Originally written for Destructive Music.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve heard a new goth’n’roll band, able to sound so old-school and so modern at the same time. Ladies and gentlemen, meet UNDECIMBER.

You know that dark but not depressive gothic sound that legends like THE SISTERS OF MERCY or CLAN OF XYMOX created in the early eighties? And then the rockier, heavier vibe that THE 69 EYES and LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE so well impersonated later on? Well these Swedes stay somewhere in-between both styles – therefore the “old school” and the “modern” adjectives mentioned previously.

And Patrik “Snakes” Ransäter couldn’t have a better voice for it! Deep, with a certain raspy edge to it, gloomy and vivid at the same time, like the music itself.

The first track, “Death By Design”, summarizes all of this dancing darkness that’s the band’s essence. The rhythm makes sure your body keeps moving to the sound of the music, while the melody and the voice lead your brain to dream of velvet and candlelit rooms. The electronic parts in “The Wicked” are heavier, enhancing the somber guitars and vocals. On the other hand, in “Never Broken”, it’s the guitars that sound heavier, cranking, making the melody of the synths sound softer. That’s how it goes throughout the album, a formula which alternates the emphasis on the guitars and keys, creating a characteristic and catchy mix of gothic and rock’n’roll. And if you’re afraid this might sound a bit repetitive, don’t be. UNDECIMBER always find a way of adding a unique detail here and there to the musical structure and make a bridge or chorus even catchier, so that each song will stick individually to your brain.

Like “Redemption”, which I catch myself singing often, or the piano-driven ballad “Take This Life”, or “Darkness” and its electronic effects, the hit-single quality of “Poison Within”… Well, you got the idea. Goth on!

Label: Downfall Records

Track list:

1. Death By Design
2. The Wicked
3. Never Broken
4. Demon My Love
5. Redemption
6. Aiming Low
7. Together In Death
8. Take This Life
9. Darkness
10. Poison Within

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