It doesn’t happen much that I review an album from a band that has its 30th anniversary! I’m more than proud to be part of it! It’s clear that our friends are in a good shape!
Recently a certain organization called in The Sisters of Mercy as headliner. Some reactions were pretty negative and some called in they only wanted to see the 1985 version … Well, we all know that The Mission was born out of … I proudly stated that The Mission even crafted a new jewel and are live way better! Well … no one corrected me so far and I think we all know it’s more than correct to say that The Mission deserves to be headliner of big festivals and still manages to please its fan base!
Another Fall From Grace has a nice mix of a new sound, mixed with the sound of their biggest hits (Tower of Strength, Deliverance, Like A Child Again, Butterfly on A Wheel, Into The Blue, Amelia, …). Another cool thing is that Another Fall From Grace was produced by Wayne Hussey and Tim Palmer and features guest backing vocals from Gary Numan, Martin Gore (Depeche Mode), Ville Valo (HIM), Julianne Regan (All About Eve) & Evi Vine.
The album starts off with the title track Another Fall From Grace: it has the classic elements from the early years: a dramatic feel, electric 12 string guitar and a graceful voice. It feels like a homecoming song. It’s clear that Wayne Hussey still knows how to craft a diamond! The backings give it an angelic touch, whilst the main vocals crawls like a snake, slowly but surely devouring you from top to bottom! More flashback feelings enter with Meth-Amor-Phosis. It sounds like a new hit with a clear touch from their own past and it’s deadly and catchy! It’s an earworm and no treatment will cure you from it! The extra backings are for sure welcome (Ville Vallo)! I can almost write a book about the strength and the quality of this pearl but I’m pretty confident that you can discover why! We hear a bit more electronics with the start of Within The Deepest Darkness (fearful), the bass plays an important role and the whispering gives it a scary touch. I hear some guitars that remind me a bit of their past and it fits perfectly within the new sound (do I hear trumpets in it?)! The end is pretty catchy with the backings crying fearful (yup: we hear Gary Numan a lot). Blood on The Road sounds like written for a vampire or some kind of monster movie. More catchy tunes come in with the melancholic: Can’t See The Ocean For The Rain. Here again the extra vocals gives it that little extra push to make it score! The sadness and melancholy will kill you and you won’t be able to forget this song! It’s a soft killer! It’s also clear that Wayne can still scream like the best and spit his soul out as if he got nothing to lose! Tyranny Of Secrets starts pretty energetic and sounds pretty retro (anno 1985). Old school fans will be very pleased with the sound and the feel! I can see this one getting high score during gigs rendering perfectly the live energy! Never’s Longer Than Forever is a slow song, that picks in the sound and spreads like mist. The female backings give it something almost esoteric and even erotic. With a bit of phantasy you can make a X-mass song out of it! Bullets And Bayonets could be a 1977 outtake from Iggy Pop’sThe Idiot revisited with a The Mission touch. It feels like a snake is slowly strangling you whilst somebody injects you with morphine. It feels hot, almost as if you are standing in the Mojave Desert! I adore the backings and the guitar sound. Valaam is a short but very powerful interlude, showing off that The Mission can also figure in movies! It’s scary and good story telling! Jade is a dramatic and a very slow grower. The electronics and the piano enchant you together with the vocals. Only You And You Alone sounds dark and angry, but could also be a love song in a twisted way. The dramatic and melancholic feel make you lose yourself into the darkness. The backing vocals will turn you on (yup: Martin Gore)!
Last track is Phantom Pain somehow it reminds me of the last album from David Bowie on which he was setting out his last marks. It’s dark, slow and has a spooky hobo in it. It sounds very different from the other tracks and I hope it won’t be Wayne’s last track ever!
One thing is for sure: I hope this band will last even longer after 30 magical years! Go see them on stage and scream for Wayne if it happens you end up in from of a gig with The Sisters of Mercy! The new album is darker than the previous one, but goes back to the 1985 sound and shows a band in good shape, don’t even doubt about the great upcoming gigs!
Met-Amor-Phosis video:
THE MISSION Live On Tour 2016:
UK AND IRELAND TOUR
SAT 1-Oct-16 IRE DUBLIN ACADEMY
SUN 2-Oct-16 UK BELFAST LIMELIGHT
MON 3-Oct-16 UK GLASGOW O2 ABC
WED 5-Oct-16 UK MANCHESTER O2 RITZ
THU 6-Oct-16 UK NOTTINGHAM ROCK CITY
FRI 7-Oct-16 UK BRISTOL O2 ACADEMY
SAT 8-Oct-16 UK LONDON O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
EUROPEAN TOUR
TUE 11-Oct-16 PORTUGAL PORTO HARD CLUB
WED 12-Oct-16 PORTUGAL LISBON PARADISE GARAGE
FRI 14-Oct-16 SPAIN MADRID BUT
SAT 15-Oct-16 SPAIN VALENCIA REPUBLICA
SUN 16-Oct-16 SPAIN BARCELONA BIKINI
TUE 18-Oct-16 ITALY MILAN BLOOM CLUB
WED 19-Oct-16 SWITZ SWITZERLAND LAUSANNE LES DOCKS
FRI 21-Oct-16 GERMANY HAMBURG MARKTHALLE
SAT 22-Oct-16 GERMANY BERLIN POSTBAHNHOF
SUN 23-Oct-16 POLAND WARSAW PROGRESJA
MON 24-Oct-16 SLOVAKIA BRATISLAVA MMC
TUE 25-Oct-16 AUSTRIA VIENNA SZENE WIEN
THU 27-Oct-16 GERMANY MUNICH BACKSTAGE
FRI 28-Oct-16 BELGIUM WARGEM EXPO
SAT 29-Oct-16 GERMANY COLOGNE ESSIGFABRIK
MON 31-Oct-16 HOLLAND UTRECHT TIVOLIVREDENBURG (Pandora Hall)
TUE 1-Nov-16 FRANCE PARIS BUS PALLADIUM
THU 3-Nov-16 LEEDS O2 ACADEMY
FRI 4-Nov-16 LONDON O2 FORUM
SAT 5-Nov-16 UK WHITBY GOTH WEEKEND
SUN 6-Nov-16 BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE
AUSTRALIAN TOUR
FRI 11 NOV -16 – THE FACTORY, Sydney NSW
SAT 12 NOV -16 – THE TRIFFID, Brisbane QLD
SUN 13 NOV -16 – MAX WATTS, Melbourne VIC
TUE 15 NOV -16 – THE GOV, Adelaide SA
WED – 16 – NOV – 16 – CAPITOL, Perth WA