Having disbanded in 1998, they reunited briefly in 2005 for a world tour and reformed in 2011, releasing a new album (Anastasis) and embarking on several tours.
Dead Can Dance formed in Melbourne, Australia in August 1981 with Paul Erikson on bass guitar, Lisa Gerrard (ex-Microfilm) on vocals, Simon Monroe (Marching Girls) on drums and Brendan Perry (also of Marching Girls) on vocals and guitar. Gerrard and Perry were a couple who met as members of Melbourne's little band scene. In May 1982, the band left Monroe in Australia and moved to London, England, where they signed with alternative rock label 4AD. With the duo, the initial United Kingdom line-up were Paul Erikson and Peter Ulrich.
The group's debut album, Dead Can Dance, was released in February 1984. The artwork, which depicts a ritual mask from New Guinea, "provide a visual reinterpretation of the meaning of the name Dead Can Dance", set in a faux Greek typeface. The album featured "drum-driven, ambient guitar music with chanting, singing and howling", and fit in with the ethereal wave style of label mates Cocteau Twins. They followed with a four-track extended play, Garden of the Arcane Delights in August. AllMusic described their early work as "as goth as it gets" (despite the group themselves rejecting the label), while the EP saw them "plunging into a wider range of music and style".
A shift in sound followed for the Spleen and Ideal album, with more emphasis on strings, brass and drones being used. A quasi spiritual element also emerged on this album, notably on the opening tracks "De Profundis" and "Ascension". Its worth noting that around this time Lisa and Brendan had been doing tours of European Cathedrals, absorbing the ambience which in turn was reflected in the work.
The highlights of the bands career followed with the genre defining album Within The Realm of a Dying Sun, featuring fan favorite "Cantara", which is where the bands Arabic and World music influences began to appear, and the double whammy of "Summoning of the Muse" and "Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)." Critics at the time were undecided about the album, mainly due to the fact that the pieces were split according to the vocals. Brendan had the first side of the album, where Lisa took over for the latter half.
The Serpent's Egg was the next album and built on the premise set by the previous album, although the album is slightly uneven in quality and a short listen at around 40 minutes. The album is redeemed by the opening and closing pieces "The Host of Seraphim", and Perry's epic "Ullyses".
For the next album Aion, the band slipped back several centuries and recreated working medieval instruments such as the Sackbut, Viol and Hurdy Gurdy for the distinctly Medieval flavor. Included on the album is "Song of the sibyl" a text from 14th century Spain and now a live favorite. Another text appears in the song "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book".
Into the Labyrinth was the follow up album and was the album that saw Brendan mastering the use of samples and synthesizers and also the album that brought the band's music to American audiences selling over a million copies worldwide. The track "The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove" was played across on college radio and was instrumental in the albums success.
Spiritchaser was the seventh studio album for the band and brought about an abrupt upturn in musical style, instead of drawing on the historical past the band drew upon South American and African influences which gave the album a very rhythmic ambience. Considered by some to be the bands weakest album, it features highlights such as the percussive "Nierika" which was the most played track on American college radio for that year, and the epic 9 minute trance inducing "Indus".
A 3 CD retrospective simply called 1981-1998 was issued by 4AD and compiled a comprehensive overview of the bands career, and provided diehard fans with the only finished track from the Spiritchaser follow-up sessions called "The Lotus Eaters".
As a live band is probably where Dead Can Dance have gained their reputation. To put it simply, they were phenomenal. The concerts often featured many improvised pieces that to date have never been recorded in the studio. A live album entitled Toward the Within was released in 1994 and allowed fans unfortunate enough to have not attended concerts the chance to hear a few of these songs. A companion video/DVD of the concert was also released allowing people to see these highly ethereal concerts.
After Dead Can Dance ceased to be a functioning band both Perry and Gerrard embarked upon solo careers. To date, Brendan has released one solo album The Eye of the Hunter and has completed work on a new album, 'Ark', to be released in June 2010, whilst Lisa has been more prolific but with mixed results, releasing two solo albums The Mirror Pool and The Silver Tree. Lisa has also collaborated with other artists, namely Pieter Bourke of the band Soma and Irish composer Patrick Cassidy on the respective albums Duality and Immortal Memory. Lisa has also become a sought after soundtrack artist too after a wave of publicity for the Ridley Scott film Gladiator and continues to release work on a regular basis including soundtrack work on Ali, Layer Cake, and Whale Rider. Peter Ulrich, former percussionist of the band has also released two solo albums, Pathways and Dawns and more recently, Enter the Mysterium.
A series of 31 reunion concerts took place in 2005 in both Europe and North America including two memorable sell out concerts at The Hollywood Bowl and Radio City accompanied by 40 piece orchestras. Many of these concerts were professionally recorded and released as a double CD.
In late 2011, the band announced a reunion World Tour, in order to promote their new album, fittingly titled Anastasis, as it was released on August 9, 2012, 16 years after the group's previous album. Anastasis was well received by critics and is also the first album of the band not released by 4AD Records.
The name "Dead Can Dance" is often misleading. Although this group is quite popular among the goth sub-culture with the name appearing to be inspired by the Danse macabre allegory, it should instead be interpreted as 'giving life to something that was previously inanimate' as Perry said:
"The album artwork [of our self titled first album], a ritual mask from New Guinea, attempted to provide a visual reintrepretation of the meaning of the name "Dead Can Dance." The mask, though once a living part of a tree is dead; nevertheless it has, through the artistry of its maker, been imbued with a life force of its own. To understand why we chose the name, think of the transformation of inanimacy to animacy.... Think of the processes concerning life from death and death into life. So many people missed the inherent symbolism, and assumed that we must be 'morbid gothic types,' a mistake we deplored and deplore...".
http://www.deadcandance.com
http://www.facebook.com/DeadCanDanceOfficial
https://twitter.com/DCDmusic
Black Sun
Dead Can Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man of fire
Murderer
I've seen the eyes of living dead
It's the same game, survival
The great mass play a waiting game
Embalmed, crippled, dying in fear of pain
Black sun in a white world
Like having a black sun in a white world
I have a son
His name is Eden
It's his birthright
Beyond estranged time
Give me 69 years
Another season in this hell
It's all sex and death as far as eyes can tell
Like Prometheus we are bound
Chained to this rock of a brave new world
Our godforsaken lot
And I feel that's all we've ever needed to know
'Til worlds end and the seas run cold
Give me 69 years
Another season in this hell
There is sex and death
In mother nature's plans
Like Prometheus we are bound
Chained to this rock of a brave new world
Our godforsaken lot
The lyrics to Dead Can Dance's song Black Sun are hauntingly powerful, weaving together themes of death, survival, and the human condition. The opening lines, "Murderer, man of fire," immediately set a dark and foreboding tone, as if we are about to bear witness to some unspeakable act. The singer goes on to describe seeing "the eyes of living dead" and how we are all playing a waiting game for survival. He references the embalmed and crippled, those dying in fear of pain, and how all sense of freedom is gone. These lines speak to the state of being human, and how we can become trapped in our own bodies and minds.
The chorus brings in the image of a black sun in a white world, which can symbolize the darkness that can exist within the seemingly bright and hopeful aspects of life. The singer introduces his son, Eden, and how it is his birthright to understand the world around him. However, the lyrics quickly shift back to the harsh reality of the human experience, with lines like "It's all sex and death as far as eyes can tell" and "Our godforsaken lot." The song ends on a bleak note, with the singer feeling that all we need to know is our struggles and pains, until the world has ended and the seas run cold.
Overall, Black Sun is a complex and introspective song that explores the darker aspects of the human experience. Through vivid imagery and poignant lyrics, it delves into themes of survival, mortality, and what it means to be truly free.
Line by Line Meaning
Murderer
Addressed to a murderer, expressing disdain and disgust.
Man of fire
Describes the murderer as one who burns with passion or anger.
Murderer
Repeated address to the murderer, emphasizing the severity of their actions.
I've seen the eyes of living dead
The singer has witnessed the hollow, lifeless gaze of those who exist but do not truly live.
It's the same game, survival
Life is a constant struggle for survival, and the choices that are made reflect that.
The great mass play a waiting game
Most people live their lives in a passive state, waiting for something to happen rather than taking action.
Embalmed, crippled, dying in fear of pain
People are often trapped in their own mortality, unable to enjoy life to its fullest due to fear of harm.
All sense of freedom gone
Individual freedom has been lost, and people are constrained by external forces and their own limitations.
Black sun in a white world
Describes a sense of darkness or negativity in a world that seems bright and positive on the surface.
Like having a black sun in a white world
Reiterates the previous line for emphasis.
I have a son
The singer has a child.
His name is Eden
The child's name is symbolic of a sense of purity or paradise.
It's his birthright
The child is entitled to a certain inheritance or legacy.
Beyond estranged time
Refers to a time or era that is distant or disconnected from the present.
Give me 69 years
A plea to live a long, fulfilling life rather than a short, bleak one.
Another season in this hell
Life can be difficult and trying, and each day can feel like a struggle.
It's all sex and death as far as eyes can tell
These two primal instincts seem to be the driving forces behind much of human behavior.
Like Prometheus we are bound
A reference to the mythological figure of Prometheus, who was bound to a rock as punishment for giving fire to humanity.
Chained to this rock of a brave new world
Humans are constrained by their own innovations and advancements in the modern era.
Our godforsaken lot
The human condition is marked by suffering and misfortune, without divine intervention to alleviate it.
And I feel that's all we've ever needed to know
Despite the complexities of human existence, there are fundamental truths and principles that guide our lives.
Til worlds end and the seas run cold
Until the end of time itself, and beyond.
There is sex and death
An acknowledgment that these two themes are inherently intertwined with life itself.
In mother nature's plans
This balance of life and death is a natural aspect of the world, without which life as we know it would not exist.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRENDAN MICHAEL PERRY, LISA GERMAINE GERRARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JohnGav1964
σας εχω γραμμενους στα αρχιδια μου οσοι εχετε πατησει down, ουστ ξερερωτοι