Zarko

In February of 1984, the duo released their first full studio album four years in the making, the self titled ‘Dead Can Dance’; the album is unique in the DCD landscape in that there is a clear and heavy goth-rock/post-punk influence that is taken out of the equation until much later in their career, and even then it is only used in small doses. They very much fitted into the 4AD mould of that time, as well as garnering attention from ‘The Cure’ fans, and other bands of such ilk. Throughout is littered aspects of experimental ethnic fusion, enough to warn of possible future changes, but none too direct. The album art is of a tribal mask to represent the idea of the dead dancing. From DCD.com, “The mask, though once a living part of a tree, is now supposedly dead. Nevertheless, it has, through the artistry of its maker, been imbued with a life force of its own.”

The album begins with ritualistic fervour with The Fatal Impact, an explosion of sound leading into a basic guitar riff, giving way to an interesting to and fro between two groups of ‘vocalists’, almost like a lead singer imploring the crowd to get behind him in a concert. The Fatal Impact holds off on introducing the duo too quickly by being a purely instrumental track.

Stage right, Perry stands up and takes notice, leading a melancholic ‘goth pop’ vibe with The Trial. He doesn’t attempt anything special, his warm tones kept to a dull drawl. The instrumentals leave a bit to be desired, the drumming almost sounding like they could/have been done on a drumming machine. This isn’t inherently bad, but an interesting note nonetheless. “All my senses rebel” stands out lyrically on the album, nothing spectacular on its lonesome, but its vivid imagery is fascinating.

Stage left, Gerrard joins in the procession as Frontier acts as a symbol for where the band would soon head, metallic and harsh tribal drumming and percussion infused with her angel like vocals. The pace of the instrumentals and vocals in conjunction is wonderful. Fortune signals the return of Perry and his rock style. The comparison between the two artists style is quite wide-ranging on the self-titled, but what’s even more amazing is the difference production-wise, which doesn’t make too much sense. Perry’ vocals seem to be hidden behind not only a veil of ‘sound fog’ but also the instruments and percussion. It doesn’t lend itself well in contrast to Gerrard’s songs. Perry sounds mechanic and processed, whilst Gerrard shines through naturally.

The balance between the two artists is key to the albums success, and in Ocean Gerrard once again has the scene to herself in the most stunning vocal performance on the album, Gerrard releasing a lush vibrato sound with her singing, accompanied by only minimal chiming and guitar. The use of glossolalia is a huge factor in the sensation the song causes. Glossolalia refers to the use of syllables fluently to create a ‘language’ of sorts that has no literal meaning. From Greek, the word translates into ‘speaking in tongues’.


Perry’s East of Eden is unlike his previous work in that the pace is calmed and instead of aggression shining through his work is a song of stillness and reflection. Threshold fuses the more goth-rock sound present in Perry’s side of the album with Gerrard’s vocals to create a fine crossroads between the two in another album standout. These reviews namesake, A Passage In Time, doesn’t offer too much of interest, and is rather skippable once you've heard it once or twice.

Perry’s best composition on the album comes with Wild In The Woods, despite still suffering from poor production. It is simple but a tad more experimental aurally in comparison to the rest of his work, and his tonal work is just superior in my opinion. Musica Eternal offers a fabulous finale, and who better to lead the procession that Gerrard, though Perry is more influential than in her other pieces, only offering a ‘hum’ but his warm and deep basic tones are unmistakable. The song threatens to take off, but its attempts are futile, being anchored to the earth in a tease.

With the distinction between two artists especially present on their first release, it is often difficult to believe that the pair actually thought they would fit together in a band aspect. Each leaves theirs own individual brand on the album, and sometimes with great results. Production, however, leaves a lot to be desired, with Perry’s work particularly hindered by its poor quality. The two ‘faces’ of the album often feel too separate, each side pulling in vastly different directions which of course destroys any sense of balance until late in the album. Still, there are some gems on the album, particularly Ocean. The album was re-released in 1994 with their 1984 EP ‘Garden Of The Arcane Delights’ attached at the end.


In a Few Words: Not necessary, but an interesting look at the beginnings. If starting out, look elsewhere.
Best tracks: Ocean and Threshold
Running time: ~36 minutes/~51 minutes with EP 'Garden Of The Arcane Delights'
Favourite Lyrics:
"All my senses rebel
Under the scrutiny of their persistent gaze.
It took a lifetime to get here,
A journey I'll never make again."

Rating - A solid 6/10

NOTE - I just learned that DCD are one of the unlucky bunch who get anally raped by WMG on youtube. Apologies.