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...".
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Circumradiant Dawn
Dead Can Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verse 1:
Through the mists and the vapours
the sea and the sky
I hear a voice in the silence
singing words that were ancient when the world was young
Verse 2:
I feel a hand on my shoulder
touching me equally
I see a face in the darkness
smiling, knowing everything
Chorus:
Circumradiant dawn
seeing things that the night has gone
to the ends of the universe
learning things that we can't rehearse
The lyrics of Dead Can Dance's song "Circumradiant Dawn" are evocative and poetic. They describe a journey through the mysterious and awe-inspiring forces of nature, as well as the feeling of connection and understanding that can come from experiencing them. In the first verse, the singer describes hearing a voice in the silence, singing words that are ancient and timeless, stretching back to the beginning of the world itself. The second verse adds to this sense of mystery and wonder, as the singer feels a hand on their shoulder and sees a face in the darkness, suggesting a spiritual presence or guardian.
The chorus expands on the idea of exploring the mysteries of the universe, using a term from astronomy (circumradiant) to describe the dawn that reveals new insights and understandings. This suggests a willingness to embrace the unknown and to learn from it. Overall, the lyrics suggest a sense of awe at the beauty and power of nature, and a sense of humility and curiosity about our place in the universe.
Line by Line Meaning
I am the storm, I am the wonder
I embody the power of nature's fury and awe-inspiring phenomena.
I am the summoner of thunder
I call forth the explosive force of lightning and thunder.
I am the wave, I am the tide
I embody the ebb and flow of the ocean's rhythmic movement.
feel the undertow beneath the surface
Experience the unseen force lurking below the tranquil exterior of the sea.
I am the event horizon
I am the edge of the black hole's gravitational pull, the point of no return.
step inside, let it pull you under
Enter the ominous embrace of the black hole, surrender yourself to its power.
I am the snake, I am the ladder
I am both the treacherous serpent and the path to enlightenment and ascendance.
climb high, look down upon the gathered
Scale great heights to gain a wider perspective on those who surround and observe you.
I am the fire, I am the flame
I embody the destructive force of fire and the alluring beauty of its flickering flame.
burn bright, casting shadows in the game
Shine radiantly, illuminating the hidden corners and deceptions of life's struggles.
I am the star, I am the night
I embody the celestial light in the darkness, the embodiment of hope and wonder.
see my light, let it fill you with delight
Glimpse the radiance of my presence and allow it to inspire joy and wonder within you.
I am the death, I am the life
I embody both the end of one existence and the beginning of another, the cycle of existence.
embrace me now, let me take you for a ride
Welcome me into your life and allow me to sweep you away on the journey of existence.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRENDAN PERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind