Dionysus is a 2018 studio album by the British-Australian band Dead Can Dance. It is the ninth studio album by the band.
It is to be officially released on 2 November 2018 by PIAS Recordings, 6 years after the group’s last album, Anastasis.[1][2] „Dionysus“ is the ancient Greek god of wine.
Formed in 1981, in Melbourne, Australia, by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, and relocated to London, England, in the year that followed, Dead Can Dance is inarguably the royal forebear of the music of its kind. It was able to smite enthusiasts of both traditional Classical and Alternative/Indie music—described by the Australian music historian Ian McFarlane as “constructed soundscapes of mesmerizing grandeur and solemn beauty; African poly-rhythms, Gaelic Folk, Gregorian chant, Middle Eastern mantras, and art Rock.”
Slated for release on November 2, 2018, on PIAS Recordings, the latest, ninth offering of Dead Can Dance, titled Dionysus, is certainly a heavyweight in the genre it swims within and even in the context of its own discography. A cerebral sonic journey into deeply rooted mythological imaginings, Dionysus is a two-act, mostly instrumental narrative that is comprised by seamlessly connected movements.
Finally, Dead Can Dance conclude their modern take on Common Practice Period music with the pendulum charm of “Psychopomp,” which ultimately features the sorely missed call-and-response vocal trademark of Perry and Gerrard’s Dead Can Dance.
In this age of digital music, musical masterpieces such as what Dead Can Dance could offer the world should make the music community realize that there will be artists who are always ready to forego commercial popularity to pursue creative expressions that are meant not really to tickle the curiosity of the musically interested, but more so to uplift the senses of the spiritually attuned. With its Latin American bird calls, New Zealander beehives, and Swiss goatherd, Dionysus, with its rich symbolism, is truly one of a kind; a certified addition to the inestimable discography of Dead Can Dance. CrypticRock gives Dionysus 5 out of 5 stars.
