
Die Feen – EULOGY
The past is dark. There’s no way around it. Anybody who actually goes to history class and comes out smiling is a psychopath. There can’t be any debate about that, and also no debate about learning your history and getting used to the darkness and the cold, which is a good thing. If nothing else, it might help spot the next moustachioed, toothless Austrian street person trying to launch the world into disaster.
This is why gothic music, and all of the stylers in its immediate vicinity, is nothing to be scared of. Sure, there’s a bit of a dress code and a book of rules that musical participants must adhere to, but so is every other club in the world. Gothic music is really about fantastic things, most of them true, that we think might never happen again.
Die Feen’s “EULOGY” is part of something of a gothic-rock concept piece that tells the story of foreign spies and professional diplomats. It packs a few thrills and proves that this kind of music is best enjoyed as a soundtrack piece. Meanwhile, Die Feen employ their best 2000s Iggy Pop voice, with a deep baritone presiding over the mesmeric music.
Silver Dust – Follow Me
Art is different to business when you consider them theoretically. But, in the real world of failure and success, the two are often the same thing. In art, as in any form of business, zeroing in on your niche is essential to achieving results. The smaller the niche and the more dedicated the people in it, the higher the likelihood of quickly picking up an audience you will have.
But don’t just assume that an audience will go for anything just because it has the general characteristics that fit the niche. Don’t just assume that audiences don’t know if a song is good or that you can just confuse them with the right set of clothes. A good song is a good song anywhere. A self-respecting member of any musical scene will only play the music back in the comfort of their home, provided that they’re convinced of its quality.
Silver Dust’s “Follow Me” is an extremely competent gothic-metal song. Then again, bands like Moonspell or Paradise Lost included well-above-average musicians during their heyday. While this particular style has lost some of its mainstream appeal, there are still plenty of gothic-rock fans in various factions out there.
Most of the time, they have to settle. Silver Dust, on the other hand, sounds highly professional and motivated. What’s more, the Swiss band seems to know its way around a pop hook. In fact, the musicians are almost too skilled, something that Silver Dust may need to fight against in a music scene, but musical proficiency has been forgotten. Should they easily overcome this hurdle, the band will join their alt-metal heroes soon enough.