CoC : Sadness - Evangelion : Review

Sadness - _Evangelion_
(Mystic Production, 1998)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (5 out of 10)

Although the result is schizophrenic, Sadness deserves credit for their ability to throw virtually every single gothic metal cliche into a two and a half minute song. By the end of the first track, "Mr. Faust", the listener has heard (and I may have missed a nuance or two) effeminate orgasmic moans, ludicrous male clean vocals (akin to a less restrained Tom G. Warrior on "Mesmerized"), screams altered by studio trickery to augment the cheesiness, the word "sex" repeated constantly (I heard the line "I am a sex machine"), an ineffectual synth intro, various other synth-generated ambient moments, and rudimentary piano sections. What purpose does all this serve? Although Sadness goes through great lengths to combat the listener's ennui, this doesn't obscure the monotonous riffs and poor song structure. Yet, as is evident in the album's more sedate moments, they need to create a structural mishmash in order to prevent boredom. After three tracks performed in the aforementioned style, _Evangelion_ features three old songs and a synth track which attempts to invoke a medieval ambiance, yet fails since it's obviously played on a cheap Casio. The next track, "Tears of Sorrow", proves that Sadness can create a melancholic atmosphere, but it suffers from silly vocal trickery and drags for ten minutes. Despite its lugubrious melodrama, "Danteferno" is probably the best track, while "Red Script" is a prosaic moment from a 1990 demo. Even with the schizophrenia of the first three tracks, this is a thoroughly forgettable album.

(article published 10/3/1998)