THE QUIET ZONE / THE PLEASURE DOME

Quiet Zone is an entirely different VDGG album. As a matter of fact, it is so different that you might actually like it even if you hate all other VDGG output. Of course you also might hate it even more...

There are a number of reasons for all that: First of all we find Hammill using an entirely different range of his voice again: cleaner, gloomier, less aggressive and more restrained, much like he would be using on his succeeding solo albums. Then, with half of the band gone, there's no sax nor organ anymore but violin and cello instead. Which obviously brings forth a big change in sound. And last but not least, it has groovier and more recognizable 5 minute songs instead of the usual 10 minute chunks of operatic drama of the preceding albums.

Quite a change indeed but still it's a good album, even though it does not always convince me everytime I listen to it. Maybe the new members in the band needed another year to develop their sound and maybe a second album would have been a real winner. But that was not to happen. 3.5 stars.