Clan of Xymox

There’s something comforting about knowing that whatever comes and goes, there will always be a few bands out there that stay true to all things dark and sullen. The Dutch five-piece masters of electro-goth prove themselves again with note after note of their signature spooky elegance. The electronic elements of synthesiser and drum machine rhythm are met with choir samples and the distant chiming of bells, violin and mandolin, infusing all ten tracks with an unpretentious gothic-ness that has yet to be matched. Ronny Moorings delivers words of loss, change and regret in his baritone croon as the songs go between melancholy ballads and beat-filled numbers of a quicker BPM. This disc exemplifies music, mood and message and how all parts together work to create atmosphere. If ever there was a band who could master the gothic genre without getting lost in the whole aesthetic of it all, Xymox is it and they do it here beautifully. As far as catchy, moody goth music goes, they know the formula. They wrote the book on it. With infectious beats and all its moodiness, whether at home or on the dance floor, "Farewell” is another notch in their bedpost of stellar accomplishments.