Tiamat
Judas Christ

THE REVIEW

A lot of water has flowed under the bridges since the black beginnings. This album marks the definitive consecration of Tiamat as one of the leading exponents of current Gothic Rock. Do not be fooled by the album's name; Edlund and company, in fact, besides abandoning the black atmospheres of their early days, have also definitively set aside the anti-religious and particularly anti-Christian rancor, shifting quite a bit and targeting their invectives against the church as an institution, which they claim, is created by men at the expense of other men.

Leaving aside Johan Edlund's philosophy, the mind and singer of Tiamat, musically, in my opinion, Tiamat with this "Judas Christ" have reached full maturity. The novelty compared to previous albums is that from listening, a more positive and fresh atmosphere overall is evident both musically and lyrically. The decadent sounds have not been completely abandoned and find their place in songs like "The Return of the Son of Nothing" and "So Much For Suicide". The peaks of this album, in the opinion of the writer, are to be found in those songs from which the new course of Tiamat emerges, namely in the hit "Vote For Love", written by Edlund himself to leave a positive image of himself for posterity, in "Angel Holograms" with its rhythmic and determined riff, "Spine" and "I am in Love With Myself", songs in which Edlund's vocal tone excels (very similar to that of Andrew Eldritch). The album closes with two splendid ballads, "Heaven Of High" and "Too Far Gone", very sweet and lighthearted songs.

In conclusion, an excellent album for those like myself who miss bands like Sisters of Mercy, of which, in my humble opinion, Tiamat are the most worthy successors.