The second album from Scottish band Gothzilla is a smorgasbord of musical sounds from new romantic to metal. Their distinctive style draws mostly on 80s bands like Joy Division and Killing Joke even adding slices of industrial with some Gary Numan laden electronic elements on tracks like Negative Creep.
Lead vocalist, Tim Jarvis's style is somewhere between the low seductive tones of Iggy Pop and the urbane charm of Billy Idol with a mid-80s David Bowie added for good measure. There's strong attention paid to the melody on the album, with all of the band members (Graeme Fulton – Bass, Neil Winton – guitar, Tony Hodge – drums) contributing to the dark and Eeyorish elements in such a way that it stops the record sounding repetitive or durgy. It may be maudlin, but it's far from dull; in fact, it's a gritty and intelligent album that has an instant appeal. The band mix Gothic lyrics about Faustian pacts, religion and vampires with more earthbound subjects of love, loss and distrust with such ease: Whipping Boy challenges ideas of faith with fiery frustration, 3 Into 2 Won't Go is a snappy goth-rock ballad and the brilliantly sincere, Remembrance, marks a dramatic shift in the album's feel with a tender and moving lament.
Gothzilla are adept at blending well-crafted lyrics and refrains you'll have no problem plummeting into the depths of their musical necropolis.
Groupie Rating 4/5
