The Sisters of Mercy

A slight return to form for the Mission, Blue suffers from being too little, too late. The greater part of their fan base had dissolved in the wake of the pedestrian Masque, and goth rock itself had mutated into the more metal-influenced stylings of bands such as Type O Negative…

There is a happy land where the Mission never went off the boil, where the desperate maneuverings of Masque and Neverland never sent them spiraling away from what they did best, and where the upheavals and evils of the past ten years never once impacted the gorgeous gleam of post-Zep atmosphere and pre-Hollywood Tolkien-esque fantasy that was the hallmark of their best (first two) albums. It is a land that has been on regular display on-stage since the band's late-'90s reformation, but Aura, a U.K. release in 2001 that finally reached America 12 months later, was its first studio manifestation – and what a joy it is…

An interesting collection, Grains of Sand is not a Mission album proper, but rather a chance for the listener to hear the other songs that were recorded for Carved in Sand. The single "Hands Across the Ocean" is a nugget of pop brilliance that hints at what came next for Wayne Hussey. Most of the tracks are solid, but covers of "Love," and "Mr. Pleasant" are better off as B-sides. The strength of songs like "Hands…," "Divided We Fall," and "Mercenary" are good arguments that the sessions for Carved in Sand produced what could have been one hell of a double album. ~ Chris True

It's not just that the Mission changed their sound, it's that they changed it numerous times on one album. For bands in the goth-pop genre, 1992 was kind of the breaking point: in England, shoegazer and baggy had changed everything, and in the U.S., Nirvana and grunge added a whole new barrier to Brits trying to break into the States. Some acts like All About Eve tried shoegazer, and to a certain degree, it worked, while others would embrace their Englishness full-on or would turn to America and turn up the angst. The Mission, for some strange reason, went for a little bit of everything…

Die Krupps are fairly unknown in the UK, but this album illustrates why their brand of industrial metal deserves some serious respect…

Along with Front 242, the German group Die Krupps stands as one of the innovators of the subgenre of Euro-rock dubbed body music, a sound characterized by its dense electronic makeup as well as its harsh, visceral execution. Die Krupps came together in 1981 as a duo comprised of vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and mouthpiece Jurgen Engler, formerly of the German punk outfit Male, and ex-Propaganda member Ralf Dorper. Over the course of the group's first three records – 1981's Stahlwerksinfonie, 1982's Volle Kraft Voraus, and 1984's Entering the Arena – Die Krupps continued to refine its lyrically bleak, synth-based sound. (A two-record retrospective covering these three LPs, Metalle Maschinen Musik: 91-81 Past Forward, appeared in 1991.)…

Wayne Hussey - Songs Of Candlelight And Razor Blades (2014) [2CD] {Eyes Wide Shut Recordings}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 766 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 334 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 102 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2014 Eyes Wide Shut Recordings | EWSR 019
Rock / Alternative Rock

This album is absolutely stunning. Hussey's song writing has matured over the years so that now I find I prefer this and the last Mission album more than the original stuff I grew up with and loved. (Maybe I get old to and mature). If you are looking for something dark, romantic and chilled then this is perfect. I've long felt Wayne is one of the greatest but most overlooked songwriters of his (or any) generation. His best lyrical work stands up with the greats and this album has plenty of examples. Forget your preconceptions about what you think you might know about him and give this a listen. Truly a great album and it's get better every time you listen to it. Hopefully more will come from Mr Hussey as a solo performer.