Peter Murphy's "Lion"

                   
There is no denying that Peter Murphy is a musical god among mortals. That distinguishable voice and gloomy lyrics hail him as the true Godfather of Goth, whether he likes to admit it or not.(Hint: He does not like to admit that)

He recently released his ninth solo album, "Lion." As a solo artist, Peter Murphy has changed his sound many times. We all know and love his "Deep"album, but I certainly can't say the same about "Dust."(That Turkish influence doesn't do it for me) "Unshattered" and "Ninth" had a similar feel to them. Those two albums are a bit more rockier than previous efforts. "Lion" does seem to continue this tradition, albeit with a more industrious feel to it.(Think Nine Inch Nails) So how does this album stack up to his previous works? Let's take a look at each track, shall we?(Five stars is the best possible score)


Hang Up(Track 1)**
-The song starts off interestingly enough. Nice synthy playing over a drum beat, it certainly sounds promising. About a minute into the song Peter's vocals arrive and sound scratchy and rough. Admittedly I do not prefer when Peter Murphy sings like this, but when it's over instrumentals that certainly nod to something Trent Reznor would create I suppose it's understandable. It's an OK opener, but compared to what's to come it's rather underwhelming

I Am My Own Name(Track 2)***
-After a slow nearly six minute opener, "I am my own name" picks up the pace a bit. But first, a two minute opening that reminds me of something off of Bauhaus' "Burning From the Inside" album and that is awesome! However, after that nice two minutes comes a dancy-kind of song. Clapping, synths, and a sing-songy chorus. The chorus throws me off a bit. I don't usually like songs that repeatedly have "babe" thrown in, but everything else about this song is good. Would of preferred this as the opening track.

Low Tar Stars(Track 3)*****
-Now things are getting good! Has a very 80s feel to it, which is always welcoming. Fast paced, and Peter Murphy is spitting poetry. His voice has changed from the rough sound of the first two songs, which is better. Very rocking and danceable. Great song.

I'm On Your Side(Track 4)****
-After that song I guess it's time to slow things down. There's a nice rhtymetical beat, the vocals are distorted and very dreamy. As the song progresses it starts to get a bit louder, but nothing too extreme. I wouldn't have minded the whole song as a softer-personal calling from Peter, but it's still good.

Compression(Track 5)**
-Another slower song, with a bit of piano playing. Not sure if it's obvious or not, but I prefer when Peter Murphy has these slower songs with his gloomy softer voice. BUT! once the chorus kicks in things start to sound like some hard rock ballad. Which totally messes with the song for me, maybe others would enjoy this.

Holy Clown(Track 6)****
-Here is perhaps the most "Peter Murphy" sounding song on the album.(If that makes sense at all) A nice mix of old and new. Acoustic guitar strumming, electronicy synths, and electronic guitar blend beautifully.

The Rose(Track 7)*****
-The most personal sounding song on the album. Loving the vocals over the orchestra instrumental. Unfortunately it's one of the shortest songs on the album! Compared to some of the opening tracks that certainly didn't need to be nearly six minutes, this song should of been longer! Definitely a highlight on the album.

The Ghost of Shokan Lake(Track 8)*****
-Another superb song! Dramatic singing accompanied by violins sets a fantastic vibe. I love the echo and chanting throughout the song. That industrious guitar sound is in this song, but works much better here! Whereas some of the earlier songs sounded a bit too much like Nine Inch Nails, here is sounds very refreshing and original.

Eliza(Track 9)*****
-Here's a song that sounds like it could be from "Deep." That being said, it's fucking great, and doesn't get much better than this. Very 90s Gothic rock, and the chorus is wonderful. Have to love Peter's voice in this one. Spooktastic.

Loctaine(Track 10)****
-Another slower track. Sounds a bit whispy-ghost like.(I don't know, listen to it you'll know what I mean) Peter's baritone vocals are crooningly wonderful.(That isn't a word by the way) This would be the perfect way to close a great album....but...

Lion(Track 11)**
-"Loctaine" would of been a much better closer, but "Lion" of course is the closer.(The album is named Lion afterall) It returns back to the NIN-esque sound(I completely forgot about the earlier songs by this point) so I guess in that regards it brings everything into a full circle.

So "Lion" definitely delivers! It's Peter Murphy's best solo work in quite some time. Never disregard a musician who is sometimes deemed as "not in his prime" by some bitter fans(I'm referencing some "fans" on youtube) A great mix of soft and loud, acoustic and industrial. There is certainly something here for any fans of the Peter Murphy genre. So fans of goth rock rejoice! Peter Murphy is back in great form. Not that my scoring or rating or reviewing really matters at all, but I would give this album 4 out of 5 stars! Lots of great songs(Eliza, Ghost, Stars) but the few weak songs take away from the album as a whole(Lion, Compression)