ELIOGABALUS

At the beginning of this year I reviewed The Girl Who Was?Death by Devil Doll, which I believed to be a masterpiece. I made it a point for myself to also review all of his other works too, and as such I am finally doing so, at least somewhat spontaneously.

October is a pretty great month to listen to more spookier albums, and Devil Doll evidently brings in that spooky atmosphere in a very macabre manner with their albums. None of their albums are all happy, sunshine and rainbows, which is perfect for me because sometimes I crave that gloom and fear! The Girl Who Was?Death gave me that gloom in spades, and Eliogabalus does a good job at continuing it, whilst also trying its own thing here and there.

I say each Devil Doll record has something unique about them, and with there being five of them, it does allow for a lot of room to see which one you much prefer, which is a big benefit for the group, and too Mr. Doctor's work ethic. If you ask me, I'd say Eliogabalus is the Devil Doll album that is meant to be their "accessible" record, you know the one that is recommended for newcomers. This is mostly because of the fact the record features TWO songs, the most in any Devil Doll record! (No Dies Irae doesn't count. It is just split into parts. It is still one long song).

Obviously the term "accessible" is kind of weak in terms of Devil Doll's music, but I do think the term does have merit, especially since this is the first record where the band would abandon the more heavy metal sounds, and become more into a gothic plus heavy progressive rock sound. While I do think the metal aspects are certainly to be missed, Eliogabalus does a great way at expanding the more rock aspects that Devil Doll can promote.

Mr. Doctor, as an epic that shows off what the band can do in a rock context, is absolutely incredible! It continues the creepy streak that A Girl Who Was?Death started nearly flawlessly, with some of the best music and tunes I think you can find in progressive rock, especially for the early 90s. The section in the middle of the track that goes from a musical box sounding melody, to a more rocking track with a chorus is honestly my all time favorite moment from any Devil Doll number, right next to part 6 of Dies Irae. It may just be one part of a big whole, but I just absolutely adore it, especially with how it ends and turns into a very string heavy fade out! It is evidently my favorite track on the whole album, and probably one of my favorite Devil Doll tracks ever, probably right behind The Girl Who Was?Death.

However, sadly this is the start where Devil Doll wouldn't make such profound masterpieces like The Girl Who Was? Death, though they still would get close to the mark. For Eliogabalus, I'd say the title track does, in a way, bump this record down a peg for me. While I still really do enjoy the track, the title epic here feels sort of incomplete for me. It feels almost as if it was made for something way bigger, but was kind of shafted to the side in favor of making an album with more than just one track. There is still a lot to love about the track though, like how moody it can really get with the piano sections, and the more operatic complexities. In a way this kind of sound would be continued forward with Sacrilegium, since it is distinctly more Avant Garde than songs that came before, which is quite the plus since Sacrilegium is also another stellar album. However, I still feel that Eliogabalus, as a track, weakens a bit by the end, making me wish it was extended into something greater, just so I can really see this album as a masterpiece that Mr. Doctor shows that it can be.

Still, this is very high 4.5 for me, and I think it is an album any fan of gothic rock and prog rock should listen to! It is a very good intro into the world of Devil Doll, and the two sides does give a little leeway into his other albums. Do you like Mr. Doctor? Then check out The Girl Who Was?Death and Dies Irae! Do you prefer Eliogabalus? Then go on and listen to Sacrilegium and The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms! Either way, from this album you're definitely going to be getting into some stellar music!

Best track: Mr. Doctor

Worst track: N/A