Surprise.

Wow. A year between blog posts. That’s not excessive right? Uh, so, how’ve you been? Good? Things going well? Awww, come on, this doesn’t have to be awkward. It’s not like anyone ever read this thing anyway…you don’t have to lie to make me feel better. Hell, no one’s reading this thing right now, so I’m just talking (typing?) to myself like a crazy person at this point. I could say anything right now and it wouldn’t matter. Turnip kitten car wall. See? It’s kind of liberating, actually. Look, in my defense, it’s been a really, really busy year. I moved to a new town, got a new job and have generally been working way too much. Throw in some volunteering on top of all that and my brain is pretty much the consistency of yogurt when I’ve got free time. And not the firm, Greek kind either, but more like the cheap runny kind you only buy ‘cause it’s on sale and you’re already not sure if you’re going to make your rent this month but you know you should eat yogurt 'cause it's good for you so you've gotta buy something. Not trying to make excuses, I’m just sayin’. So what say we blow the dust off this thing and try again?



Like I said, I’ve been running around a lot which means I’ve been listening to a ton of music since I can keep it all in my pocket (yay for the future!). Specifically, the new Bella Morte album, Before the Flood, has been burning a hole in my iPod. Before going further, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you that I love this band. I’ve loved this band since about ‘99/2000 so after 11 years of fandom I might not be the most objective. But I’ll try.

If you’re not familiar with the goth scene then you should know that there’s a bit of a distinction between the deathrock kids (i.e., the ones who look like they crawled out of The Return of the Living Dead and listen to bands like 45 Grave, Misfits, Christian Death, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Specimen, etc.) and the IDM/EBM kids (i.e., the ones who look like they’re going to a rave and listen to bands like VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Beborn Beton, etc.). The magic of Bella Morte is that they’re able to bridge that gap. Each album has songs that appeal to the dance-happy-giant-pants glowstick crowd just as much as the spiked-collar-mohawk crowd, and one of the things I've enjoyed the most over the years is listening to them grow. This is a band that has expanded their sound with each album without losing any of what makes them great. If you put on Remains and then put on Before the Flood, even though the sound is light years apart, you'd still get the same Bella Morte vibe from both. There's been a definite progression with each album and they totally nailed it with this one. On the whole, Before the Flood has a smoother feel to it than any of their previous releases. It manages to take the slower, softer edged Bella Morte and marry it with the rougher, metal-tinged Bella Morte to come up with the band's strongest release to date. The production is slick, Andy’s vocals are in top form, and the music sounds tighter than ever.

Since I'm trying to be objective, as much as I enjoy the album, there are a few things to be aware of. Lyrically, it’s pretty much classic Bella Morte, which is either something you’ll love or hate. It should be obvious which side of the fence I fall on, but it’s worth noting. There are also a couple songs ("Skin" and "Undertow") that sound almost identical when they start. Maybe it's just me, but I still have a hard time telling which is which until the song gets going. It's kind of a Queen vs. Vanilla Ice argument with the beats being surprisingly similar.

What I’ve encountered when trying to get friends to listen to Bella Morte in the past is that some of them can’t get past the “goth” trappings. They weren’t listening to an album, they were listening to a “goth” album. This was more of a stumbling block with their early albums (the vocals could get a little dramatic and the production was pretty sparse) but it shouldn’t be an issue with Before the Flood at all. “Goth” or not, this album is just plain good. Plus, these are some of the nicest, hardest working guys out there. Don’t even get me started on their live shows. If they’re playing near you just go see them. End of discussion. You can thank me later.

Here's a song off the new album (not an official video, obviously):


Here's an older one:


And the official.