Tony Wakeford - Cupid & Death

Released
1996

Label
TURSA
World Serpent

Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund

Contact

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Last Edit/Update
01 February, 1998

Tony Wakeford

CUPID & DEATH

Track Listing

1. Cupid & Death I
2. Le Lac Noir
3. Jardin De Luxembourg
4. La Nuit Est Arrivee
5. The Day Of The Angel
6. A Rose In Hell
7. Heaven & Hell
8. Cupid & Death II

          Tony Wakeford -- better known for his work in Death In June and Sol Invictus -- has created a very beautiful album centered around the mythical struggle between love and death. On Cupid and Death, classical instruments are used in conjunction with keyboard and electric guitar to establish a timeless mood located somewhere between the present and the arcane. All of the eight songs are melodic and atmospheric, half of them instrumental, the other half featuring strong deep, vocals by Wakeford himself. The two parts of the title track -- which opens and closes the album -- have supporting guest vocals by Karl Blake and Lorna Martin, respectively, while That Summer is credited as having written the piano music for the song "Heaven and Hell."
          Part one of "Cupid & Death" begins with Wakeford singing a capella, the lines of his vocals punctuated by the tinkle of a single triangle. Slowly throughout the song, instruments and supporting vocals join in, until at the end the piece reaches a dramatic orchestral conclusion. The lyrics are highly poetic and cerebral, and -- according to the liner notes -- based on verses found on a masque from the 16th century.
          The next four tracks are instrumental and of shorter duration. Common for all of these tracks is their melancholy tone. It is a melancholy that extends from the subtle sadness of "Jardin du Luxembourg" to the gloomy atmosphere of "The Day of the Angel."
          Wakeford's voice returns on "A Rose In Hell" -- a melodic song with a strong chorus. The vocals are performed to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar and cello. "Heaven and Hell" is another melodious piece arranged with piano and strings, again with Wakeford's deep, powerful vocals.
          "Cupid and Death II" is a reprise of the opening piece. Flute, cello and trumpet are the dominant instruments; Lorna Martin pronounces death the winner against love, and Tony Wakeford sings a brief coda which reestablishes faith in love.

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