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May 17, 2012 |
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ELVIRA MADIGAN - Angelis Deamonae - Wiccan Aftermath
Black Lodge (2005) |
8/10 |
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01. Chrono Cross
02. Iieee
03. Alien Nation
04. Under Norrskenet
05. At Zanarkand
06. Jacob's Ladder
07. Spanish Train
08. The Leader
09. The Vision
10. What About Me?
11. Prisoners Of Fate
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When I first picked up the new ELVIRA MADIGAN CD and looked at the back cover, I thought "oh no...an album of all cover tunes?" I've never been a fan of cover tunes because to me, it seems like the easy way out. You know what I mean? If a song is already proven, then you're half way there. So, to me, an album that contains all cover tunes is not that enticing. However, when I first listened to "Angels Deamonae - Wiccan Aftermath" (which by the way is subtitled "Bloodstained Covers For Sirens And Sinners"), I was pleasantly surprised. Then, as I played the album for a second time, I was interested in learning more about ELVIRA MADIGAN - and I was impressed!
I have to say that that Marcus H. Madigan (the sole creator/performer behind the 'band'), has a completely refreshing attitude. After a period of self-realizaiton, Madigan decided to forego everything he thought about creating music and decided to play completely for himself. His rules, his ideas, his songs, all done his way. That stance gave Marcus the freedom to create, without the preconceived ideas behind most songs.
Madigan created his self titled debut, and the people started to listen. And then the accolades came. Marcus H. Madigan was on to something, and ELVIRA MADIGAN was born. Who would have thought? You throw out the rules, do your own thing regardless of the current trends, have no expectations, and then the success starts to come. Then, with the next two releases, "Blackarts" and "Witches - Salem (1692 vs. 2001)", the machine was in high gear. But when an artist is going full speed for any length of time, the inevitable will happen - creative burnout. That's what happened to Madigan, and he decided it was time to pause, recharge the batteries, and put out something completely fun. It was during this time that "Angelis Deamonae - Wiccan Aftermath" came to be.
The album is Madigan's take on some songs that he just really likes. Metal, pop, adult contemporary, it didn't matter because a good song is a good song. Having a black/death/goth metal band cover a TORI AMOS song might seem like a stretch to most people, and it is. But the version of "Iieee" is really out there but plain and simple, this tune works. I would be really curious to hear what TORI thinks of it.
In the metal department, ELVIRA MADIGAN'S cover of "Alien Nation" is a wonderful, black metal version of the SCORPIONS' hit. My first thought was that I liked this version better than the original. But then after the initial excitement of hearing something so different wore off, I realized that while this new version of the tune is really cool, the original, as is the case with most cover songs, is better. But this still kicks some major ass! The highlight of "Angelis Demonae - Wiccan Aftermath", however, is without a doubt "Spanish Train". This CHRIS DEBURGH song is tailor made for the black/goth genre. Everything in this song is perfect and a great choice for the disc. Sorry Chris, but this song now belongs to ELVIRA MADIGAN!
There are a couple more CHRIS DEBURGH tunes found here, but I would call them a trilogy as opposed to three songs - "The Leader", "The Vision", and "What About Me?" blend together very nicely. To be honest with you, I'm not sure if the songs were meant to be a trilogy or not (I'm not a CHRIS DEBURGH fan), but the result is very impressive I must say.
The only downside of the disc is the fact that there are four instrumentals. Though they are well performed, they just didn't do much for me. I really preferred the songs with vocals so I skipped to "Spanish Train" again.
Marcus H. Madigan is a stellar musician, and a man of complete integrity, something that is a rarity in the music biz. He has carefully picked great songs, the production and mix are amazing, and the artwork for the cover is killer. This, for me, is a great surprise. For "Angelis Deamonae - Wiccan Afermath" to garner an 8 from a guy who doesn't like cover tunes, well...you know that this is something really good. Check out ELVIRA MADIGAN if you like music that is uncompromising, and played/produced incredibly well. I can't wait to pick up Marcus' first two albums of original material! Nicely done Marcus! I'm off to the CD store! You should do the same.
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