Clan of Xymox – Limbo (Album – Trisol / Metropolis Records)
Genre/Influences: Gothic, New-Wave, Wave-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: One year after the last album (cf. “Spider On The Wall”) Clan Of Xymox already strikes back with a new opus. Because of the pandemic the band driven by Ronny Moorings wasn’t able to tour so they made a new album instead.
Content: “Limbo” moves on where previous releases stopped. I should say an easy recognizable Gothic sound refined with Wave-Pop elements. The past years saw the work of Clan Of Xymox touched by catchy elements. There’s a perfect balance between guitar and electronics with the charismatic vocals of the band’s frontman on top.
+ + + : “Limbo” doesn’t bring anything new, but according to me this work moves a step further as the previous album. The songs are more melodic, revealing several potential hits. “No Way Out” and “Lockdown” both are appropriate titles for the dark age we’re living in; quite curiously the times are getting darker while Clan Of Xymox is becoming more catchy. But they also hold on to their good-old dark approach. “In Control” and “The Great Depression” are a few other attention grabbers. The main strength of this work is the perfect balance between all elements, influences and instruments. “Limbo” creates a perfect sonic bridge between the band’s early sound and approach on one side and a more catchy production on the other side.
– – – : Quite curiously the previously released singles from this album aren’t my personal favorites.
Conclusion: Lockdown seems to have been a very inspiring muse to this great album.
Best songs: “No Way Out”, “Lockdown”, “In Control”, “The Great Depression”, “How Long?”, “Brave New World”.
Rate: 8½.
Artist: www.clanofxymox.com / www.facebook.com/clanofxymox.official
Labels: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol-Music-Group/104166526285471 / www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords Read the news on ‘Limbo’.
About Clan Of Xymox
Clan Of Xymox, also known simply as Xymox, is a Dutch band formed in 1981. The early line-up brought together three songwriters, Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert and Pieter Nooten. The band released its first two albums on 4AD, then moved to Wing Records for its third and fourth albums and scored a charting single in the United States.
“Limbo” was released on July 16, 2021 through Trisol, with Metropolis Records handling North America. The album holds twelve tracks and follows Clan Of Xymox – Spider On The Wall (Album – Trisol / Metropolis Records), released in 2020. Videos for “Brave New World” and “Lockdown” preceded the album.
The band continued with the album “Exodus” in June 2024 and the EP “Blood Of Christ” in November 2024, followed by a 3CD edition of “Exodus” in February 2025. Ronny Moorings looked back over the project in the Ronny Moorings (Clan Of Xymox), an exclusive retrospective interview published in December 2024.
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