Search - Siouxsie & Banshees :: Join Hands (Dig)

Their Darkest Hour

Michael Martarano | New Haven, CT | 10/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the Siouxsie and the Banshees album people love to hate. Even the Banshees themselves have little good to say about it. So, let me be one of the first to say that I love this album.



It's royally screwed up, stark, noisy, menacing and capped off with one of the most horrific songs ever recorded in musical history. Ironically, The Lord's Prayer, their first song ever performed live caps the last song of the last album they would record with their prior drummer and guitarist. The Banshees could very well have broken up after this album.

So what you are hearing here is the end of a story, no hope, no optimism, no joy, nothing good at all. That said, if this sort of mess is appealing to you, then this album will surely be music to your ears.



The songs with the exception of 'Playground Twist' are minimalistic and militant mantras against Religion, Class and Society. The beats are consistently tribal and militant, the guitars are consistently shredded and Siouxsie is consistently high strung, angry and yelling at you. It is pure Post-Apocalyptic Fascism in it's most current form.



It's Post-Everything.



My recommendation, wait till midnight, turn off all your lights and listen to The Lord's Prayer. The words are chock full of references about Nazism and the Occult...



"Running Red on White"

"March, Left Right Left"

"Milk White Skin"

"Tomorrow Belongs to Me"



And more Anti-Christian sentiment than any Crass song ever recorded...



"Feel safe in your house of God, but you'll never get to Heaven"

"No you'll never get to Heaven. Not even if you're good. There's never ever been a heaven"

"I'm gonna get you in the end"



That said, I dub this one of Siouxsie and the Banshees best songs and creepiest albums.



- Michael Martarano"