In the wake of the raucous garage rock revival, goth has made a small but notable comeback. The Cure has returned with a new album and their own touring music festival, Curiosa. The usually overbearing and immature Blink 182 summoned their dark goth roots with their single, “I Miss You”. The first verse brings back to the airwaves a self-pitying narrator that has long been missing from the airwaves: “Hello there / The angel from my nightmare / The shadow in the background of the morgue / The unsuspecting victim / Of darkness in the valley / We can live like Jack and Sally if we want / Where you can always find me / We’ll have Halloween on Christmas / And in the night we’ll wish this never ends / Wish this never ends”. The film industry is reveling in misery with a resurgence of zombie and horror flicks (28 Days Later, The Dawn of the Dead, The House of 1000 Corpses, and the hyped Saw, due in the fall). Finally, in the recent issue of BlackBook magazine, Chris Lee, in his article “Death Becomes Her”, discusses the rise of “modern gothic” in the post-9/11 art world. Whatever the reasons, kids are getting in touch with their darker selves.
On their fourth full length, Obsession, Eighteen Visions turns up the goth barometer to unintentionally comic heights. From the white, textured cardboard slipcase with a die cut of a heart, to the laughter inducing band photography (featuring one band member holding rose petals preciously in his hands), Eighteen Visions has carefully crafted an album of preposterous sadness and heartbreak. Nothing here seems sincere, everything achingly calculated for maximum emotional effect.
Producer Mudrock, who has also worked with alternative radio regulars Godsmack and Powerman 5000, pushes the distorted guitars to the back of the mix and brings James Hart’s raspy vocals to the forefront. The lead title track sets the mood for the rest of the album. Repeating the words “Obsession. Desire. Depression”, Hart will no doubt connect with heartbroken LiveJournal punk kids immediately. The following twelve tracks mix hardcore breakdown and mosh parts with radio-friendly melodies. None of this is inventive enough to attract listeners who aren’t already fans. With the Dillinger Escape Plan dropping their envelope pushing Miss Machine earlier this year, Neurosis continuing to expand their vision with A Sun That Never Sets, and Converge’s new full length, You Fail Me, ready to drop and blow minds in the fall, Eighteen Visions doesn’t bring anything new or musical to the table.
The album ends the way it started, on a precisely crafted note of melancholy. The overwrought, orchestrated ballad “Said and Done” closes the album, ending with the lyric, “After all is said and done / You’re not mine”. One can almost imagine the cascade of rose petals that will fall upon the band when they play this song live — but this is only speculation.
The liner notes, in addition to various instrument sponsorships, also lists what clothing the band wears. With no less than seven fashion companies carefully dressing the band, it’s evident that Eighteen Visions is selling more of a lifestyle than music. With their carefully cut hair, individual portraits, and Hot Topic-ready alternative rock, it’s hard to take any of this seriously. The only Obsession I see present on the record is the one the band members have with themselves. This is one album the modern goth can do without.