Dead Can Dance was an accomplished crossover group between classical and world music, boasting a vast repertoire. Their impressive musical reach coupled with strong conceptual unity made their debut album an instant classic.
A stunning but forbidding photograph of blackened sunflowers served as a visual motif for this band’s work in “Into the Labyrinth.” As their new album progressed, their approach evolved beyond medievalism into organic non-western sounds (Yulunga and Saldek in particular), historical Irish ballads, and historical sounds from Africa such as Yuliunga.
The Host Of Seraphim
Dead Can Dance, an Australian band who have given new life to musical traditions from around the globe, composed The Host Of Seraphim with captivating elegance. Blending traditional folk and modern electronica, their music creates an evocative and haunting sound which can both relax and spiritually uphold audiences alike. Music like this can help individuals cope with grief or loss or other forms of emotional turmoil as well as help meditate and relax the mind.
This song from The Mist features an ethereal voice singing with high pitched and soaring tones that creates an ethereal quality, combined with strings, horns, and other instruments which add depth and atmosphere. Furthermore, its lyrics are powerful yet poetic making this an instantly likable track from their band which has since been covered by other artists (it was even featured in 2007 film adaptation The Mist).
Dead Can Dance’s success as an album resulted in them producing numerous albums, soundtracks and collaborative efforts with other artists on various projects. Dead Can Dance continued their pursuit of merging different genres into one sound while exploring how these could interact. Their next release Spiritchaser marked an unconventional departure from their earlier efforts as it attempted to balance between respecting source material while fulfilling audiences expectations of what this genre of music should sound like in Western markets.
After Aion was released in 1990 and 1993’s Into the Labyrinth followed. This latter album demonstrated their growing interest in early Renaissance music while Perry showcased his skillful use of electronics. Unfortunately, however, despite taking an approach-focused approach during recording this was still less successful than their prior efforts.
Dead Can Dance’s hit track From the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed Are Kings is another well-loved number from this period in their career, boasting a soothing blend of Eastern melodies and Celtic influences that is both relaxing and inspiring. Perfect for meditation and introspection, the song has also been featured in films. Ulver covered this track on their tribute album Tribute to Dead Can Dance: The Lotus Eaters while French rapper Keny Arkana covered it on her album L’Esquisse Vol. 2.
The Serpent’s Egg
Dead Can Dance’s 1985 release Spleen and Ideal featured this lesser-known track that combined Gerrard’s dulcimer with insistent ethnic percussion to create an immersive Middle Eastern ambience, complete with floating vocals by both members. Additionally, this album marked when their interest in European classicism blossomed into archaic mastery as they combined it with their passion for myth and spirituality.
Dead Can Dance’s second studio album, The Serpent’s Egg, explores multiple strands of religious tradition, ancient and medieval European history, cultural heritages, and other realms through multiple sources – be they religious traditions, ancient or medieval European history or other kinds. But unlike other bands whose songs come directly from one culture or period alone, Dead Can Dance songs remain universal in that they transcend time and culture altogether.
Although The Serpent’s Egg may not be their finest work, it still has much to offer. The first three tracks combine medieval and eastern influences in an intriguing and brilliant fashion; without dance beats and opting instead for an organic timeless sound. Meanwhile, four additional tracks – featuring an exquisite rendition of Echolalia by Perry and Gerrard’s voices as they sing it beautifully together – utilize minimal sounds that highlight Perry and Gerrard’s voices beautifully.
At its core, The Serpent’s Egg’s greatest strength lies in its willingness to experiment. Although later albums of this group would combine African tribal drumming with European choral counterpoint in even greater measures, The Serpent’s Egg prefers giving each cultural element its own song so its beauty can come through.
After this album was released, the group continued their work on various soundtracks for films and TV series, such as Baraka (where they provided two songs). Later they collaborated on music for 1994 movie Into the Labyrinth as well as contributing a ten-minute track for Sahara Blue TV series. Spiritchaser would become their next studio release in 1996 but continued touring and performing internationally throughout their decade of success – eventually becoming a major force in world music.
Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun
“Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun” from Dead Can Dance’s extensive discography is one of its most moving tracks, weaving Gerrard’s dulcimer into insistent percussion to conjure up wide Middle Eastern landscapes. A lesser-known track from 1985’s Spleen And Ideal album, it demonstrates their incredible soundscape-creating abilities while transporting listeners to another realm with music.
Dead Can Dance has maintained their roots in European folk music through the years despite having an ever-evolving lineup of members. Their sound combines worldbeat and ambient elements for an intoxicating mix, which captures its transcendent qualities through spiritual lyrics that speak of loss and sorrow while at the same time inspiring and nobility – something unique about Dead Can Dance that makes their music memorable.
Dead Can Dance fans cannot miss this album. Though lacking any of the goth post-punk influences that made their debut so appealing, this stunning collection still packs plenty of dark, haunting, and atmospheric goodness – with songs such as “The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove” and “Yulunga (Spirit Dance).” Definitely not to be missed!
An ideal album to introduce new listeners to the band, this compilation contains eight sessions recorded for John Peel in the early ’80s. While some fans may find their live sessions less expansive than their studio albums, remembering they were being recorded at such an early stage is essential in understanding why.
This album is an outstanding showcase of Dead Can Dance’s evolution as a group. Their debut track “Dawn of the Iconoclast” shows signs of rougher production compared to later releases due to being recorded as a demo before signing with 4AD. However, other tracks on this record showcase their immense skill: Gerrard’s haunting vocals make these tracks unforgettable listens. For any Dead Can dance fan this collection of tracks should be required listening – with tracks like “Cantara” being an essential feature!
Dionysus
Dionysus stands out in power metal with their distinctive style of music and approach. Not following in the footsteps of acts such as Dragonforce with their flash and speed approach to their music, they opt instead for classical influences in their sound instead. Also evident on their album title track are extensive keyboard usage.
This album from the band follows in the footsteps of their debut, yet does not reach the same levels of excellence. Still, it makes a lasting impression and features a more mature sound while keeping things straightforward; moreover, its focus remains on building an appealing rhythm which keeps listeners listening closely.
Dead Can Dance was formed in Melbourne, Australia and relocated to London the following year, where they started creating their unique blend of proto-gothic music and Renaissance instruments that became known as Renaissance Gothic music. At first there wasn’t an accepted name for this genre – yet eventually this band would release both an eponymous debut in 1984 as well as two tracks to This Mortal Coil’s It’ll End In Tears album that same year.
After taking a brief hiatus, Dead Can Dance returned in 2012 with Anastasis. On this album, their explorations into ancient rituals, spiritual essence and synchronicity came full circle; ditching their signature disjointed sound in favor of more focused specificity inspired by early Renaissance music.
Taken inspiration from different cultures, the duo combine their talents in crafting some of the most engaging world music you will hear on any album. Dionysus is an ideal example of this; drawing upon Greek mythology to depict its god of wine and festivity lyrically through imagery such as holding his thyrsus while drinking grapes is pure and divine, with accompanying video footage reinforcing this theme further. Chants are meant to convey his playful nature reflected by this song’s video footage.