Floodland

Sisters Of Mercy

1987

3.04

Rating

17366

Votes

Distribution

Rock

Album Summary

Floodland is the second studio album by English gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy. It was released on 16 November 1987, through Merciful Release internationally and distributed by WEA, with Elektra Records handling the United States release. After the release of the band's debut studio album, First and Last and Always (1985), members Craig Adams and Wayne Hussey left to form the Mission, causing the dissolution of the Sisters of Mercy. As a result, band frontman Andrew Eldritch formed a side project known as the Sisterhood, recording new material with them. After the project's first album was received negatively overall, he went back to recording as part of the Sisters of Mercy and hired the Sisterhood member Patricia Morrison for the recording of a new album. Eldritch wrote the songs of Floodland in Hamburg; the city's large amount of water influenced its title as well as the recurring lyrical theme of water. He then called upon Larry Alexander to produce the album with him and Jim Steinman to produce the songs "Dominion" / "Mother Russia" and "This Corrosion". Recording sessions began at Power Station Studios in New York City during January 1987 and carried on throughout the first half of the year at Strawberry Studios in Stockport and The Wool Hall in Bath. Eldritch served as the vocalist, performed all instruments, and programmed the band's drum machine, "Doktor Avalanche". The drum machine acted as the drum player; Morrison did not contribute to the album despite being a member of the Sisters of Mercy. In contrast to First and Last and Always, Floodland was created in a less conventional way, being pieced together on computers using sequencers. The music incorporates the genres of gothic rock and dark wave, while the lyrical content sees Eldritch cast as the observer of a slowly deteriorating world. Some of the events that inspired certain songs include the Chernobyl disaster, the Cold War, and the band's previous breakup. The singles "This Corrosion", "Dominion", and "Lucretia My Reflection" were released in promotion. "This Corrosion" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, while "Dominion" and "Lucretia My Reflection" peaked at number 13 and 20, respectively. Floodland debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 9, later being certified gold in UK by the BPI for selling 100,000 copies. It also reached the top 40 in other European countries, including Switzerland. Despite initially receiving mixed reviews from music critics, Floodland has retrospectively received praise and been considered a seminal gothic rock album by several critics.

Keywords from Reviews

Reviews

Sort by: Top Date

Mar 19 2021 Author

man, this thing is just THE 80s: reverb drums - CHECK trashcontainer drum - CHECK guitar chorused out of reasonability - CHECK flanger - CHECK epic synths - CHECK midi ballad - CHECK song composed almost entirely out of the weird percussion section sounds of a digital synth - CHECK verse is just chorus but quieter - CHECK "the wind blows wild" - CHECK I mean, EVERYTHING mother russia/10

Jan 20 2023 Author

andrew eldritch: we're not goths also andrew eldritch: "dance the ghost with me"

Oct 20 2022 Author

I don't think anything can say it better than this review I saw: "Meatloaf joining The Cure for a remake of Lou Reed's Berlin."

Jul 21 2021 Author

Loved this so much I dyed my eyebrows black. It’s a good look! For real though, this was great. Now where’s a Type-0 Negative album on this list???

Sep 18 2022 Author

New Wave Dracula doesn’t suck blood, he just sucks.

Jun 11 2021 Author

Goths are wonderful from a distance

Oct 13 2021 Author

Really liked this, very 80s hints of Depeche Mode and darker goth music but also driving rock songs like 'This Corrosion' which wouldn't be out of place on a Fleetwood Mac album. Some songs maybe went on a bit longer than needed but they were clearly having a lot of fun. Bonus points for the very 80s sax solo on the album opener

Jan 24 2024 Author

Pixies obviously ripped off the third track on this (Lucretia My Reflection AKA a Pretentious Erection) for their Doolittle track Tame. I could picture the singer singing these songs in his bedroom wearing a cape while mashing the drum machine buttons. Turning around and hissing when he hears his parents calling him down for dinner. Baby, when I tell you I hated this one ya gotta believe me.

Sep 04 2023 Author

Well this is dark, moody and sexual. It's kind of like Type O Negative without the fun. There is a sort of optimism to it though that I find surprising from behind the black-clad, heavy eyelined Generation X cynical delivery. By the time Flood II comes around, I think I'm fully invested. I am Gen X, so that might have something to do with it. I can easily imagine swaying awkwardly (but rhythmically) to this at Slimelight, probably while drinking a pint of snakebite and black from a plastic cup, while impossibly beautiful girls in corsets and lace writhe around me. God damn it, this album is actually good, isn't it?

Oct 14 2022 Author

Pomp goth! Always loved this album. It's hilariously overblown and you just know Eldritch is in on the joke.

May 19 2021 Author

Whoa, I've actually heard one of these songs before! A radio cut of Dominion got a lot of play on my hometown rock station in the 90s. The kind of play that makes you think these dudes made exactly one good song and made knowing the name of the artist useful literally only for pub trivia purposes. Pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed the whole album. It scratched a dark, almost gothy rock itch that hadn't been scratched since I last hung out in the garage listening to the radio with my dad while he drank Buds and worked on his motorcycle.

Jun 01 2021 Author

Loved it. I have not waded much into goth-rock/new wave/post-punk but this was great. Though the instrumentation was simple, it was very effective. The music features a strong backbeat, prominent bass, horror motifs, and typical new wave/post-punk vocal delivery. The overall result is a driving, pulsing music that is instantly likable and even danceable.

Oct 14 2022 Author

This is honesty the moody, gloomy, late 80s goth-rock I never knew I needed. First Listen?: Y Fav. Track(s): Flood I, Lucretia My Reflection, This Corrosion Rating: 4.7/5

May 22 2021 Author

The pinnacle of goth darkwave club-core. Put this on, and I'm already wearing black and hitting the dance floor. Instantly catchy, moody goth jams. Perfect!

Jun 04 2025 Author

HEY NOW, HEY NOW N NOW. Gothic Meatloaf is absolutely glorious.

Mar 13 2022 Author

I always thought of goths as boring people wearing a lot of make up bored with their own lives. Then emos came and they were much worse. But, hey! These are audiences, and we are here to discuss music, right? Right. If I were to pick up an essential post punk band with really pessimistic sound and content, Joy Division would be that band. Still, this doesn't totally mean that I consider other bands in the dark/goth spectrum to be derivative, mind. I really love some of them, from Christian Death to Fields Of The Nephilim. I wasn't really familiar with the Sisters Of Mercy though. Lucretia My Reflection, Dominion, and the mighty This Corrosion (which I am sure I already heard in the past) were singles, and they were great. As a whole, the album really sounds huge, with all those busy, upfront bass lines and insisting drumming, a lot of female backing vocals, even some choir (a 40 piece one on This Corrosion), but never feeling overcharged. 1959 with only piano and voice fills up the room effortlessly. On Flood II there is an acoustic guitar along with the synths and the aforementioned, very effective rhythm section, and the whole thing comes out from the speakers as if it was a roaring monster. I could go on and mention all the songs in here, as there is no filler really. All I can say is that I need this record in my collection. A masterpiece.

Jun 03 2021 Author

i knew this album at the time, though not that well. i remembered loving some tracks, but didn't know others at all. on the whole, i loved this one, especially This Corrosion, which just burns

Jul 17 2025 Author

This goes everywhere and im surprised. It starts droney and then everything after that kinda keeps you on your toes. Enjoyed this a lot for someone who wears colors

May 08 2025 Author

Goth fun, some classic tracks, love it.

Feb 21 2025 Author

So what if Jim Steinman sent them all shiny production and OTT choral intros. It's a match made in heaven if you ask me. Goth heaven. I love a throbbing bassline that's presented unapologetically front and centre, too. The trio of singles - Dominion, This Corrosion and Lucretia are just brilliant, and, I may add, the videos for them are as sexy as hell. I love the whole dark/dance combo of goth music, and this is just marvellous.

Sep 19 2024 Author

Moody goth electric depression

Jun 06 2024 Author

The sound of pleather, a strobe light, and clove cigarettes. Through I was never a goth, I think emo girls have an inherent affinity towards goth music. This is no exception. It’s got a little bit of everything: pounding rhythmic songs for the goth club, brooding dark songs to soundtrack your depression, gospel choirs, out-dated synths, and all the gated drums your heart could ever desire. It even has melodramatic/tragic piano ballads sung in a way where you can’t tell if he’s got cotton mouth, is having a stroke, or has the acting chops of Tommy Wiseau. Songs go on for 10 minutes but engulf you so deeply that space and time stop existing and you just become one with the darkness. In a word, it is a stunning work of high beauty. The fact that I like this as much as I do probably tells you all you need to know about my taste (it’s highly subjective and stupid, to say the least, but at least I’m self aware), but god I love this album. I love this more than some of albums we’re all “supposed” to love on this list. If I’m being real, I’ll revisit this a million times before I touch some high-minded double album or some artsy prog band, even the ones I already adore! This is just so up my alley, taps into the exact vibe I want to shroud myself in, and speaks to my soul in the way only dumb, dark, edgy music like this can. God bless the goths 🖤🖤🖤

Dec 11 2021 Author

I fucking love this album. It's amazing that they did so much with such a minimal approach. Just last night I was drunk and trying to get my mates to love Lucretia my reflection as much as I do, so this is fitting. 5/5.

Feb 24 2025 Author

SEXY. Favorite track: Lucretia My Reflection 3.5/5

Dec 05 2024 Author

Another new one for me. I have heard some Sisters of Mercy but never a full album. It’s well produced, sounds somehow cinematic to me, big reverbs. I can hear Depeche Mode, and the beginnings of Rammstein. I’d listen to this again.

Nov 15 2024 Author

This was fun - recognized the singles but would not have been caught dead with it as a teenager; age has softened me to doomy ridiculousness with campy synth backing. Ironically, my experience is that goths seem to have a happier life in general. Get the depression out of the way upfront, leaving plenty of time to focus on the drinks and disco lights

Sep 13 2024 Author

My first Sisters of Mercy album and I quite liked it.

Sep 12 2024 Author

Enjoyed this more than expected!

Sep 12 2024 Author

classic goth. The Corrosion absolutely rips

Jun 24 2021 Author

What!!! No Temple of Love??? I guess that would have bee asking too much. Still there are some real Goth/Wave anthems like "This Corrosion" (especially), "Lucretia My Reflection" and "Dominion". It's monotonous and contrived, but I'm giving it an extra point due to the fact that one guy wrote the songs, sang lead and played every instrument. The choir was a nice touch too.

May 20 2021 Author

I can't say that I've ever really listened to a goth album before, so I don't have a lot of genre context for this. I'll say having listened to most of the album that while this is not particularly my kind of music, it is well done. I like the vocal production and how male and female voices get blended together over squealing metal guitars. 4/5

Oct 01 2020 Author

Makes me want to dress in all black and go to a rave. Or at least play Vampires: The Masquerade. Lead singer reminds me of Peter Steele from Type O Negative. Favorite tracks: "Dominion/Mother Russia", "This Corrosion"

Feb 18 2021 Author

A good combination of energy and just general moodiness. I liked it. Good for exercise too.

Jan 10 2021 Author

Leans into its darkwave cliches, but I'm weak to them. There's a greater-than-average amount of variation in the tracklist, too. Sprawling and short, quiet and loud.

Nov 15 2024 Author

The foregrounding of the drum machine and heavy synth strops is confident and charismatic. Apart from the refrain of “This Corrosion”, the songs themselves didn’t seduce me.

Sep 13 2024 Author

The bass player is doing a great job. Then came the choir out of nowhere. And went into the new-wave phase. Very odd. Very original. I think they knew what they were doing. Even if it's not 100% my taste, I respect that.

Sep 12 2024 Author

Three points because I loved my time in Germany. But outside of that, not the pinnacle of goth for me.

Jun 27 2021 Author

3.3 - An unusual sound, combining baritone vocals, gothic choir, electronic percussion, synthesizer and some guitar. A mix between Depeche Mode and “Scary Monsters”, and forward thinking enough to seem to also usher in the sound for both. Dark and atmospheric, often pretentious. “The Corrosion is a standout.

May 21 2025 Author

Floodland Bowie + Joy Division + Depeche Mode + Billy Idol = a decent enough album that starts well before fading away, getting lost in the similarity of tempo, tone, melody, sound and song structure. On the strongest songs, Dominion/Mother Russia, Lucretia My Reflection and This Corrosion, the pompous 80’s goth-pop-rock atmospheres work well and make for some enjoyably catchy tracks. The other tracks, whilst not necessarily bad, are either not so successful variations on those tracks, or slightly dirgey and not that memorable. It’s an interesting listen, a nice little snapshot of a genre I’m not that au fait with, with a few good songs, but ultimately it’s not something I can see myself coming back to. Cusp of 2 and 3, but as I’m unlikely to return to it I’ll go high 2. 👭👭 Playlist submission: Dominion/Mother Russia

Apr 18 2025 Author

An odd album. Like a Dracula soundtrack, bordering on comedic. Think “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”. 2/5 Probably won’t listen again

Jul 06 2021 Author

Dated drums right out the gate. I guess this is Proto-industrial, so that’s why it’s “important.” The voice is cool, dark, driving but I can’t get over the dated effects. There were some shining moments where I heard Bowie and Echo and the Bunnymen. But, overall, blah. 2.

Jun 24 2021 Author

When it comes to the Goth/dance sound this pales in comparison to the Cure and New Order. I found the vocals annoying and the drums way too amped. Not a fan.

Jan 22 2021 Author

Uh hello 1980s

Nov 23 2025 Author

powerful music, sombre atmospheres and a deep voice

Nov 17 2025 Author

Ja! Eine der besten Platten, ever!

Nov 14 2025 Author

well that was pretty awesome. some less interesting songs in there like 1959 but the rest was 5 stars for me! I listened to it twice!

Nov 07 2025 Author

Gloomy yet high energy and hard driving industrial opener. The low end really stands out. Gruff, half spoken vocals which actually work. Smooth transition into Flood I and the drum machine continues pounding into your skull. Dystopian sounding synths carry the melody. This is 80s AF but in the best way. Sounds very Germanic to me. Lucretia My Reflection is a dark synth anthem with a super catchy bassline - probably the pick of the litter. There's a piano ballad (1959) and over to side two with the bouncy bass and big chorus of My Corrosion. It doesn't need to be 9:30 long, but it doesn't *not* need to be either. If this doesn't get you moving, I don't know what to say. The drum programming is again sublime on Driven Like the Snow. Gun to my head, the second half is a bit weaker than the first, but I can't dock any points.

Oct 29 2025 Author

Ned gwüsst das de Micheal Jackson es dark rock album usebracht het aber give it to me! Postpunk/darkwave/rock s volle programm ih mini ohre dröhnt, nach 3 mal duresuchte und s ganz album speichere isch save to say dass das für mich es grossartigs 5 hee-hee git. Give me more, sistas!

Oct 29 2025 Author

eine achterbahnfahrt. han zerst rage quit gmacht, will ich denkt ha das kackt hert ah. aber wieder 2 mal ine gumped is album und es macht spass. es macht spass, es macht spass. Es isch dark, aber sehr enjoyable, das guete stuck vu de Gnadeschwöstere. Huiuiui, also was mached mir denn da. 4 Gnadenssternli oder 5 Schwöstere? Ich gahne mal vorerst mit 5 Schwöstere, will so unerwarted ineghitted hed

Oct 29 2025 Author

what in the floodland isch denn sisters of mercy? ay ay ay no nie vo dene ghört aber ha's gfühl die schaffed bi galaxus bi so vill bangers wo die lieferet das darkwavet ja fast scho chli ine?! bravo gid (au dank überraschigs- neuentdeckigsbonus) cinco hermanas vom hermano

Oct 17 2025 Author

It felt like a perfect album in its genre. I enjoyed this a lot.

Oct 15 2025 Author

Oh hell yes, darkwave was my life back in the day. What a great album!

Oct 03 2025 Author

I did not buy this album when it came out: I was a poor student and a friend copied it on to cassette for me. That cassette followed me around until cassettes weren't a thing but by then I'd bought the CD. It still gets played on occasion and I wouldn't be without it.

Oct 03 2025 Author

Vilken produktion! Trumljudet. Depeche fast tyngre och svartare. Femma

Oct 02 2025 Author

This is sooooo 80s. I like that a drum machine was credited as "Doktor Avalanche" on the liner notes. It's very goth but also has a lot of new wave kind of feel to it. There is a "saxophone" solo halfway through the first track that is a great example of how much better synthesizers had gotten compared to the early 70s with Tangerine Daydream and Kraftwerk. For a drum machine it really sounds huge. The reverb and gating is really amazing and this whole album is like a pre-Kavinsky darkwave Castlevania record. "Lucretia My Reflection" has a driving, chorus-y bassline that you just can't ignore. The lyrics and phrasing are super dramatic and remind me of Rammstein. In comparision to the early 2000's "emo" I grew up with this is much more influenced by electronic music and has a darker, almost classical feel. I love Ghost and I can't help but hear the influences there too. I know Tobias Forge is a huge death metal guy, but Sisters of Mercy combines gothic feel with pop songwriting in a really cool way and I feel Ghost does that but with metal/hard rock and pop. The song "1959" reminds me of "The Future is a Foreign Land". Also the choir intro to "This Corrosion"! Overall, really enjoyed.

Sep 17 2025 Author

I've never heard of Sisters of Mercy, but I thought this was great. It reminded me of The Cure, but... I don't know, somehow better? I've never really understood The Cure's music (see my other reviews of their albums here), but I thought this was like, their same sound/vibe, but without the confusion parts that bother me. It was pleasantly dark and vibey and just a fun listen overall. The whole album definitely had a cohesive sound that I really dug but without getting boring or repetitive or grating. Five stars.

Sep 11 2025 Author

not a goth at all but I fucking loved this album

Sep 05 2025 Author

I think I've owned this on vinyl, cd and cassette. It was incredible when it came out. It's still pretty good. I hadn't heard the whole album for a while but it's a good goth starting point to this day.

Aug 20 2025 Author

DOMINION

Aug 02 2025 Author

Wow. Eldridch at his absolute peak. From the opening thunder of Dominion to the closing notes of Neverland, this is a classic.

Jul 30 2025 Author

Goth rock masterpiece. Still sounds so cool and dark and evil.

Jul 04 2025 Author

Super cool classic goth rock

Jul 03 2025 Author

Fun!

Jun 30 2025 Author

This is a hugely important album for half of the adults in this house.

Jun 18 2025 Author

Det är så jävla bra men det kommer aldrig bli bättre än First and last and always.

Jun 06 2025 Author

Finally, an actual classic in this graveyard of try-hards. Floodland doesn’t just sound big; it sounds like it was recorded inside a cathedral being demolished in slow motion. Pure eighties excess, draped in synthetic fog. Doktor Avalanche thunders like a nuclear countdown with eyeliner, steamrolling every cheesy orchestra stab in its path. There isn’t a single weak track. Not one. And then there’s Andrew Eldritch… goth Elvis in a leather trench, preaching the apocalypse with that voice like velvet decay. It’s pompous, bleak, glorious. The end of the world never sounded this sexy.

May 05 2025 Author

I just know me 5 years ago would've loved this. The music (drums and vocals in particular) were so hard hitting

Apr 24 2025 Author

This record is iconic, 5 stars and a big heart for that

Apr 23 2025 Author

Oh wow - okay. Wasn't what I was expecting at all. Kind of hard to place this in terms of other music I have heard but I really like it. Very gloomy and atmospheric somewhere between The Cure and Type o Negative. Not a wasted track on the album too, great variation between songs so they don't blur into each other.

Apr 23 2025 Author

Fucking love this sound. Would have been so cool to be a goth in the 80s. This album kicked ass. 5 stars!

Apr 17 2025 Author

A moody/industrial masterpiece. This album is something you’d hear playing at an underground club in the 80’s. 5/5

Apr 13 2025 Author

W końcu posłuchałam całej i kurde, może to nie jest 5/5, ale zapisałam dużo piosenek + to moje klimaty + 80s, więc heh. Gdybym się urodziła jeszcze raz, to grałabym na basie. Nadal mogę, ale już nic z tego nie będzie.

Apr 02 2025 Author

I already loved this album. Lucretia My Reflection is a favorite song. Glad to see it pop up in the list

Mar 05 2025 Author

This is fantastic dark soviet video game fantasy music. Like Black Sabbath meets Talking Heads meets Super Mario. Yes flood I is a drag. But the rest is great. A nice new discovery for me.

Feb 21 2025 Author

I know he gets shirty on such matters, but this album could not be any more Goth if it tried. And I love it.

Feb 18 2025 Author

Unmatched.

Jan 29 2025 Author

When I was 14/15 and getting more into music my dad gave me his old record player and records, so most of the stuff I was listening to was his collection. This was a particular favourite of mine at the time so it’s quite nostalgic to come back to 10 years later. It’s so gothic and so 80s I love it.

Jan 27 2025 Author

I've really come to appreciate goth music these last couple of years, and this here is some really good goth music. He has a really great voice, it reminds me a lot of David Bowie. These guys were at the first Sick New World, now I feel a little bummed that I missed them, but I think they were on at the same time as System Of A Down. Low 5.

Jan 20 2025 Author

Okay, this is the one exception of 80s band playing supertypical 80s music and being just so so good. Campy and probably a bit cringy at times, but it's such a gem to listen to. Give me an old shed in the middle of nowhere, 50 other people in and this music and I will dance until dawn. Great album.

Jan 09 2025 Author

5/5 80’s goth rock fun

Dec 27 2024 Author

11/10 Yes. 12-25-2024

Dec 23 2024 Author

Dit klinkt wel heel lekker, niet alles top, maar toch echt gaaf. Mooie combinatie van duister en dansbaar.

Nov 27 2024 Author

Hey now! Hey now now! Sing this corrosion! What a banger. Loved it in my teens and still love it now. Just a great album.

Nov 12 2024 Author

I actually really enjoyed this album 5/5

Nov 08 2024 Author

Man this has gotta be the peak of 80’s post punk / goth rock. It’s like they said “Hey, Pornography is a great album, but what if it we made it catchier? Oh, and don’t forget to make the drums sound like Motley Crue.” Side note, I put this on while hanging with my kids and my 1 year old was INTO it. Not quite sure what that says about me as a parent but I’m here for it.

Nov 03 2024 Author

i am so fucking goth i can't stand straight 10/10

Nov 01 2024 Author

i don't know if this always pops up on halloween or if we just got lucky, but this was the perfect goth & spooky album for the day! i was only familiar with the corrosion, which slaps, and while some of the songs are a little long, i really enjoyed them all. 5/5 spooky ghosts!!

Oct 13 2024 Author

Groovy synthesized ‘80s goodness! I know it’s supposed to be all dark and stuff, but to me it’s just pure fun. Very clear in its intentions.

Oct 03 2024 Author

Dark and moody. Synth. Loved it.

Aug 29 2024 Author

Heeeyyyy now, hey now now! Sing this corrosion to me! Yessss, so good.

Aug 19 2024 Author

Excellent, dark and quiet rock

Aug 16 2024 Author

Grandiose and pretty silly at times but I love its simple sense of melodrama.

Jul 19 2024 Author

Electrónica gótica. Está bien. Dudaba entre 4 o 5, pero, venga, un 5.

Jul 10 2024 Author

This hits all my favourite things - 80s and gothic. And damn...those drums. The drummer was going ham on this. Great discovery.

Jul 08 2024 Author

4.5/5 Massive, anthemic, cold, weird, but also touching, soft, biting, and beautiful. The lyrics are fantastic. Dominion / Mother Russia 5/5 (FAV) Flood I 4.5/5 Lucretia My Reflection 5/5 1959 4/5 This Corrosion 4.5/5 Flood II 4/5 Driven Like the Snow 3/5 (LEAST FAV) Never Land - A Fragment 3.5/5

Jul 06 2024 Author

Gothic masterpiece 🖤🖤🖤

Jun 30 2024 Author

This is in my top 10. 5 stars isn’t enough

May 23 2024 Author

Never heard them, it was a great surprise.

May 03 2024 Author

Love it

Apr 28 2024 Author

I've only had a small handful of 80s goth bands so far. They have all been new to me and I'm learning that it's a genre I really enjoy. Just edgy enough that it isn't cringey or overwhelming without being bland or boring.