Review: 11.2006

BY BLOOD ALONE
Eternally ep
(Jericho Hill)

It's not often you hear of a musician relocating to Maine to form a goth band, especially considering John Graveside's (AKA Rowan Bishop) previous group was the NYC-based roots-rock Trailside Rangers. But it's really the mildly dark undercurrents of siren-voiced Cruella, coupled with the icy, church-organ keyboards of Jenny Williamson, that earn his new five-piece it's "goth" tag anyway. The band's metal-tinged playing can sound a bit too conformist and by-the-numbers, as if they're self-consciously treading in a genre they're not yet comfortable with. Regardless, it's Cruella's alluring pipes that take center stage throughout, especially on the two lengthy, dirge-like ballads "Eternally" and "Darkman". Despite the somewhat clichéd sound, it's likely that fans of the Projekt/Darkwave label's music will find much to treasure here.

- Mark Suppanz-