Ghost Dance – The Silent Shout (Album – Voltage Records)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Rock, Dark-Wave.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: “The Silent Shout” stands for the return of legendary 80s Dark-Wave / post-Punk formation Ghost Dance. Originally set up by Gary Marx (ex-Sisters Of Mercy) and Anne-Marie Hurst (ex-Skeletal Family) the band unleashed the album “Stop The World” in 1989 on Chrysalis. The band’s split came after this album while thirty years later (2019) Anne-Marie Hurst reactivated the band with new members Tim Walker (guitar), Stephen Derrig (guitar), Phil Noble (bass), and Dave Wood (drums). Four years later we got the long-awaited second full length of Ghost Dance featuring ten songs. The work features eight new songs and two previously unreleased cuts written by Gary Marx.
Content: Ghost Dance sounds different than 30 years ago and that’s easily understandable. Anne-Marie’s voice is more mature although holding on this raw expression she’d in the 80s. Different musicians are logically transposing the band into a different sound and dimension although still connected with the early stuff. It all becomes more Dark-Rock driven while there’re also a few ballads featured.
+ + + : It’s good to see Ghost Dance back on track which are also performing live again. I’ve always been a huge lover of The Skeletal Family and that was partly because of Hurst’s raw timbre of voice. Her timbre of voice is still recognizable. She still has this charisma but she sounds more mature and comfortable in her way of singing, it became more ‘natural’. Sound-wise the work brings a connection between the early years and contemporary Dark-Rock/Wave music. Both songs originally penned by Gary Marx still feature the good-old 80s spirit although it’s also true for “Jessamine”. The last part of the opus definitely sounds as the best part while featuring the best cut entitled “Falling Dawn”. This is a great and carrying piece of music showing the band at its best.
– – – : I can’t say the debut part is disappointing but just less persuasive. It took me a few songs before I got really convinced by some cool songs.
Conclusion: It’s just great to see this legendary formation back on track. Ghost Dance definitely belongs to the history of Dark-Wave and Post-Punk music.
Best songs: “Falling Dawn”, “After The Rain”, “It Rains”, “Jessamine”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100037905976036
Label: www.voltagerecords.com / www.facebook.com/voltagerecords1 Read the news on ‘The Silent Shout’.
About Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance is a British Dark-Wave and post-punk band set up in 1985 by Gary Marx, formerly of Sisters Of Mercy, and singer Anne-Marie Hurst, formerly of Skeletal Family. Early singles and EPs were compiled on the album “Gathering Dust” (1988), followed by “Stop The World” (1989, Chrysalis), after which the band split. Anne-Marie Hurst reactivated Ghost Dance in 2019, without Gary Marx but with his blessing, alongside new members Tim Walker, Stephen Derrig, Phil Noble and Dave Wood. “The Silent Shout”, released on Voltage Records, is the band’s second studio album and includes two previously unreleased songs written by Marx during the band’s original run.
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