Sisters Of Mercy VISION THING ERA

Sisters Of Mercy: Andrew Eldritch (vocals, guitar, programming); Tim Bricheno, Andreas Bruhn (guitar); Tony James (bass).
Recorded at Puk, Denmark.
The third Sisters Of Mercy album, VISION THING, makes a dramatic shift from its predecessor, introducing heavy metal riffs to the band's genre-defining goth sound. Far from signifying a fundamental change in Andrew Eldritch's sound (once again, he had a new group of musicians with him, keeping only the drum machine, Doktor Avalanche), this combination is an excellent sonic fit. The swaggering machismo of heavy metal sits nicely next to Eldritch's studiously straight-faced delivery of his colossally egocentric (and intentionally funny) lyrics.
Opening with the monster riff of the title track, VISION THING is a note-perfect parody of metal, while also pushing the boundaries of goth, something the Sisters have done consistently with each of their releases. Standouts include "Ribbons," where the guitars alternately call to mind crashing waves and thunderclaps, and the caustic lyrics end in a desperate howl. "Doctor Jeep" is a jittery, caffeinated swipe at American commercialism, and "More," a masterpiece of bombast built on a big, chugging guitar riff, incorporates everything from sawing, synthesized violins and a piano fade out, to gloriously selfish lyrics and swooping backing vocals.

• Genre: Rock
• Format: Vinyl