THE DARK SIDE ALBUM REVIEW

I learnt about The Dark Side at EnigmaMusic forums just about a week after it got released. There were no reviews just a link to www.gregorian.de and the track-listing that looked scaring for some people, they saw such titles as Unbeliever, Ave Satani, The End and got really frightened and decided to give up on Gregorian, I think they missed a lot, although I suppose they wouldn't like it since they complained about such dark titles.
Anyway, I went to a music store and bought the CD, on my walking home I was thinking how I would come have my meal, turn off the light and would be listening to The Dark Side laying in my bed (it was evening). I expected an ambient kind of music; Ave Satani seemed to be something like Gravity Of Love by Enigma. I was slightly wrong...
So, I switched off the light, inserted the CD and pressed the play button.

Hurt

Sound was coming and becoming loud, a dark melody something like layered piano and guitar was saying: 'Don't expect anything funny and happy'. Then, a strict slightly loud and bit scaring voice appeared. It was Hurt by Nine Inch Nail.

My Immortal

If you happen to listen to modern 'hits' radio, then I guess you recognise this songs that was often played a year ago. I hope Evanescence will forgive me for my thinking that Gregorian did it better ( sure, there wouldn't be the Gregorian version of My Immortal but for Evanescence). Even my friend who didn't know anything about Gregorian didn't believe his ears when he heard it for the first time, he asked me if Gregorian was first to write this song.

The Four Horsemen

'The leading horse is white, second horse is black…' and a one minute long guitar-drum solo at the end. A very dynamic song. Well done

Unbeliever

A marvelous piano melody that goes through the whole song. An unforgettable songs that is written by Gregorian producers - Michael Soltau.

Where The Wild Rosed Grow

I must admit that I didn't hear the original version of this song by Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue, but something told me that this one should have a female vocal. My strange feeling was right. A very beautiful song that makes you sing: 'She was more beautiful woman...'.

Close My Eyes Forever

'So beautiful' - I said when I heard the first chords of this song. Dark and romantic.

More

Loud drums, distorted guitars, a strong female vocal. A powerful song.

Uninvited

A song that seems calm and a just a bit boring at the beginning and then says: 'No, I'm worth listening to'.

The Raven

When I heard it for the first time, I had only heard instumental compositions by The Alan Parsons Project, but at the middle of the songs I said 'Damn, this is Alan Parsons!', I looked up in the credits and made sure that I was right.

Gregorian Anthem

Calm and slow at the first, but soon a heavier sound appears making you want to run across you room. Then, the misterious Latin whispers appears and it transists to... Ave Satani.

Ave Satani

Oh yeah, that scaring title. Very noisy sound, wonderful 'Ave Versus Christus' verse. Some people say that is a unmelodic song, but in fact there's a melody, just noisy a bit, athough they thing so, I strongly believe they can compose soemthing similar to it.

In The Shadows (Bonus)

The fact that it's a bonus song probably means that it wasn't planned along as others songs and there were no place for it in the album. Personally, I don't like it very very much.

In conclusion, this is indeed a great album, it doesn't sound like the previous ones, by the way, do you remember what Frank Peterson said in the MOC IV booklet? And it might seem unpleasant for some people, although such people just looked at the track-listing and didn't even give it a listen. Yes, it's dark, but it's romantic and beautiful at the same time. So, I highly recommend it!

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