Various Artists Summoning Of The Muse

The legacy of Dead Can Dance is such that many pay tribute to the band that elevated the intricacies of the song outside of the classical genre to a very high level. Whether they crafted the multi-textured songs themselves or covered a traditional work, their works have always been a cut above.

The Gothic/neo-classical genre is a style of music best suited to replicate Dead Can Dance tunes providing the necessary textural layers and grace to make the songs become the best they can be. If the edge is too harsh, the nuance is destroyed and you have a cover that is an interpretation. And we don’t want garage bands covering such revered material, no sir. The real issue is how good the copies are.

Projekt is, and has been, home to many of the bands that are well-suited to this undertaking including Rosenthal’s own, the essential Black Tape For a Blue Girl, whose version of “Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book” is a dead-on master rework (culled from The Lotus Eaters compilation). But Projekt’s accumulation of Various Artists renderings of DCD goes further than any DCD tribute collection before it in the sense that the artists are of the same blood, cut from the same cloth, as it were.

Contributions pour in from many of Gothic’s neo-classical corners from its most respected entertainers. Arcana contribute two songs in “The Arcane” and “Enigma of The Absolute.” Arcana, who express their debt to DCD in a haunting style, add mystery and dream to the power of Dead Can Dance. France’s Dark Sanctuary angelic voices add a beautiful layer to the title track, “Summoning Of The Muse.” Rajna’s version of “Cantara” is exotically hypnotic and not far from DCD’s own version of the song, vocally, while included artist, Stoa, and their own version of the same song, is a hauntingly softer, more church-like performance, however equally rewarding.

Germany’s Chandeen provide a satisfying pop version of “In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated.” I’ve been a fan of Chandeen’s style, especially in covers since I heard their rework of Pink Floyd’s “Apple and Oranges,” a refreshingly endearing song with sex appeal. Their rework of DCD’s song, noted above, is atmospheric and expressive.

Projekt’s Summoning Of The Muse, a tribute to one of the great bands, is a tributary all of its own, leading to artists, whose works are superior to many of the works out there in the world today. If you like complex, airy, dream-tracks in a classically influenced style, you’ll be amazed at, not only the excellent DCD renditions, but also the artists that performed them.

The Summoning of The Muse is a miracle of discovery.