Bad Ambient

Deathrock creature worshippers Bloody Dead And Sexy are back with their fourth studio album "Bad Ambient". Far from living on credit as another genre acts, the Germans have gone out for exploration with the new release. Even keeping their hallmark sound safe, the band has submerged into the murky waters of psychedelia. As a consequence, their nightmarish and theatrical nature has been sharpen. The Bloodies unleash their creativity throughout oddly complex structures and raving melodies, resulting in outlandish soundscapes where the band makes their own a rich variety of influences.

The album's opener "One by One" defines Bloody Dead And Sexy's addictive dark-rock formula: crisp drumming, vibrant guitar riffing, assertive bass lines and cunningly delirious singing, changing skillfully the pace. The rockabilly tinged "Never Street", or the convulsive deathrock anthems "Torn Velvet Blues" and "Something Real", follow that path demonstrating that these guys are experts in the art of dancefloor tragedy. "Baby Moon" makes a virtue of its emotional polarities. Coming with zinging harmonies, soft percussion and acoustic-guitar melodies in a Cure-esque manner, the track is gradually twisted by hilarious howlings and agressive riffs. "Gloom Within" changes dizzily the tempos. Slow distressful passages, which provide a suitable backdrop for the dismayed vocals, are alternated with rabid guitar episodes and forbidding drum thuds. Following "Plastic Night Sky" and The Doors' cover "End Of The Night" are the album's crowning moments in my opinion. Featuring not less than Gitane Demone on vocals, these songs are melodramatic deathrock glory in its pure form, the seventies-mirrored one. The sound is imbued by the diva's characteristic obscure magic through intriguing moans and hums. Matias 13 doesn't hesitate to go off in more experimental directions, changing keys unexpectedly or soloing his way up the neck of the guitar, reinforcing the anxiety-inducing vocals. "Without" is propelled by prominent bass lines and industrial percussion. Dissonant pogramming and synthed saxo lines set up an unsettling ambiance. "Home Is Where My Heart May Rest" makes its sibylline appearence. Rosa Iahn's broken, harsh declamations, along with some haunting piano notes and chords, are enough to build up a terrifying environment. The drama increases near the end, falling the track into a ghostly spiral of chorus and strings. The final block offer a glaring proof that Bloody Dead And Sexy is a talented ensemble. Saddled between premeditation and improvisation, the last tracks fuse together such different styles as 70's rock, reggae, rockabilly, ska, metal or jazz. Even though it may seem a pretentious audacity, the Germans have overcome the challenge on a high note as demonstrated by the progressive "Bring Out Your Dead", the punk influenced "Wasting Time In Berlin" (featuring 45 Grave's legendary guitarist Kenton Holmes) or the psycho-metallic bonus track "House Of Common People".

Pounding melodramas swirling around intense riff&drum avalanches. Compellingly sinister and challenging, this album shows Bloody Dead And Sexy more sexy than ever.

Review by Billyphobia