AION

This album from Dead Can Dance might just be their most accessible. Though it's not their best in my opinion, it is still good and still give a pretty good example of their sound. There is plenty of darkness on this on, however, there are actually tracks that are light hearted (Salterello will make you think you are listening to a traditional European folk band). That's something that is quite rare with DCD. But they do it well. This album is made up mostly of traditional music and not original songs. The songs mostly come from old world European and other cultures. I think this is a very good mix and the sound never seems to get drawn down into dark oblivion. Most of the songs are quite short and this might concern some people because one of DCD's problems with short songs in the past has been that they seem underdeveloped and cut short. Not the case here though. Each song is well developed and given excellent creative attention. Both Gerrard and Perry have plenty of vocal time throughout this album, even mixing their voices at times. There is some nice harmony on "The End of Words". Great percussion and brassiness (yes the brass is back again, even though it is electronic brass) on "Black Sun". Even with the differences on this album, it still has plenty of the dark DCD sound that they are famous for, but it is mixed with a good amount of lightness to help make the entire album easier to listen to for first timers. For those familiar with DCD's sound, this album may seem shallow at first, but there should be enough here to keep you happy (or gloomy) after a few listens. Like anything that DCD does, this definitely deserves attention. I will rate this one at 3 stars but it is probably more like 3.5, not as good as "Dying Sun" but better than "Serpent's Egg".