... et les encouragements de Mick Mercer

Le plus beau cadeau sur ce tribute a été sans aucun doute la superbe chronique écrite par l'intransigeant Mick Mercer, chroniqueur anglais culte, spécialiste du mouvement gothique.
Voilà ce qu'il a écrit :

VARIOUS ARTISTS
TRIBUTE - ONLY THEATER OF PAIN
Alone Prod

‘Only Theatre Of Pain’ remains the greatest Goth album ever recorded, and so it isn’t surprising someone did a tribute, just as the album itself had a recent 25th anniversary relaunch. The quality remains as strong today as in the 80’s. The tension, the songs, the dappled majesty, the seedy determination – none have been surpassed.

Jacquy Bitch takes ‘Cavity – First Communion’ in a thicker direction, the music pulled tight round the neck of the vocals, but it still shivers as it flows. Ainsophaur take the opposite approach, allowing vocal stage centre and aching with a slobbering melancholia in ‘Figurative Theatre’ although avoiding the cool bass seems a weird choice, creating a warm haziness. The diseased glam of ‘Burnt Offerings’ disappears in No Tears’ version, but they do the perfect modern distillation, with poised morbid drama. Deadchovsky strike lucky with awesome ‘Mysterium Iniquitatis’ and give it a full tribute, plodding with menace and a Rozz inflection, and a viciously stern rising heat.

The comparatively restful ‘Dream For Mother’ with its enchanting guitar winking is always going to be a tricky one, as seductive as it is creepy, but the deranged dance approach of Excès Nocturne actually works because it arrows in on the inherent energy and shocks by beefing it all up. Having the vocals obscured doesn’t help, but musically it remains arresting and seething. Rosa Crux keep the eastern dour vibrancy to ‘Stairs AnteA’ but give it their more assured rhythmical attack which really brings what is perhaps the most orthodox track on the original alive afresh. De Volanges take the surreal and spewing blur of ‘Spiritual Cramp’ and give it a much sturdier righteous wrath which is a bit weird as this is the one song where you’d think the urge would be to scamper off to far horizons going mental.

‘Romeo’s Distress’ is a spine-tingling classic known to everybody and actually surprisingly lightweight first time around, so Noctule Sorix could do anything and, again, the result is odd, with selective lyrics peeping through a sweltering commercial brew of warmly plumped up rock! Instead of fire and ire you get a rosy glow, and how did that happen? Alien Marteens give some agile Industrial push to ‘Resurrection – Sixth Communion’ which makes sense, while Skeletal Family tackle the ambient absurdity of ‘Prayer’ and add some starker shape there, and I hang my head in shame that when I first saw their name on the list I figured they’d do the most orthodox offering.

As we move into the extra tracks from the ‘Deathwish’ EP (which were the tracks featured on the original Frontier CD version, although I would recommend the later 16 track version myself) Violet Stigmata do ‘Deathwish’ with a vigorous swagger like a leering Killing Joke
Comédie Macabre bestow a murderous chugging feel to ‘Dogs’ and nail the right spirit perfectly, then Terrill go for a truly mad inspiration and turn ‘Desperate Hell’ into a ranting punk epic, which really works!

A superb joint effort from all involved, bringing some unexpected slants into play but always with the best of intentions and giving the overall collection a bracing modern finish. Wonderful to hear.

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