(2018) Dead Can Dance - Dionysus



Review: 
In Greek mythology, Dionysus represents the god of the grape harvest, winemaking, and wine, of fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. In ancient times, he was worshipped fondly by his followers with cultural festivities, wine-induced ritualistic dances, intense and violent orgies, and secretive various depictions of drunken revelry (the Dionysian Mysteries). What he embodied was the intoxicating portion of nature. The worship began as a celebration of culture, with plays and processions, and progressed into a cult that was shrouded in mystery. It was characterized by a worshipper’s powerful identification with and emotional connection to the god. The rituals behind the celebrations and the symbolism of creative renewal is what provides the creative impetus behind Dead Can Dance’s album Dionysus. 
The Dead Can Dance’s creative force, vocalist Lisa Gerrard and multi-instrumentalist Brendan Perry first met in Melbourne in 1979 and developed through the same “new wave” music scene as singer Nick Cave. They formed the band Dead Can Dance in 1981 and the duo has been creating boundary-breaking music ever since. Throughout their career, both Gerrard and Perry have proven to be unique sonic architects who never relied on blueprints. Over the years, the duo went to reap a rich harvest of influences as diverse as Renaissance music, Spanish and Celtic folk music, ancient forms of music, Gregorian Chants, Balkan folk music, music from the Middle East along with Joy Division and Scott Walker influences and vocals, ambient music that were mixed with ethnic African rhythms into a mélange that was uniquely their own. On top of that were incantatory wordless vocalizations by Gerrard, which was steeped in the older melismatic traditions and Perry’s dark tenor that added to their yin- yang relationship and work approach. 

Tracklist: 
01-Act I 
sea borne 
liberator of minds 
dance of the bacchantes 

02-Act II 
the mountain 
the invocation 
the forest 
psychopomp 

Summary: 
Country: Australia 
Genre: alternative folk, world