Dreams of Darkness the Morbid Cabaret begins...
Danielle Iversen | Wisconsin, USA | 04/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The heavy sounds, bass, and the mix of heated aggression in stylish percussion fills the atmosphere once Carfax Abbeys "Second Skin" begins. The intensity of this album drives home the apathetic vocals. With such songs as "Son" Carfax Abbey evokes the rage within our inner demons of our morbid world of un-acceptance, all the time not losing a single drop of oozing pain. It is common for an artist to cover an older or well respected artists song but to cover a song and cover it well is rare and often times the covers are thrown into the darkness never to be touched by the light. Carfax Abbey covered Gerard McManns "Cry Little Sister" not only is this a beautiful mix of the original context but the gothic vocals drench it in dripping emotion. This cover was not only done well but it would rank up with the best cover songs of the millennia. George McMann himself should be proud of such a masterpiece. "What lies beneath the surface is misconstrued" lyrics like those further drag the fans into the mixture of heated anxiety and compassion of vocalist Gary Billings, making this painful sentiment a reality. Where would a band be without at least one song of affection gone afire "Love/Hate kind" perfectly blends into a beautiful package of gothic sentiments and pure unrestricted abhorrence. All together creating a powerful ballad and a vigorous atmosphere which most anyone can relate. The listener's own intent heart beating in tune with the lyrics the painful reality of friendships turning into disdain feelings, and love sparking betrayal. The album continues to carry its morbid fascination with human imperfections right down into title track "Second Skin" within this track alone the listener is forced to think about the true meaning of the song, whether it is religious fundamentalism compared to the fallen hero and the angel who abruptly disappears and leaves the hero endlessly to debate whether god exists or not and why he was left to such a fate. Or perhaps this song is deeper than that and its about love dieing and leaving in place a cold and empty hole where the heart was beating merely seconds before, and yet the love and adoration for the one person who should have never hurt you never leaves and your stuck in limbo loving and hating. The intensity of this track alone makes the listener alone dig deep into there own inner psyche to discover the truth for themselves and perhaps not the band but what they own inner self wishes to believe. That condemns this song to perhaps be one of the most powerful, unnerving, and philosophical songs on this CD, perhaps that is why it was deemed and was worthy of becoming the title track. Songs like "The Healing" have been put onto such compilations as Asleep By Dawns magazines various artists CD, also Carfax abbey has appeared on "Music from the Succubus Club" the soundtrack to the popular game Vampire: The Masquerade. Portraying that Carfax Abbey has being its spiraling descent into fame and well-deserved recognition. The fan base is there, the underground is alive and the buzz is rampant fully blossoming, all we can do now is watch, listen, and wait as the morbid mystery of "Second Skin" and Carfax Abbey fully fuels the complex authority and belligerent hate. The talent is there, where will they go? The world will just have to wait. This entire CD as a whole makes the listener have to always rethink of the meanings and look at it from different directions its truly a inspiration and could very well become a classic in its own right."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1