Sarah Jezebel Deva

Sarah Jezebel Deva may be best known as Cradle of Filth's dark vocal angel, but she's a busy artist all around, contributing her soaring melodies to the work of other metal bands like Therion and Mortiis, plus writing for and fronting Angtoria's 2006 debut. A Sign of Sublime is her first official solo release, recorded with the help of Cradle of Filth's Dave Pybus on bass and Martin Powell (Cradle of Filth, My Dying Bride) on pretty much everything else, but drums. The Powell/SJD combination, in particular, was enough to set high hopes for this record, but the collaboration doesn't live up to its potential. A Sign of Sublime peaks with its orchestral and operatic moments, including the brief intro ("Genesis") and the Danny Elfman-ish fourth track, "The Devil's Opera." From there on in it's a gradual, and mostly downhill, slide that comes to a sudden crashing mess with the bonus cover of "Bitch." Those earlier shining moments and a few enticing instrumental interludes aren't enough to save the album, in the end.