Floodland

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

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."

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

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???

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

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

Goths are wonderful from a distance

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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!

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

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

Goth fun, some classic tracks, love it.

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.

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. 

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.

SEXY. Favorite track: Lucretia My Reflection 3.5/5

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.

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

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

Enjoyed this more than expected!

classic goth. The Corrosion absolutely rips

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.

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

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"

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Uh hello 1980s

Super cool classic goth rock

Fun!

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Unmatched.

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.

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.

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.

5/5 80’s goth rock fun

11/10 Yes. 12-25-2024

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

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.

I actually really enjoyed this album 5/5

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.

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

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!!

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.

Dark and moody. Synth. Loved it.

Moody goth electric depression

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

Excellent, dark and quiet rock

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

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

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

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

Gothic masterpiece 🖤🖤🖤

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

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 🖤🖤🖤

Never heard them, it was a great surprise.

Love it

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.

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

Mother Russia, baby!

SING THIS CORROSION TO ME

I LOVE goth rock. me and my homies love goth rock.

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

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

Dark new wave vibes The Cure esque Never land *

This one is tough to rate because this was such a formative album for me. What the hell, five stars.

Kenne ich viele von

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.

I should listen to more goth rock, shouldn't I?

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.

This one surprised me. I enjoyed every song very much and can’t believe I have never heard of this album.

jooo

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.

9/10 wonderful gothy atmosphere I absolutely adore this shit

I was in the perfect mood for this today. Spectacular!

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.

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!