Blood & Roses - Same As It Never Was: The Collection

Magickal lost proto-goth band from the mid-80s

Only Southern Death Cult flew the “positive punk” pigeonhole to go on to greater things, but not without abbreviating their name and adopting a retro, rather than forward-thinking, sound. Arguably a better band, Blood & Roses had a great name, a proto-gothic look and vibe and, according to style mag The Face, were like a cross between the Sex Pistols and the Banshees, which is at least partially accurate. They sounded like a completely new proposition: mid-paced, dark, dynamic post-punk rock, with influences drawn from everywhere (film soundtracks, the Velvets, The Mamas & The Papas, Aleister Crowley…) and synths vying with guitars, samples and vari-speed vocals. Lyrically, they dabbled in arcane arts and, while squatting in Waterloo enjoying and enduring all manner of evils, it’s astounding that they ever got anything together, says Bob Short in the illuminating sleevenotes. The 21 tracks here (all of their 1985 Enough Is Never Enough LP, plus selected songs from their two EPs and some unreleased demos) prove what a remarkably ahead-of-their-time band they were. Whereas a lot of “early goth” sounds corny and dated, despite song titles such as I Spit Upon Your Grave, this actually still sounds fresh and contemporary.

Cherry Red | CDM GOTH 29

Reviewed by Ged Babey
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