Mar 19 2021
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4
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
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Oct 20 2022
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3
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."
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Sep 18 2022
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1
New Wave Dracula doesn’t suck blood, he just sucks.
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Jan 20 2023
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5
andrew eldritch: we're not a goths
also andrew eldritch: "dance the ghost with me"
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Jul 21 2021
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4
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???
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May 19 2021
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4
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.
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Oct 13 2021
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4
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
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Oct 14 2022
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4
Pomp goth! Always loved this album. It's hilariously overblown and you just know Eldritch is in on the joke.
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Jun 01 2021
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5
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.
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Jun 03 2021
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5
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
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Jun 11 2021
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5
Goths are wonderful from a distance
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May 22 2021
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5
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!
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Oct 14 2022
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5
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
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Jan 24 2024
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2
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.
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Dec 11 2021
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5
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.
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Mar 13 2022
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5
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.
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Sep 04 2023
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5
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?
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Jan 10 2021
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4
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.
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Feb 18 2021
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4
A good combination of energy and just general moodiness. I liked it. Good for exercise too.
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Oct 01 2020
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4
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"
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May 20 2021
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4
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
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Jun 24 2021
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4
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.
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Sep 12 2024
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4
classic goth. The Corrosion absolutely rips
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Sep 12 2024
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4
Enjoyed this more than expected!
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Sep 13 2024
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4
My first Sisters of Mercy album and I quite liked it.
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Jun 27 2021
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3
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.
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Sep 12 2024
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3
Three points because I loved my time in Germany. But outside of that, not the pinnacle of goth for me.
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Sep 13 2024
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3
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.
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Jan 22 2021
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2
Uh hello 1980s
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Jun 24 2021
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2
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.
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Jul 06 2021
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2
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.
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Nov 19 2020
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5
Sweet album. Cool dark and mellow sound, great vocals, and a steady flow from one track to the next.
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Jul 05 2021
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5
Electrónica gótica. Está bien. Dudaba entre 4 o 5, pero, venga, un 5
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Jan 29 2021
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5
Great
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Mar 05 2021
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5
Used to listen to this album loads when I was younger, love it!
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Jun 01 2021
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5
Interesting
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Jan 27 2022
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5
This was a fantastic goth album. I will definitely explore the genre now.
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May 06 2022
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5
Had never heard of these guys...was sort of expecting something adjacent to Leonard Cohen's song "Sisters of Mercy". This is not that.
This album is right up my alley, though. Many of these songs, like "1959", and "The Corrsion" (while very different from each other) have a "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds meet the Talking Heads" vibe, which I love.
Okay, album over, and this is the first full album that I've immediately added to my Spotify list. 5/5.
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May 23 2022
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5
Love the way the tracks merge into one another, perfectly executed.
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Jun 06 2022
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5
I enjoyed this one a lot. In general, I'm not all that big on gothic rock or metal. But this one really hit all the right spots as the perfect mix of dark new wave in the vein of The Cure, classic rock and the emerging gothic scene. The production was fantastic as well.
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Sep 14 2022
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5
Loving it!
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Sep 25 2022
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5
This is incredible. Once I got used to the vocals and 80s sound, I was absolutely rocking. Not one that I probably ever would have even thought to try based on my current preferences, but unbelievably glad I did. I could see myself revisiting certain moments on this album very regularly. Hoping this might be a gateway into me appreciating a different style of music.
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Sep 27 2022
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5
Those who get it, get it! I was very excited to see an album I know inside and out. As a kid to Gen X parents who loved the Sisters of Mercy, this is one of my favorite albums that I was introduced to. It's definitely not for everyone, though, as the icy gothic sound is present FULL force. This album contains many of the Sisters' best tracks. There is not one that I skip. The album is cohesive and I have always loved the pair of "Flood" songs, giving the impression of a cinematic reprise. Lucretia My Reflection has a simple but iconic baseline all throughout. This Corrosion delves into the band's more pop, dance-oriented side with powerful choral accents. The last two songs are slower and sparse and I'd give them a shot even if you don't like the rest of the songs. I'd recommend their first album for those who would prefer a less dramatic sound from the Sisters. "Goth" cult classic. 5 stars!
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Oct 02 2022
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5
cool
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Oct 03 2022
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5
Sister of Mercy's debut album is better of course so should have been on the list (as well). .. but Floodland has built up some status over the years and led to a massive number of copycat groups until even nowadays. So seems fine to be included in the list.
It is practically a 1-person project and I much like how consistent it is in every aspect. Songs are all 4-5 star. Production is fantastic so clearly 5 star overall.
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Oct 13 2022
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5
Firmly placed in the eighties, propelled along by the insistent drum machine and synth sound, here is a moody, gothic, new wave classic. The tracks are catchy, Eldritch is a charismatic front man and the topics are spiky and angular. In lesser hands, the project would seem overblown and pompous but there’s an integrity and consistency throughout which the sisters completely pull off. I was thrilled to find this record and my re-evaluation of eighties music continues.
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Oct 26 2022
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5
Can’t go wrong with these crazy hippies
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Nov 11 2022
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5
Amazing
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Nov 21 2022
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5
Electrónica gótica. Está bien. Dudaba entre 4 o 5, pero, venga, un 5
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Nov 24 2022
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5
Genuinely loved this.
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Dec 02 2022
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5
Отличный альбом!
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Dec 07 2022
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5
Goth as hell, some real bangers
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Dec 16 2022
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5
Dark evil new wavey awesomeness 5/5.
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Jan 20 2023
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5
Classic of the genre. End of.
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Feb 16 2023
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5
LOVE LOVE LOVE
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Mar 16 2023
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5
Mag die anderen Alben lieber, aber still good
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Jun 01 2023
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5
An amazing album, 'Dominion / Mother Russia,' 'Lucretia My Reflection' & 'This Corrosion' are fantastic tracks!!
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Jun 06 2023
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5
I knew a little Sisters of Mercy but had never dove into a complete record and wow I feel I have missed out all these years. This one was great end to end - big towering doom-laden songs with a tinge of industrial due to the drum machines.
The pace is good, the length is good and w every song has its place.
I also have learnt how to nail the description of the band to the uninitiated - kind of the Cure as if sung by Bowie.
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Jun 07 2023
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5
Suddenly I am wearing all black and eyeliner.
Standouts: all 46 minutes. And the album artwork. “This Corrosion.”
5/5.
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Jun 07 2023
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5
gothic and very atmospheric. it's a f'kin masterpiece.
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Jun 11 2023
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5
Excellent!
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Aug 10 2023
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5
Surprisingly brilliant. Looked like the sort of thing I’d hate but genuinely loved it.
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Aug 16 2023
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5
Delightfully campy.
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Oct 01 2023
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5
I love Sister of mercy. Takes me back to my goth phase. I really like this album and it still sounds fresh but my very favorite is First and Last and Always. i can still remember the first time i heard it and being blown away by the whole vibe
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Oct 30 2023
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5
Great stuff
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Nov 08 2023
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5
HELL YEAH!
This album hits the sweet spot of gothic rock for me. The opening track is SO good... I may have heard it back in the day but I don't remember it now. Dominion/Mother Russia is where goth rock and I perfectly align! Give me that driving beat and lyrics of doom! Lucretia My Reflection, This Corrosion and Flood II also were particular favorites. The other songs were enjoyable if not quite as immediately grabby - this album is a special dark treat!
I'm not sure if The Sisters of Mercy are new to me or something I've forgotten, but whatever they are they are terrific! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to pop off to touch up my black mascara.
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Nov 08 2023
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5
I've listened to SoM before and was ready to give this a "fine but not my thing, 3*" review.
But I loved every minute and started it over for a second run almost immediately. It's so good!
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Nov 08 2023
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5
Oh, boy, this took me back to college, which was when it came out. I never had this album myself, but this was music that was all around me then. Gothic dance party! Electronic, grim, and with a good beat! It makes me laugh a little, but I love it so much!
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Nov 09 2023
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5
Love it.
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Nov 10 2023
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5
The Sisters of Mercy have been an object lesson to me in the subjectivity of musical appreciation and the power of branding and creating a mood.
I first became aware of them in t-shirt form - they were a popular garment choice among the too-cool-to-approach teenagers I longed to emulate as a pre-teen, second only to Iron Maiden! Because of this, I was primed to be receptive to them, and sure enough, loved what I heard and had them in regular rotation throughout what was otherwise a nowt-but-metal phase.
For decades, actually, I had a blanket grudge against poppy music in general, and 80s music in particular - insisting almost nothing good came out of that decade. Continued to love Sisters of Mercy with not a hint of self awareness. All I could hear was the "goth" - it lived in a special little cocoon of fondness, detached from everything else.
A couple of years ago I was introducing someone to the idea of gothic as a genre, and played them "A Slight Case of Overbombing" (Which should really be on this list instead of this album, btw - “Under the Gun” and “Temple of Love” aren't on any albums and they are the _absolute peak_ of Sisters' power, and c'mon, Robert Dimery isn't opposed to chucking a compilation on the list when it suits him) and wow, hearing the music through someone else's ears, not having that "goth" preconception shaping my perceptions, I suddenly heard just how damn poppy they were - and how _ridiculously_ 80s their sound is! 😆
Anyway, a strong five stars!
Fave tracks - "Dominion/Mother Russia", "Lucretia My Reflection", "This Corrosion" are all absolute monster choons!
HEY NOW, HEY NOW NOW!
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Nov 10 2023
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5
There's been quite a few bands on this list that, during my formative years, my friends were all into but I was mostly just aware of. Today I was trying to figure out why that was the case, well simply I was poor and couldn't go out and buy every damn CD of every band that piqued my interest. Nowadays with access to just about everything I'm gaining a new appreciate for these bands and Sisters Of Mercy is certainly one of them.
Every week my friends and I would go to this club in the city and every week they would play This Corrosion and man does this album bring back some memories.
Fave tracks Dominion / Mother Russia, Lucretia My Reflection, and of course This Corrosion.
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Nov 16 2023
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5
I was in the perfect mood for this today. Spectacular!
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Nov 20 2023
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5
9/10
wonderful gothy atmosphere
I absolutely adore this shit
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Dec 10 2023
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5
Another album I can't believe I've never listened to before. This was an important release at the time and, although it probably hasn't aged well in some respects, it's quite staggering how many contemporary bands are still using the basic formula found here.
This brings me back to the late 80s, dancing in goth-rock clubs with a dispassionate face, dressed all in black, jerky movements, attitude and lack of any sign of enjoyment essential.
Looking back, it's now obvious that there wasn't really much new here. It's just a repackaging of other post-punk material from the late 70s, with a drum machine and some dark wave thrown in for good measure.
However, there's not a single bit of filler here and some absolute stonking tracks mingled in at just the right places. If they had added Temple of Love, then this would be perfection, but as it is, it's close enough for a full 5 stars.
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Dec 17 2023
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5
jooo
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Dec 20 2023
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5
This one surprised me. I enjoyed every song very much and can’t believe I have never heard of this album.
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Dec 21 2023
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5
This is 19-year-old me in a nutshell. I had it on repeat. I loved their first album too. I went clubbing every weekend where i danced to This Corrosion and Dominion wearing a lot of black. My best friend bought me this album for Christmas- it holds so many fabulous memories. And when it came up I put it on repeat and I’m still not sick of singing Dominion with four syllables.
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Jan 10 2024
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5
This is definitely my vibe... dark, brooding, electronic... really like Andrew Eldritch's voice... has that Peter Murphy-like deep darkness. Definitely some fantastic tracks, This Corrosion and Dominion stand out, but even when the tempo varies, it is still interesting. Can listen to this over and over.
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Jan 17 2024
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5
Kenne ich viele von
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Jan 22 2024
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5
This one is tough to rate because this was such a formative album for me. What the hell, five stars.
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Feb 07 2024
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5
Dark new wave vibes
The Cure esque
Never land *
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Feb 07 2024
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5
Electrónica gótica. Está bien. Dudaba entre 4 o 5, pero, venga, un 5.
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Feb 08 2024
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5
The Gothiest band who hates being called Goth. I still dance to these tunes thanks to my city being heavily into dark wave, new wave, synth pop & industrial since the 80s. Lucrative My Reflection & This Corrosion has been a staple at the clubs & always gets the bats on dance floor. What a wonderfully dark album.
P.S. Patricia Morrison is a vampiric hottie
4.5 stars
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Feb 18 2024
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5
I LOVE goth rock. me and my homies love goth rock.
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Mar 01 2024
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5
SING THIS CORROSION TO ME
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Mar 22 2024
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5
Listened Before? Y
If someone asked me to tell them how the 80s FEEL, I'd play this album among the musical choices as I attempted to describe a feeling. This album is awesome. I'm familiar with most of the well-known songs here, but even the deep cuts (probably with the exception of 1959, although at least that one is relatively short) are so much gothy fun. This album sounds like the dark and mysterious girl we all had a crush on in 1985.
Added to Library? Y
Songs added to playlist: This Corrosion
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Apr 28 2024
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5
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.
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May 03 2024
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5
Love it
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May 23 2024
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5
Never heard them, it was a great surprise.
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Jun 06 2024
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5
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 🖤🖤🖤
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Jun 30 2024
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5
This is in my top 10. 5 stars isn’t enough
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Jul 06 2024
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5
Gothic masterpiece 🖤🖤🖤
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Jul 08 2024
View Author
5
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
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Jul 10 2024
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5
This hits all my favourite things - 80s and gothic. And damn...those drums. The drummer was going ham on this. Great discovery.
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Jul 19 2024
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5
Electrónica gótica. Está bien. Dudaba entre 4 o 5, pero, venga, un 5.
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Aug 16 2024
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5
Grandiose and pretty silly at times but I love its simple sense of melodrama.
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Aug 19 2024
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5
Excellent, dark and quiet rock
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Aug 29 2024
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5
Heeeyyyy now, hey now now! Sing this corrosion to me!
Yessss, so good.
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Oct 03 2024
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5
Dark and moody. Synth. Loved it.
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Mar 03 2021
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4
When I read the genre ‘gothic rock’ I thought I’d not really enjoy it, but turns out it’s pretty cool. Similar to The Cure, and Flood II is uncannily similar to The Dandy Warhols’ “Boys Better”. Comfy resistors of the 80s trends
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