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Review:
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Rhombus mine the same rich vein of British gothic rock
as The Mission and The Fields of Nephilm, and with the former
now defunct, and the later dormant, the field is wide open.
Rhombus make their pitch with their third album, where they
have really upped the ante, bigger band, bigger songs and
bigger sound, with Stephen Carey from The Eden House providing
the mixing. What makes them stand out is the dual vocal
attack, featuring Edward Grassby’s rich tenor tones perfectly
suiting the music, counterpointed with soaring vocals of
the bewitching Mya, giving a touch of the Mostly Autumns
(the artwork also reminds me of that bands Heart Full of
Sky). The album is packed out with cracking tunes, full
of glorious melodies, great hooks, chiming flanged guitars
and rumbling base, all on a bed of lush synths and pianos.
‘Lightening Strikes Twice’, ‘Almost Everything’ and ‘Open
the Sky’ in particular demand attention, together with the
Roman Jugg era Damned like ‘Anywhere’, which will be released
as a single; you can see the video on our blog, http://thefemalevoices.blogspot.com/
. Sitting at the heart of the album, physically and
metaphorically, is the immense Celtic ballad ‘Denial’, a
real show stopper that showcases Mya’s superb voice, and
it ends with the suitably melancholic epic ‘Into The Rain’.
If you’re a fan of 80’s gothic rock then this a must, filling
the gaping hole in your collection. However, its modern
sheen and glorious cavernous sound will appeal to a new
generation of fans, those who like guile over grind. Easily
available from their Myspace http://www.myspace.com/rhombus
and loads of other emporiums, this is the definitive sound
of gothic rock. 9 out of 10
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