opener “Beyond The Pale” could comfortably sit in “Love” by the Cult as demonstrated by the guitar riff that recalls “She Sell’s Sanctuary”. Romantic gothic rock that inevitably involves you. The riff of the following “A Wing and a Prayer”, on the other hand, brings to mind that incredible post-punk piece created by the Sisters of Mercy named “Alice”, but the point of contact is limited only to this, considering that “A Wing and a Prayer” is the classic Mission song, full of graceful melody from Hussey's vocals and the keyboards.
Keyboards take the lead again in “Fabienne”, a great piece, almost hard rock, continuing the tradition that sees both Hussey and Eldritch often choosing women's names as titles for their songs (Alice, Marian, Lucretia, Severina). Following are the ballads “Heaven on Earth” and “Tower of Strength” that seem played under the moonlight in the cold of the desert night, windy and darker than pitch. Absolutely moving.

Returning to the classic Mission style with “Kingdome Come”, characterized by the traditional guitar arpeggios and accompanied by engaging choruses on the softly melodic carpet of keyboards. More rhythmic and rock-like is “Child’s Play”, also almost hard rock in nature, yet maintaining the romantic gothic reflections that mark the band's adventure. Another ballad, and another emotion. “Black Mountain Mist” inevitably takes you and gently caresses you, thanks especially to the duets between Hussey and the accompanying female voice.
The real and only weak point of “Children”, in my opinion, is constituted by “Dream On”, a cover of the famous song by Aerosmith, played too slowly and with Hussey's voice that, objectively, has little to do with the song in question because it is too different from Steven Tyler's. Another typical Mission song is “Heat”, another nice piece, albeit reminiscent in some measure of “Little Face” by the Cult in the chorus section. The opus concludes with “Hymn (for America)”, also characterized, like “Fabienne” and “Child’s Play” by large guitars played in a hard rock key. A characteristic that becomes the most marked difference between “Children” and the debut album “Gods Own Medicine”.

In conclusion, allow me to say that even if the Mission didn't invent anything and instead skillfully and abundantly drew from bands like Sisters of Mercy of 'First and Last and Always' (which is quite obvious given Hussey's background) and the Cult of the first two albums, the sensations that emanate from “Gods Own Medicine” and this “Children” are such that they elevate them to an essential group for lovers of the genre (as is also demonstrated by the excellent sales figures of these two records at the time they were released). Sensations that, unfortunately, the band was unable to reproduce in their subsequent works.