Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 07/24/2001
Run Time: 39:19
By the time
the Damned found themselves on a major label after nine years of ups, downs, and all-arounds, a big change had taken place:
Captain Sensible, with both his own solo successes and other pressures coming to bear, decided to depart. Keyboardist
Roman Jugg took over the guitar, while
Bryn Merrick remained on bass and
Vanian and
Scabies continued doing their thing. The first fruit of this new
Damned,
Phantasmagoria, doesn't match up to the excellent variety and performance level on
Strawberries, but still has a lot to show while at the same time exploring new territory for the group. The cover and artwork seem to ally
the Damned even more closely with goth rock than before, but
Vanian thankfully has never seen fit to simply ape those clichés, steering his own powerful path. Similarly, the music can be moody but never without its own distinct energy and fire -- more a
Cramps sense (if not sound) of loving the dark than anything, but with a clean, modern sheen and just enough
Hammer horror.
"Street of Dreams" makes for a powerful, anthemic opener, with some fine
Scabies drumming.
"Is It a Dream," the one song with a
Sensible co-writing credit, is yet another fantastic
Vanian vocal showcase in a career of many. The really killer tracks include
"Shadow of Love," a semi-
Morricone-style mood-out quick shuffle with haunting guitar from
Jugg, and
"Grimly Fiendish," a funny bit of spooky psychedelia not all that far off from where
the Dukes of Stratosphear would end up a couple of years later.
Phantasmagoria concludes with the surging instrumental
"Trojans," a strong number that showed
the Damned had lots of life in them yet.
~Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
;)
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