LXXXVII. Love Is Colder Than Death | Mental Traveller

LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH

Mental Traveller

©Hyperium. Deutschland, 1992.

‟The 90s were a great decade for genres like goth, dark wave and ethereal. In that time goth music wasn't so distorted and commercial as it is today, full of supergroups that care more about their hideous headbanger look than the music as itself.

The 90s saw the rise and fall of the best goth label ever existed, the Hyperium Records, from Germany. Love Is Colder Than Death was one of the most important bands of their cast.

"Mental Traveler" is Love Is Colder Than Death's darkest album, with intrincated arrangements of electronics, chords and percussion, and themes like religion, mythology and emotional conflicts.

There are memorable songs, like "Fiorina" and "Veronensis" that explore medieval sound textures, or "Down and Out" and "The Bronx of Life", that tends more to the electronic beats of EBM.

The vocals are relayed between Susann Heinrich, Maik Hartung and Ralf Donis, but the best songs were sung by Susann, whose voice is a standart for the so called "heavenly voices".

This record is probably the best of the group, made before Susann quit. After this incident, the band changed their musical path to a more "new age" related style.‟

dElicio

II. Love Is Colder Than Death | Teignmouth

LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH

Teignmouth

© Hyperium. Deutschland, 1991.

‟Love Is Colder Than Death (LICTD) is the closest I have heard to Dead Can Dance. Their music is a blend of ethereal and electro-dark-wave delivered by the "heavenly voice" of Susann Heinrich on most tracks. Several songs on their first two albums are performed by Ralf Donis. But the corner stone of the group is Maik Hartung, founder of the band, guitarist and keyboardist. The first two albums, Teignmouth and Mental Traveller include each a set of 7 or 8 songs performed by Susann Heinrich, and bear a close resemblance to Lisa Gerrard's work with Dead Can Dance. The remaining songs on the album are performed by Ralf Donis and are not dissimilar to the Clan of Xymox, and Born For Bliss dark-wave style. On Oxeia -their third album-, Susann is the only vocalist. Ralf Donis and Sven Mertens are replaced by Andy Porter on Drums and Keyboards. Oxeia's more organic sounds fall in the category of Cocteau Twinsish music.

In 1995, Susann and now husband Andy Porter call it quits leaving Maik with the dilemma of reforming the band. After a four year 'creative pause', LICTD re-surface with Ralf and Sven back in the line-up, along with the new female singer Manuela. Their 1999 album Atopos utilizes traditional exotic instruments from the middle-east and the far-east, deliviring modern world music very comparable to DCD's last album Spiritchaser.

All of LICTD albums are strongly recommended...they're one of my highly rated discoveries‟

Said Sukkarieh