GOLDEN APES
Riot
"Riot", the seventh studio album from the Berliner sextet, is a genuine Goth Rock masterpiece. The consecration of an own style that has been forged consistently year by year. They've kept out of the genre clichés reinventing themselves with each release. Now, Golden Apes shows us their maturity through the new songs which are pervaded with the band's distinctive bouquet. "Riot" is like a luxury bound book of dark melodies, that had been worn by time. A dramatic poem consisting of thirteen verses of warm melancholy and surrealism. Catchy music with an ocher sound texture, made up of powerful riffs, refined guitar melodies and gloomy synth envelopings. Above all, Peer Lebrecht's baritone vocals dominate the compositions with a bohemian performing, in the way of urban minstrels like Nick Cave or Iggy Pop.
"Prelude" piano notes fix the chiaroscuro soundscape in letany. The intro fades out with worrying keyboard notes as a warning. Then, "Devil" makes its appearence, driven by powerful Post-Punk bass lines and sharpened guitars in the classic 90s'German style, customized with beautiful string arrangements. "Torment" and "Vengeance" follow that path but also slow down the rythm progressively, getting the climax ready for the torn "Heart's Corrosion". Its crafted structure, combines evocative synths and arpeggios with epic guitar figures. The track fades out softly with a dying duet of piano and guitar. Cymbals introduce "Prudence", which speeds up the pace again through powerful chords and frenzy drumming, with Peer's voice fixing the tempos. Next songs of the album are "White Days", a waltz tribute supported by electroacoustic guitars, "Lithium", with hints that bring to my mind bands like Dronning Maud Land, and "Pieces", eclectic, harmonious, and distorted near the end to broke it as the title suggests. "(The lights of) Venus", "Animae" and "The Happy Losers, Sweet Delusions", make up a fascinating block of melancholic lyrics and sounds. And finally, the awesome title track "Riot". An over nine minutes length anthem that justifies by itself this CD purchase, which will stay in your mind forever. This timeless piece, along with the rest of the album repertoire, puts the German band as one of the strongest pillars of the current goth rock scene. Essential.
Review by Billyphobia
- 01. Prelude
- 02. Devil
- 03. Torment
- 04. Vengeance
- 05. Heart's Corrosion
- 06. Prudence
- 07. White Days
- 08. Lithium
- 09. Pieces
- 10. (The Lights Of) Venus
- 11. Animæ
- 12. The Happy Losers' Sweet Delusions
- 13. Riot