Deadly Tales Of Adventure With Mors Syphilitica

by John Cake for Propaganda Magazine  (USA)

Once upon a time, on a chill night in Boston's North End, I followed a stream of dark overcloaks and pale faces into a warm shithole of a club, drawn by the soaring soprano/alto summons of the lead singer of Requiem in White. Although raw at that time, Requiem would steadily refine their signatureblend of dark rock and operatic / medieval vocals, a distinct, fully-realized sound and image that would soon place them at the forefrontof the underground gothic movement. Significantly, RIW's consistent refusal to grant interviews or take part in any publicity kept them from the fame alotted to pale-faced disco-mongers, deep-voiced poseurs and other charlatains hocking their wares in the gothic mainstream. Soon after my introduction to Requiem, I quit Boston and did relocate many times, always keen for news on this brilliant and willfully enigmatic band. Despite their lack of mainstream exposure, Requiem was often (if not uniformly) ranked inthe top ten lists of premier underground fanzines and radio stations. Their cult status was widespread and indisputed. Eventually, Lisa, the lead singer, and Eric, the band's guitarist, were married--thus consummating a musical alliance that would outlast the band itself. And then, at the moment when other bands would be poised to sell out, Requiem in White broke up, securing forever the group's shroud of mystique. After what seemed like an eternity to their fans (trust me, I know), Lisa and Eric Hammer re-emerged with a new band and a new CD. I made sure to catch Mors Syphilitica's debut performance in NYC and was scarcely surprised to see that I wasn't the only one who had made a pilgrimage. The venue was packed past legal capacity with an army of devotees--clearly the Hammers were far from forgotten. The show itself was a revelation -- I was stunned by Mors' tremendous, hypnotic power. Lisa Hammer's vocals had reached maturity, combining breathtaking natural talent with finely-honed technique and a riveting stage presence. She swayed on stage like a Pre-Raphaelite somnambulist, her voice and movements seemingly directed by the wistful melancholy of the collective unconscious. And coiling behind her, Eric's haunting, gorgeously driven guitar held court over an inimitable territory of electrified shrieks and moans. His unsettlingly alluring presence exuded the aloof, mesmeric power of a brooding Rasputin. They were backed by David on bass, and Hajji on drums, both of whom compliment the ensemble with their excellent musicianship and romantic / primitive image. After the show, I squeezed my way back stage and threw my dubious journalistic credentials at the band's feet, begging for a promotional CD and press kit. Listen to the band's self-titled debut and you will agree: Mors Syphilitica is no capricious love child of its former band, but is instead a focused, matureextension of the key asthetic principles that made Requiem great. Eric's compositions have increased in their subtlety and have become masterful, rarefied expressions of his genius. And yet, the songs on "Mors Syphilitica" sacrifice none of the power and allure of Requiem's past triumphs. Just recently, I was able to score the tape demo of Mors' upcoming release, "Prim Rose". This album's virtuosity and unrelenting musical ambition has reinvented my love for music in general. Describing it in words (were I able to do so) could only fail to convey this upcoming CD's beauty. Suffice it to say that Eric and Lisa Hammer have broken away authoritatively from the "darker than thou" set by creating a sound that draws upon musical, literary, historical and personal references too numerous to comprehend and too sublime to allow us to dismiss Mors as merely another gothic band.

Mors Syphilitica's recordings of honesty and passion have coaxed me back into the warm, black, woolen folds of the gothic ideal. With joy I cherish Mors Syphilitica's debut CD, and with youthful anticipation I await theirnext release, "Prim Rose".