Search - Various Artists :: Aria: A Tess Records Anthology

Plenty of gold mixed in with the ore

Scott Sweet | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/30/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This sampler is proof that Tess Records died too soon. All of these bands are still active to varying degrees, but it must've been nice having them all under one label. You get sixteen tracks (nine previously unreleased). Even though they're not ALL standouts, it's worth getting for the really good songs.The first time I heard "Frater Ave Atque Vale," I damn near wept. Monica Richards and Dru Allen go together better than Xena and Gabrielle. Their a cappella harmony is sublime. This Ascension gets five tracks, showcasing Dru and the band's growth over nine years. Trance to The Sun's "August Rain: Volume III" is a dead match for mid-90's Lycia. Faith and The Muse...well, I've yammered enough about them. See my other reviews.Blade Fetish's "The Boy With a Rose in His Side" is a very Siouxsie-esque tune with Mark Linder's vocals. Autumn has a couple of winners: "Seconds" (Version II)" and "Suffer The Wild Dogs" feature Cure guitars, 80's drum tracks, and the highly emotive alto of Julie Plante. Trance to The Sun's "Clown Small & Even" is like psychadelic Killing Joke, and Zoe Wakefield's torch-song voice fits like a glove. Any collector of goth/darkwave needs this, and its scarcity is all the more enticing, isn't it? Don't sit there all proud - you KNOW it is...."