Dead Can Dance Album: “Serpent's Egg”

Coming two years after their perfect WITHIN THE REALM OF A DYING SUN, Dead Can Dance's 1989 album THE SERPENT'S EGG shows the band continuing to evolve. Here, Dead Can Dance reached an interesting turning point. Lisa Gerrard's vocals begin to show the ethnic influence that would come to the front in 1993's INTO THE LABYRINTH, while the interest in older musical instruments foreshadows the renaissance-themed AION.

This album is especially remarkable because it departs from the use of orchestral musicians and lush atmospherics to give a more personal glimpse of Lisa and Brendan's partnership.

THE SERPENT'S EGG opens with "The Host of Seraphim," which may be their finest song ever. Featuring Lisa's pious wailing over the backing vocals of David Navarro Sust and Brendan Perry's drums, this song is literally heavenly.

As with much of Dead Can Dance's output, individual songs can be noticed as either Brendan's or Lisa's, such as the half-and-half split of WITHIN THE REALM OF A DYING SUN. Here, it's obvious that Brendan has provided "Severance," "In the Kingdom of the Blind...", and "Ulysses." Lisa clearly is the creator of "The Writing on My Father's Hand," "Song of Sophia," and "Mother Tongue."

Nonetheless, for the first time here are several tracks where Lisa and Brendan are equal, such as the aforementioned "The Host of Seraphim," as well as "Orbis de Ignis" and "Chant of the Paladin."

While not Dead Can Dance's best album, which is arguably WITHIN THE REALM OF A DYING SUN, this album should not be the last you purchase if you are a fan of this unique duo.

This release follows DCD's "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" and continues the journey into the mystery that is Dead Can Dance. Serpents Egg is arguably their most beautiful, poignant, and haunting release. "The Writing on my Father's hand" is one of Lisa Gerrards best ever! Her vocals tantalize you and make you weep with joy and sorrow. This album also contains some of Brendan Perry's best vocal and lyric offerings since "Spleen and Ideal". A definate must have for any lover of exquisite music.

I bought this SACD reissue (along with the other 8 DCD SACDS recently released) with trepidation, wondering if it would be worth the money. How much better can a cd sound? The music on this cd is great on its own. It's deep, spiritual, complex, well-crafted music that often transcends expectations. To put it simply, the music is heavenly. It manages to be dark and spiritual, yet uplifting at the same time, without ever seeming corny or overwrought. The band exercises its creativity without restraint, but it's never self-indulgent. The voices complement one another. Brendan is deep, masculine, and earthy, whereas Lisa is otherworldly, wordless, and pure sounding.

Regardless of whether or not you like this type of sound, the SACD version of this disc is amazing. It surpassed any hopes or expectations I may have had. Listening to this program is like listening to it for the first time. Every nuance is brought out, clear, crisp, full-bodied, yet there isn't that sense of the sound having been cranked up as you may notice on other "remasters." Some companies who remaster old albums seem to believe that "loud" is better. I've bought remasters before and thought they were worse than the originals as they just sound "blaring." These SACD reissues were left in capable hands as all of them sound astounding.

The band's two earliest releases ("Dead Can Dance" and "The Garden of the Arcane Delights") were maybe my least favorites. They certainly sound better, clearer, more detailed, but the SACD versions tend to underscore the limitations present when they were originally recorded. They tend to be a little more shrill, but that's simply how they have always been in my humble opinion. Don't get me wrong, they're still great cds, but simply not my favorites.

The other 7 sound rich and much warmer, particularly "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun," which to me, always had a cold, stark feeling to it. It sounds amazing. ("Dawn of the Iconoclast" is frightening.) All of this music has been given new life. The live cd in particular, "Toward the Within," literally takes your breath away (The track "Cantara" is thrilling.) If you are a dedicated fan of this band you have to consider getting an SACD player and these discs. You won't regret it. For those who don't know, you cannot hear the SACD program on these discs without an SACD player. If you play them on a regular cd player, you won't hear the high resolution version.

i am a professional dancer and choreographer who was introduced to Dead can Dance through this album. It was used as the score to the grand-prize winning dance at a choreography competition in Japan. It has continued to inspire passionate, powerful, moving dance works. This album is a permanant part of my artistic progression and should be part of of yours.

I first heard the amazing tune "Ullyses" from this disk on the Seattle college music FM station KCMU/KEXP in about 1988, and instantly was fascinated with Dead Can Dance. I rushed out and bought this disk, and entered a whole new world of unparalleled beauty and taste. Middle eastern, british folk, and so many other influences applied with brilliant taste and audacity. As I understand it, Lisa Gerrard's lyrics are in a language of her own creation, designed to be evocative, but owing no particular reference to modern languages, and perhaps evoking a language which predates any modern language. Can you name an artist of such courage who, is also a pop-star? This is a triumph of high art! "The writing on my fathers hand" is exquisite with its delicate string tones and Lisa's evocative singing. Mother Tongue, with its drum tones is delicious. But "Ullyses" is my favorite, with Brendan Perry's rich and full vocal, a classic tale of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of global war. Arise "John Francis Dooley, wipe the sleep from your eyes, and embrace the light"! What else could a sensitive listener ask from a CD, great sound, great art, profound spiritual depth? This is one of the best disks I've encountered in all my 48 years. An associated disk is "This Mortal Coil/It'll end in tears" which features Lisa Gerard on several cuts, also highly recommended.