Search - Faith & Muse :: Elyria

To quote Barry White, "Ohhhh yeaahhh..."

Scott Sweet | Colorado Springs, CO | 02/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Appropriately enough, this was the First F&TM I got to hear. The tribal chant of "Elyria" lets you know the album has both drama and savvy. The mythology and literary touches on this debut are a trademark of the now-married duo. Though their first album together, neither was new to the scene. William Faith is an alumnus of Christian Death and Mephisto Walz, while Monica got her chops in bands such as Madhouse and Strange Boutique.Track two, "Sparks," is just a damn good song. Most F&TM reviews on this site mention the song at least once. A balanced, waltzy rocker with bells, wet guitar and vocals that show energy AND restraint. The third song ("All Lovers Lost") shifts the CD into a Celtic gear for awhile. The guitar instrumental "Interlude: Annabell" is worthy of Jose Feliciano. The Celtic tracks are right out of a Renaissance fair. The coolest thing I've seen yet in a live show was when F&TM played in Denver, and not ten feet from me a guy in full Native American dress and facepaint strutted his stuff to "The Unquiet Grave," a bouncy Celtic lament. William brings his A-game on the thunderous rock epic "The Trauma Coil." Here again, smart mixing; he's yelling but mixed lower so you can hear all the instruments. A trace of Rozz Williams pervades the song. "Mercyground" is a good cool-down from the intensity of the last few tracks. It's slower, and allows Monica to showcase her full vocal arsenal. Then comes "Heal," their first song as a team. A tasteful, pleasant ballad of voice and acoustic guitar. "Epilogue: Twilight" is a soothing close to a great album that led to 1996's great and mighty "Annwyn, Beneath The Waves."Listen to the samples on this site just so you can say "Yeah, I'm a smart consumer." If you like goth/ethereal/rock/Celtic in any combination, you're gonna end up buying F&TM's catalog anyway."