The last two releases of the Italian act Goad were all reviewed by myself. Not only because I loved In The House Of Dark Shining Dreams (2006) and Masquerade (2011, see review), but I also know that most reviewers have problems with the this type of music. Mainly because of the vocals by main man Maurilio Rossi, who also played several parts on the bass, keyboards and nylon guitar. His hoarse voice is very typical for the band's sound next to the very retro style of music. I was in doubt whether to send the latest album The Silent Moonchild to one of our reviewers or once again review this release myself. Well, when you see my name at the end of this review you'll know the album didn't make the journey with the postman to one of my colleagues. As on earlier Goad-albums, the dark atmosphere is again very much present. This dark atmosphere is most of all used to translate the often horror kind of themes into musical scores. Those scores go into the direction of bands such as Van Der Graaf Generator, King Crimson and Genesis. The use of the Mellotron and other vintage keyboards often brings you back to the seventies. The band is probably at their best during the more mellow tracks, of which you can find a lot on this release. But overall you can say all of the compositions are worth listening to and have plenty to tell musically. But like I said earlier, the music on those compositions have to be in the style of music you prefer to hear. So if you are a lover of Van Der Graaf Generator, King Crimson and Genesis and like the way the vocals are done, this might be a great album for you to listen to! As for me I again loved every second of The Silent Moonchild and was glad I did not give it to the postman. **** Henri Strik (edited by Astrid de Ronde) Where to buy? |
