BLOODY MARY - review added 2nd February 2011
Album Review: Party Music For Graveyards (2010)
For fans of: Alt Rock... and something a little different
Italian act Bloody Mary - Aldebran di Alteg on vocals, "Stranger" on bass, La Mountain and Gavin on guitars, and Juerghen on drums - already have one album "Blood 'n' Roll" (2005) to their names. That was set in an imaginary bohemien France and focused on lost souls and vampires.
Party Music For Graveyards - recorded and mixed at a Moonhouse studio by Danilo Stone Di Lorenzo, produced by Aldebran, and mastered in Helsinki at Finnvox Studios by Mika Jussila (Nightwish, HIM, Sonata Arctica) - apparently takes place during the Second World War in Germany.
The sound is doom-laden, rocky, and very gothic, but there's also a bright accessible, almost catchy side to the tunes. It would be quite easy to imagine some of this stuff bothering the charts. There are definite hints of Type O' Negative, Gary Newman, Muse, Mars Attacks (the film) and more going on. All in all, this is a frankly mad collection of riffs, samples and vocals that just happen to sound great when it's all glued together. It really isn't music in the conventional sense.
Good:
The variety and novelty of it all. There aren't many albums around that sound like this. Yes, Bloody Mary hint at other artists, but at worst they only take small chunks of other ideas. The musicianship and singing are all decent, the cover art is superb. I love the crazy effects going on in the background throughout. It's all very atmospheric.
Not So Good:
For some reason it feels reined in. The band's selling point is their disregard for normality, and I'd have liked to have seen them making something even more bonkers. Much of the album is intriguing. but simply sounds constrained.
The Songs:
I'm not sure there are any real standout songs, although 'Somebody to Love' and final track 'The Reason' probably get closest. For my ears this is an album to play in one go, allowing yourself to truly sink into its own little world and drift away on the wings of madness.
In Summation:
"Party Music For Graveyards" isn't as good as it could have been...but it's different, interesting, and may well generate these guys a big following. Deservedly so.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Check out... The madness of it all.
Track List:
01. Velvet
02. Better Down
03. Sobibor
04. Fallen Christ
05. Somebody to Love
06. Before You Fade
07. Dreamer
08. Gettin' Older
09. Pet Sematary (The Ramones Cover)
10. The Right Way
11. Deathly Gone
12. The Reason
Label: Valery Records
Artist's website(s): Bloody Mary | MySpace | Facebook
