ALBUM REVIEW: Evil Spirits – The Damned
With a resumé stretching now back some 40-odd years, legions of fans, and the legacy of being the first British punk band to ever tour the US and put out both a single and an album back in the day, it seems remarkable to realise that it’s been a whole decade since THE DAMNED came out with their most recent album So, Who’s Paranoid. Fortunately, thanks to a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign, the punk icons are finally back with their eleventh full-length, Evil Spirits, which sees them not only making a return to the studio, but also working with legendary producer Tony Visconti in doing so.
Kicking things off in somewhat of a left-field manner, opener Standing On The Edge Of Tomorrow opens with a jangly guitar line that’s more akin to THE SHADOWS than anything strictly punk-rock, as Dave Vanian’s iconic baritone vocals propel his bandmates through a delightfully chamber-pop-esque retro-tinged opener that serves as a strong reminder of THE DAMNED’s versatility as a musical entity.
Perhaps the most unexpected aspects of Evil Spirits as an album is in the sheer amount of different places that it seems to go to musically across its 45 minute or so runtime. Fans of the slower, more goth-oriented areas of THE DAMNED’s catalogue are sure to find lots to love on this album, from the gothic pseudo-ELVIS posturing of Look Left (a track which seems to spend its entirety threatening to go full-on JIM STEINMAN camp, yet never quite committing), to the haunting yet understated rock of Shadow Evocation and THE DOORS-aping Hammond organ psyche-rock of Procrastination, the latter of which sees keyboardist Monty Oxy Moron putting in a brilliantly paced performance that seemingly pays tribute to the weirder ends 60s and 70s rock scenes whilst still managing to remain very much in the spirit of THE DAMNED.
As Evil Spirits begins to head on towards its conclusion, penultimate cut, The Daily Liar, brings in one last blast reminiscent of the rock & roll DAMNED of old, with Sensible seemingly unleashed once more for a track packed with both melodic soloing and driving, jangly riffing. Vanian’s vocals of course remain a major focal point, however they feel a touch dialled back here – truly allowing his bandmates to take centre-stage and showcase their individual abilities.
After that relatively fast-paced number, it’s interesting then that THE DAMNED would go for the dramatic balladry of I Don’t Care to wrap things up. Packed full of grandiose piano, the song starts of incredibly simply with Vanian singing along to a sole piano track for nearly half the runtime, before a low rumble suddenly signals a rapid quickening of pace and the band kick off into high gear one last time – picking things up once more to ride atop a cacophony of brass instruments and choral backing that feels like punk-gone-musical-theatre in the best possible way, before eventually dipping back down to allow their orchestral elements to round things off.
As the first proper release in a decade from one of the UK’s most influential bands, Evil Spirits definitely serves its purpose in reminding the world at large of exactly what THE DAMNED are all about in 2018. Bringing in Tony Visconti to produce seems to have breathed new life into the rock icons and led them to explore a whole host of new musical territories. And whilst many will likely bemoan the near-total abandonment of the harder side to their sound, there’s no doubt that the band are clearly enjoying the weird sonic niche they now occupy, and the melting pot of styles they incorporate across this album clearly demonstrates that there’s still plenty of gas in the tank yet. Regardless of that sonic shift, it’s great to have THE DAMNED back as a recording band, and hopefully long may they continue.
Rating: 7/10
Evil Spirits is out now via Search and Destroy/Spinefarm Records.
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