Anima Virus- End of the Eden

ARTIST: Anima Virus

ALBUM: End of the Eden

LABEL: Decadance Records

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 12-24-09

This Italian project debuts with a masterful album of modern goth that combines the majesty of The Sisters of Mercy, the thick electronic undercurrent of Marilyn Manson, and the dark romance of HIM. Lead singer Aurelio Gioia, who first played in '90s-era gothic band The Vacuum, brings a hollow baritone that sinks beneath the shimmering guitar and synthesizers on tracks like "Black Lines" and "Blood from Heaven," clear enough to make out his lyrics but deep enough to become part of the mix. The production on the album is at least as impressive as Gioia's vocal work, and while the wailing guitars of "Bed of Thorns" and string pads of "The Hunt" are familiar gothic elements, there's also everything from Asian-influenced synthesizer chimes to industrial ambiance to EBM bass sequences to distant choirs. Equally comfortable with dance numbers and brooding quiet, the band offers up a smattering of each; "Sin and Sacrifice" is dance floor perfection, with epic guitar chords soaring over an insistent rhythm section, and "Siren" puts the bass in the lead role on a track that seems destined to echo off the walls in a tightly packed club, while "Metaphora" is bleak, slow, and deliberately dissonant, the hypnotic snapping rhythm and slowly wailing guitars hinting at Bauhaus influences while Gioia's dramatic vocals recall latter-day Christian Death. There's even a surprising cover of Echo and the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" that's done in such classic gothic style it's hard to even recognize it at first; purists might not like it, but it's an impressive accomplishment nonetheless. Borrowing liberally from the classics but indisputably modern, Anima Virus may be one of the most invigorating new gothic rock acts you'll hear all year.

Visit the band's website at www.animavirus.com.