Dionysus
Dionysus is not just the god of music and wine; in pre-Christian Europe, he was a symbol of harvest and regeneration. Dead Can Dance’s ninth album invokes his legacy as best they know how—in a radical fusion of influences from around the world. Singing in invented tongues and using Bulgarian gadulka, Brazilian berimbau, Balkan gaida, rainsticks, birdsong, and more, the Australian duo conjures a characteristically majestic sound. “ACT I: Sea Borne” employs Eastern string melodies to signal the god’s arrival by sea; “ACT I: Dance of the Bacchantes” channels trance-inducing Middle Eastern drones and soul-shaking ululations, while the closing “ACT II: Psychopomp,” following Dionysus to the underworld, is among the group’s most hypnotic and melancholy songs. It’s a masterfully evocative synthesis of ancient rituals.
Pairing a world’s worth of traditional instruments with widescreen gestures, the legendary duo explore the myth of a Greek god in an unknown tongue.
One of the otherworldly bands that made eclectic record label 4AD so appealing in the '80s, Dead Can Dance, the duo of multi-instrumentalist Brendan Perry and surreal vocalist Lisa Gerrard, are still going strong and celebrate the end of a 6-year hiatus w
Australian duo Dead Can Dance follow-up 'Anastasis' with 'Dionysus' an album inspired by Greek mythology and split into two acts.
Dead Can Dance 'Dionysus', album review by Dave Macintyre. The full -length comes out on November 2nd, via Pias Recordings/A55