On the evidence of this, the band's first record, Dead Can Dance can clearly be seen as a "Goth" group in the vein of Bauhaus, et al. The band's sound here is much more clearly based in the "contemporary"--Dead Can Dance uses traditional song structures, the group's instrumentation is almost entirely synthesized, and co-vocalist Lisa Gerrard's voice rarely gets into the truly ethereal, other-worldly realms that it would on later albums. Perhaps the most surprising single song on the album is "East of Eden." Built on a picked (and heavily echoed) guitar line and a rolling drum pattern, it is probably the only track in the DCD catalogue that can be described as relentlessly perky.
Standouts include "The Fatal Impact," which boasts a crystal-clear guitar sound, a scaling base line, and tribal chanting; "Wild in the Woods," which is underscored by a threatening, droning guitar; and "Musica Eternal," a subtle track that clearly indicates the path that the band would eventually follow. The CD appends the group's four-track GARDEN OF THE ARCANE DELIGHTS EP, which shows the first true steps down that path and features Gerrard using her voice startling effect, especially on "Flowers of the Sea."

• Format Detail: LP standard Jacket
• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop

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