Editorial Review

As AFI rode onto mainstream radio playlists with their gleaming major label debut, Read more

Reviews (214)

Loyal AFI Fan!!!
Decemberunderground is one of the greatest cd's ever!!! I love all of AFI's music and bands do change there style to keep up to date.Davey's style keeps the band going and his voice is great!!!Jade's style with his guitar is his own!! Every song on this CD is excellent and you will never tire of it. Even if you have never heard of AFI, you will love this CD, give it a try!!!

Not a shabby followup

A bold new direction.....in cruise control.
AFI is one of the more exciting acts in the quasi-rock mainstream.While they aren't risk takers in the Tim Buckley sense, they certainly aren't scared of adding fresh interesting levels to their maturing foundation. This of course accumliated in their best release to date,"Sing the Sorrow."This isn't the case with "December Underground" as they appear to have cut themselves down to the old punk quick so that they may construct an entirely different sound from the rubble.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Glam Rock    4. Goth Rock    5. Hardcore Punk    6. New Wave    7. Pop    8. Punk    9. Punk Revival    10. Rock    11. United States of America   

Reviews (9)

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!!!
The 13th Hour, along with all of MIDNIGHT SYDICATE's cd's are definately worth the purchase! Anyone that actually has listened to this cd knows that it's awesome! Disappointing or even falling flat definately not! ED AND GAVIN god bless you,and everyone involved in creating the greatest music now and for years to come. congrats!!!!

The Romantic Period Is Not Resting in Peace
I got this for Christmas, and I love it.In addition to what many others here have said, it's a dreamlike (sometimes nightmarish) rendition of a tour of a haunted Victorian mansion.It is mostly done with what sounds like classically trained musicians using the most modern of instruments, creating the effect of the Romantic period invading our modern world.

An Eerie Treat for the Imagination
The name Midnight Syndicate has become synonymous with incredible creepy, haunting, atmospheric soundscapes, and for good reason. Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have a highly noteworthy ability to combine ominously elegant sound effects and eerie, ethereal orchestrations into a memorable melange that is most certainly a treat for the ears and the imagination.
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Subjects:  1. Electronic    2. Goth Rock    3. Miscellaneous    4. Soundtracks    5. The ultimate Halloween soundtrack blending Midnight Syndicate's signature gothic orchestration, 80's-influenced horror movie music and chilling sound effects that draw you into the halls of a haunted Victorian mansion with a sinister history.   

Editorial Review

As Read more

Reviews (83)

They should release a 2-disc Greatest Hits Compilation.
...and this is the list of songs they should put on the compilation
Hidden stuff
I found this info on the Internet; I haven't verified it yet. A bit thin of a career retrospective.
A career overview of tracks selected by Robert Smith, "Greatest Hits" may be a bit of a misnomer, at least here in the United States, but nonetheless this proves to be a fine overview of the Cure's tenure with Fiction Records-- the only shortcoming of the piece is that as a single disc, selection had to be carefully performed and a number of critical pieces were omitted.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Goth Rock    4. New Wave    5. Pop    6. Post-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (288)

While I am a huge Henry Rollins fan...
...I must disagree with him. He has obviously put up a mental wall to anything by the Cure, but someone who ruminates on depression (in fact, makes a living off of it) so intensely can surely appreciate the level of intensity and emotional impact of Robert Smith's outlet, especially this album. Disintegration is flat out one of the most amazing albums of all time, by anyone. One thing I noticed while listening even for the first time was the visual impact it had. Not so much in the form of reality based images, but more like paintings. It's also one of the shortest long albums I own, meaning that it's 70-some minutes seem much shorter due to the album's ability to keep you mesmerized the whole time. As someone who generally listens to hardcore, extreme metal, and grind, I can tell you that all of those genres have nothing on this album in terms of intensity.
Amazing Album
The last 3 tracks on this album are as perfect for my soul as anything I've ever listened to. It's like Smith found a Chakra for our modern existence. If you are deep and contemplative, then turn the lights out, lie down, and put this record on.
On my top 5
They just don't make music this good anymore. This is one of the few albums that I could listen to over and over and was one of the last great albums of the 20th century. Great stuff! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative/Indie-Rock    3. College Rock    4. Goth Rock    5. New Wave    6. Pop    7. Post-Punk    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (29)

Love it, Love it
I enjoy all of the disc; it sets the mood for writing stories.
Very Cool!! I LOVE it!!
I love listening to this CD when I do my homework- it's very appropriate when I'm reading about dead guys (aka- doing history homework). My favorite tracks are Blackest Rose and Unseen Eyes. It's kind of creepy, in a good kind of way. I highly recommend it!

Brilliant!
If you enjoy good, dark orchestral music then this disc is for you.Superior gothic atmospheres abound on this disc centralized around a vampires crypt.Not as many sound effects as there are on other Midnight Syndicate releases. At times bombastic at other times subtly sinister, and reflective - a great tribute to the vampire mythos.
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Subjects:  1. Electronic    2. Gothic/horror soundscape CDs - haunting orchestral symphonies from the crypt.Perfect for Halloween.   

Features

• Enhanced
• Limited Edition
• Import

Reviews (54)

3 Stars based on only hearing two songs!
I have heard "Angels" and "Stand My Ground," both were stellar tracks. If you like Evanescence, you'll LOVE Within Temptation. The tracks are much more rock though, and the singer will just blow you away. I'm looking forward to buying this album and hearing more from this band.

Good for What It Is
I am new to Within Temptation, I'll admit it -- I only discovered them within this year.Before then, I was a lunatic Nightwish fan, not dabbling in much else because I didn't think there was anything else.Funny, how I will make the same mistake various times.This album may not be the epitome of legendary beauty, but it IS good, and that is what counts.
I don't usually review cds....
....but I had to review this one. In my search to find another band like Nightwish, I stumbled onto this one. I didn't know which cd to pick so I picked the one with the cover that was most appealing to me (it sounds odd I'm sure, but it works everytime).
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Subjects:  1. Goth Rock    2. Heavy Metal    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Editorial Review

Starting life as the most competent Misfits tribute band to not actually play Misfits songs, San Francisco Bay Area punks A.F.I. have not only discovered how to write their own snarling melodies, but have developed the confidence to play them without a cloak. Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (1093)

This CD is AWESOME
This is a great cd to buy if you never listened to AFi. it will make you buy the other ones. if you have listened to AFI before, you definatly buy this. it is one of those CDS that you could listen to over and over agian and never get tired of it

This is amazing, but don't try to categorize it
Is it punk? Is it goth? Alternative? Metal? Play this CD for 10 different people and I bet few of them will agree on how to categorize it. And that's one of the things that makes it great. If you were an AFI fan from their early days of three-chord songs on Answer That and Stay Fashionable, then this likely wouldn't appeal to you. This is not punk in the sense that their earlier CDs were (and yes, I have heard them). But the punk influence is still there, particularly in the vocals on "but home is nowhere" and "Bleed Black." To someone who only listens to pop on the radio, they would think this is punk. To someone who thinks Crass is real punk, they obviously wouldn't. If you look through the one-star reviews, a lot of them are from people who are mad that AFI "sold out" to sign to a major label and no longer sounds like they did when they were writing about breakfast cereal. Nor is this goth, per se, but if you only read the lyric sheet and looked at a photo of the band in this era, you might assume they are goth.
AFI boldly goes in new directions...
Sing the Sorrow was my first introduction to AFI. Which is probably why I like it so much. I honestly find this album to be breathtaking. Its a true work of art, and a great sign of maturity from the band. The Art of Drowning is a great record, but this is really a step in a new direction for AFI. Have the sold out? Not at all. They just refined and have built off their old sound. While not abandoning the old sound completly, you can still tell that this is AFI, and there a few songs on this record that should please old AFI fans. But most the album is a step in a new direction, and I personally welcome that direction. A band can't keep creating the same album, it will get old. So no, this is not Black Sails, or Art of Drowning. But its a dang good record, and based off the number of copies it sold, alot of people think its dang good as well.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Goth Rock    4. Hardcore Punk    5. Pop    6. Punk    7. Punk Revival    8. Punk-Pop    9. Rock    10. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Yes, I was one of Read more

Reviews (6)

Turning on the light in a dark room
The liner for this compilation pretty much sums it up. Goth music was created in the UK by people who watched the late night creature feature and who read Shelly, Stoker,etc. Some of these artists were romantics and some wanted to be like Alice Cooper (Nik Fiend).
Rhino knows Goth...
Repackaged Goth music courtesy of Rhino. Thank you for telling us what goth music is and what artists are goth. The masses no longer have to think, we only have these record companies to decide for us what category a certain genre of music belongs to.
So gothic it's undead
I am completely pleased to see something like this come out in the year 2006. For those who are just discovering gothic rock, and for us seasoned veterans, this collection is exceptional. I do have some bones with it...AFI is a good band but hardly goth. And where are bands like Inkubus Sukkubus? Die Laughing? Switchblade Symphony? Big Electric Cat? The Shroud? Ofra Haza? And they certainly could have picked a better Neubauten song!! But I digress...this is a great collection. The DVD rocks, the music rocks. Check it out for yourself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Electro-Industrial    2. Goth Rock    3. Industrial    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop Collections    7. V/a Compilations   

Reviews (9)

Perfect for Halloween!!!!
I have been a fan of Midnight Syndicate for only a very short period of time.I first heard the music last Halloween at a friend's party.She had The 13th Hour and I was blown away by the music - it was so different from any other Halloween music.When looking for music for my own Halloween party this year, I found the Out of the Darkness CD.
Great CD
I really enjoyed this CD.I am new to Midnight Syndicate and it was great to be able to hear a mix of their "cream of the crop" from their early years.It definitelly makes me want to hear more.It is creative, inspiring, relaxing and mysterious all rolled into one.

A fair effort, but nothing really special
How in the world do I handle this? To be fair, I am well aware that bands release "Greatest Hits" compilations all the time. To me, that's what this is... Midnight Syndicate's Greatest Hits essentially. I will not sit here and write that it's "terrible" music. It's not, by any means. However, I am not anywhere near as big a fan of this duo as I used to be. They were among my first tastes of this type of music, and it certainly has been an interesting experience, but I feel that I've moved on. I have since foundothers who perform Gothic horror music that is much better and more enticing...and just far more exciting to me on many levels.
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Subjects:  1. Miscellaneous    2. Soundtracks   

Reviews (11)

Yet another great album!
Nox Arcana is truly a original band for the era. The music is never boring and you always find something new when listening to it that you may not have heard before. Vargo is a very gifted artist in all the work he does and I for one am glad he formed his own band. The creative work behind the cd's really comes through not just in the music but in the album designs. Midnight Syndicate lost one of the most creative person's behind their success, but by starting the band Nox Arcana at least none of the fans are suffering. Keep up the great work and I look forward to the next album.

Nox Arcana's finest soundtrack to date.
If there were not tracks on the cd that were spoken rather than instrumental you would almost envision yourself sitting in a darkened theater (or living room) watching the opening credits roll on an updated version of Dracula.Once again Nox Arcana have produced exemplary work on this, their fourth cd.
Bloody Wonderful
Nox Arcana (what a perfect name)again show their mastery of Gothic sensibilities with an album that simply drips atmosphere . . . of the dank, clammy, foggy kind, cut with the lethal swoop of leathery wings and sudden, despairing shrieks. Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative    2. Embark on a musical journey into the mysterious and forbidden land of vampires, werewolves and witches. This powerful, eerie and darkly romantic soundscape offers 21 tracks of symphonic orchestrations, gothic choirs and haunting sound effects.    3. Goth Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Soundtracks   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (5)

CLASSIC.SUCH A STRONG RELEASE.
Oh man, this album is amazing.Last time I listened to it was probably a few years ago on the original CD w/o "Hey You!"It's awesome to have this masterpiece album remastered with much better sound in its originally intended form of all 18 tracks (Amazon has omitted "Torture" by mistake, but let me reassure you, it's there in all its edgy glory).The build-up intro of "The Kiss" is unparalleled except for say, other Cure songs like "Open" or "Want."When the first vocals of the album burst upon you (OH KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME!!!YOUR TONGUE'S LIKE POISON, SO SWOLLEN IT FILLS UP MY MOUTH!!!) you know you're in for a sick ride.You've got your classic singles "Why Can't I Be You?" and "Hot Hot Hot!!!" along with the most famous of all, "Just Like Heaven."But this is only the icing on the cake."How Beautiful You Are..." and "One More Time" are both amazing non-single tracks, to compliment the rest of the album.Also, if I were to ever have the opportunity to make a movie, I'd definitely have "Fight" as the soundtrack to a sick, crazy, violent fight scene...it'd be perfect.I won't go into all the other tracks...just buy it and experience one of the best albums ever created.It's so diverse, from crazy-cuckoo happy to dark, angsty, edgy, and anthemic.Throughout it all, there's always great melody and passion.Robert Smith is a genius and this release is one of The Cure's strongest...it showcases extreme talent and versatility.
Somehow Better the 2nd Time Around...and Not Just for Audio Improvements
Even though I have never been a fan, and I know little more about them than what I've heard on their various CD's, I've been asked to write reviews for eight different albums by the Cure. My indifference makes me an outsider, so Cure fans hate my reviews, while everyone else simply ignores them. To me, it's an ironic conundrum - writing these reviews provides a form of self-torture that is actually very Robert Smith-ian in its own way. If anything, that should help me to understand the band a bit better, and maybe it is working, because in the process, I've grown to like "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me." I bought this album upon its release in 1990, but I never appreciated it. To me, it droned on endlessly, meandering from song to song with no sense of structure to support any of it. I still think of it that way, except now I hear the droning as an advantage, and I appreciate its lack of structure for the diversity it provides.
Ripping review
Okay, let's forget about the album, I hardly need to review Kiss Me again, jeesh.And I'm going to forget the bonus tracks.Are they interesting?Yeah.A steady diet on my playlist?No way.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Goth Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

The hard-rocking Cult have come along way from the early Native American stylings of Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (29)

best of "most popular" Cult hits
The Cult is the best under appreciated band in history.They date back to 1982 where they were known as The Southern Death Cult.Unknown to most The Cult is the first Alternative Rock Grundge band.During the Big hair rock days they were so different that they had no category.
A fine overview and a thorough collection.
"Pure Cult: The Singles 1984-1995" is a collection of singles by the Cult during the band's initial lifetime, stretching from the band's early days as psychedelic goths through the band's hard rock days and their eventual fade.The Cult seemed to have a knack for picking fantastic material for singles and this overview will provide most casual fans with pretty much eveything they need.For the more diehard types, there's a trio of single-only releases on this album that deserve attention.
The Cult - 'Pure Cult: The Singles 1984-1995' (Beggars Banquet)
An absolute must-have nineteen track compilation of The Cult's singles over an eleven year time span.Not one lemon here.All 19 cuts totally kick ass!The Cult more or less HAS to be one of the better/best bands to come out of the '80's.Tag 'em as you like,but they're actually 'Heavy Goth-Rock'.Tunes here that are sure to keep this CD in your current rotation stack for awhile are "She Sells Sanctuary","Fire Woman",the awesome "Revolution","Rain","Edie(Ciao Baby)" and "Wild Flower".A true keeper. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. British Metal    3. Hard Rock    4. Heavy Metal    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Big and moody, Read more

Reviews (70)

A great collection, but only of real value to collectors.
For quite a while, "Staring at the Sea: The Singles" was an essential package of music by the Cure and a fine introduction to their catalog-- in recent years its value has been minimized by the appearance of the "Greatest Hits" compilation, a retrospective spanning the band's career on Fiction Records.For collectors though, the opening track, "Killing an Arab" is worth the price of admission.
An Excellent Compilation of Early Cure
This was the 1st Cure album I had bought, and I really wasn't sure what to expect. The only songs I was familiar with were "Boys Don't Cry", "In Between Days", & "Close To Me". Wow! Everysong is great, and very diverse styles & moods as the album goes on. After that I had gone out & purchased just about all of their albums. My only gripe is that it needs to be remastered! How about a 20th Anniversery re-release???

I Give You Exhibit A
Although their legions of fans would beg to differ and albums like "Disintegration" and "The Head on the Door" make a compelling argument to the contrary, The Cure have always been, first and foremost, a singles band.Need proof?Exhibit item A: "Staring at the Sea -- The Singles."
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative/Indie-Rock    3. College Rock    4. England    5. Goth Rock    6. New Wave    7. Pop    8. Post-Punk    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (61)

If you've got the problem, then I've got the Cure!
As many reviewers have stated, this is pretty much The Cure's singles volume 2.In my opinion, these are the best Cure songs and much better than the older stuff (except "Boys Don't Cry" was an awesome song from "Staring At The Sea: The Singles).On this CD, you are taken on a rollercoaster of Robert Smith and company's tragic tales of love and lost love.I love how so many of the songs have so many layers in it.The song will start with some guitar, bass, and drums, and then will build up and kick in some keyboards, and by the time Smith's voice begins you're already bobbing your head.Many have tried to copy The Cure's signature sound, but none have been able to outdo them.Most of the songs on here are excellent with a few so-so tracks.The best songs are: Just Like Heaven (easily my favorite song by The Cure - "'Show me show me Show me how you do that trick The one that makes me scream' she said."Love it!), Catch, Why Can't I Be You?, Pictures of You, Close To Me (which the Get Up Kids did a nice cover of), Friday I'm In Love, and Lovesong.While he sings, you can just picture Robert Smith, with all his makeup and fingernail polish and think, "Man, this guy's got some issues with love!"But it is his passion in every word he sings that makes you feel his pain as well as his joy.It's like he is singing the words that you have wanted to say and never knew how to express.Please do yourself a favor and buy this CD.You'll be happy you did!

Robert Smith is god
For all of you guys who weren't born late in the 1970's, this could be a perfect introduction to a band who made a clear path to all of our minds and souls since back then. If you can find peace and joy in "High", "In between days" and "Just Like Heaven" and let the music flow in your heart for a moment while Smith plays his sad and crazy and melancholic music....man what a insanesation! I have no doubt in my mind that all of those who were born close to date, are going to buy this CD (if you already don't have all the albums up to date, and even if so...). This band makes a clear statement to an ERA. Along with INXS, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, U2,and Midnight Oil and many others. Not the bunch of crap that's coming out today: this is a MUST HAVE CD.
The singles, volume 2.
The truth is, when "Galore" was released, it was pretty needed at the time. Their previous singles collection only ran through the "Head On The Door" album, and since then they put out four classic/good albums, two live albums, and a remix collection. Overall I think this does a good job, because these are the singles after all. The first half of this is excellent, taking from the "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" and "Disintegration" albums, and adding "Never Enough" from "Mixed Up". The second half is still good with the hits from "Wish", the better songs from "Wild Mood Swings", a mix of "Close To Me", and the new track "Wrong Number". In my perfect world, "Pictures Of You" would be the full version, and I'd easily swap the song "Apart" for any of the "WMS" tracks. Still a solid collection, even if it's not as classic as the "Staring At The Sea" disc. There's also the basic career-spanning "Greatest Hits" too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Goth Rock    4. New Wave    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Post-Punk    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

On Read more

Reviews (23)

Deep, wild and wonderfully wyrd!
Joined this time by an entire ensemble of period and modern instruments that layer in with the women's vocals, the Mediaeval Baebes continue to deepen and flesh out their sound, experimenting with new stylistic elements ranging from traditional folk and folk rock to African-style percussive chant and even an atonal choral symphony.The Baebes continue to take turns at playing instruments and composing the music, too, displaying their diverse sensibilities while never straying too far from the group's signature sound--a blend of driving, unison chants with wispy, straight-toned solos and mesmerizing whirlwinds of naturally looping vocals and instrumentals.The mix of lively and laid back songs on "Mirabilis" is about half and half, with the lively songs being highly and intriguingly percussive but (thankfully!) with nary a mindless, programmed club-beat in earshot.#15, in particular, "Come My Sweet," is a great dance song and all acoustic.The only electronic sound on this album seems to be from an occasional electric guitar or bass, judiciously used.The rest is all natural, and still wickedly cool.For more pseudo-medieval music with a modern edge, try also the recordings of Faun, Estampie, Corvus Corax, Qntal, Dead Can Dance, and "MCMXC A.D." by Enigma.And if you'd like to take the plunge and try the real thing, check out the