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Subterfuge
Reflect <<
Rewind
Subterfuge from
Australia is a band which has been creating Traditional Gothic Rock
of excellence since the early 90’s. This is a fantastic anthology;
it is a real source of listening pleasure for everybody who loves
Gothic Rock. This band haven´t so much releases back in the day:
They only have a Self-titled demo tape (1993), and the EP “Darkland
Awakening” (1994). And they appeared in different important
compilation albums back in the 90’s; but in the New Millennium…they
appeared in other compilation albums too. Some of those compilations
were released by Strobelight Records, and this record label is the
one which brings up this brilliant collection. "Reflect <<
Rewind" includes 16 tracks, ten of these songs are unreleased
stuff (unreleased songs, different mixes, and demo tracks) The good
thing here is the fact that newcomers will be discovering to this
“hidden” treasure; and long-time fans will have a great release
with lots of different versions of the songs, and the demo-tracks as
well. This is the definitive collection of the music created by
Subterfuge.
After the intro (properly entitled) as “Resurrect”, we are in front of the first
taste of pure Gothic Rock executed with majesty: “Hand In Hand”
is a Top song in this musical style, awesome guitar work, the rhythm
section has aplomb; the bas lines sounds pretty clear and their
rhythm will take over your senses. The voice has a very distinctive
sound and style, and the melody is pretty catchy. Perfectly balanced
track; and this is only the beginning. “Darkland Awakening” is
another track which comes with the finest crafting. The rhythm is
strong, and you will feel it like your own heartbeats, the guitars
are subtle in the verse; and everything goes to a climax in the
chorus. The proper use of some keyboards and shynts , enrich the
sound of this song big time. “Six Before Down” is mid tempo; the
track is very solid and displays attitude, self confidence, and this
one transmits the feeling of their passion for making music. This
song is a little bit more Rock-oriented (in the traditional Gothic
Rock way) and has lots of keyboards.”Curses” is my personal
classic song of this band; it appeared in some compilation albums in
1998 and 2004. And it has a pure traditional sound at its finest,
with the proper level of intensity and emotion, and it has great
rhythm with awesome transitions: Perfection! “Pre dawn hours” is
quite sober and elegant, with lots of emotion in the voice. The
keyboards have the leading part here. “The Judas In Me” takes us
back to the very fluent Gothic Rock sound of Subterfuge, adorned with
shynts and keys. A prayer for the kindred” is guitar driven, with
faster rhythm and pretty catchy bass lines. This song has great
transitions and it is vertiginous. “The Crystal Sky” is
introspective and takes you to a cathedral of shadows, this song is
pretty atmospheric. “Haborim” will make you move; is a pretty
exciting track with awesome melody. The fine sound of the keyboards
creates a great contrast with the faster rhythm, and the dynamism of
the transitions.”Only the Righteous” is slow, but it has aplomb,
density, and nostalgic feeling. The following track is a different,
(and pretty good) mix of the superb “The Judas In Me”. And
finally we have four Demo-tracks, and they are very interesting bonus
stuff. Have to say that this is not exactly the demo from 1993: Only
the original demo version of “Jordana” is featured here. You can
find the other songs from that demo in this record, but they are
different versions. These demo tracks are also stuff of the highest
level.
Daniel Olvera
