Days Of Sorrow – Raptures (Digital/CD/Vinyl Album – Mots Music)
German band Days Of Sorrow first emerged in the early 1980s before disappearing from the radar, much like many other acts from that era, only to resurface years later. “Raptures” already marks their second album since this resurrection and delivers ten impressive songs.
I will admit immediately that this opus completely blew me away. You could categorize the group as Electro-Wave, but Days Of Sorrow clearly inject their own identity into the genre, making everything sound harder, darker, and far more powerful. The result is a wonderfully danceable fusion of dark Electro-Wave and EBM. The album benefits enormously from its strong production and a series of irresistible choruses, leaving hardly a weak moment throughout the record. This is top-tier Electronic music, elevated even further by commanding vocals that occasionally remind me of Steve Naghavi from And One. Here and there, subtle and moody guitar elements are added to give the songs even more depth and intensity.
“Raptures” contains several absolute gems and is, without question, one of the strongest albums I have heard in this genre in recent months. Nothing but praise and respect from my side. (Rating:9).
Listen to “Love 4 Sale”:
Read the news on ‘Raptures’.
About Days Of Sorrow
Days of Sorrow is a German post-punk and darkwave band originating from the Dortmund area, founded in 1981 by vocalist and keyboardist William Lennox and bassist André Schreiber. The first line-up was completed by guitarist Wolfram Hubert and drummer Nicolai Sabotka.
In 1984, producer and label owner John Tollhaus heard the band rehearsing “Wild World” and decided to issue a full 12″ EP rather than include the track on a sampler. The result was the 12″ EP “Remembering the Days”, released through Tollhaus Records in 1984, featuring “Wild World”, “War”, “Travel” and “Don’t Leave Me Drowning”.
Line-up changes followed in 1985, with Claudio Stöber joining on keyboards and Kurt Voigt replacing Sabotka on drums, allowing Lennox to focus on vocals. Around this period, Days of Sorrow signed to Rough Trade Records in Germany and recorded nine new songs plus a reworked version of “Wild World”. From these sessions came the second 12″ EP “A Thousand Faces”, released in early 1987. Shortly before a planned Spanish tour, the band split up and activity ceased for several decades.
Interest in the group’s 1980s output led to renewed attention in the 2000s and 2010s. Their early EPs were compiled on the vinyl release “Whatever Happens (+ bonus tracks)” via Dead Wax Records in 2018, including both versions of “Wild World”, tracks from “Remembering the Days” and “A Thousand Faces”, and several previously unreleased songs.
William Lennox and André Schreiber reactivated Days of Sorrow in the late 2010s, returning to live performance and new studio work. They issued the album “Soulmate Sister” on Dead Wax Records, with recording sessions running through 2020-2021 and a vinyl edition released in 2023.
In August 2024, they introduced bassist and keyboardist Kati von Schlotterstein as a new member and documented the single “Tears” as the first release in a planned pair of vinyl EPs.
The band have also contributed to scene compilations. In late 2024 they appeared on the charity release “Resiliencia”, curated by Valencia-based label Industrial Complexx to support communities affected by flooding in Valencia, with the track “Days Of Sorrow – Shadow (Black Merlin Remix)”.
With “Raptures”, Days of Sorrow now present what they call their second album of the new age, released in digital, CD and vinyl editions via Mots Music.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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