Still Patient? are for me one of the founding forces of German Gothic guitar music along with the likes of Love Like Blood, The Escape, and The House of Usher. I’ve been a fan of the band for many years. In the early 90s I was spendings lots of money on CD’s at Nightbreed in Nottingham and Resurrection Records in Camden. A great live band from the all the gigs I saw in the UK and at the WGT. I think when a band splits up for 13 years it is not always easy to reconnect with greatness of their past. Whilst the band has released a couple of albums since they reformed which have had some good tracks, they have not totally matched the Gothic brilliance of their earlier recordings Salamand, Cataclysm, Chameleon EP and Demondive.

So what about the new album Love and Rites of Rage which comes 5 years after Zeitgeist World Pain? The album opens with The Begining a return of the trademark tribalistic fuelled brilliance of earlier times. A great intro! Firefly captures the perfect Gothic Rock Frenzy and beauty of perhaps Chameleon but this time everything is cranked up to eleven. Has dancefloor smash written all over this track! Love it! All Dead is driven by a goth as F*ck bassline  that has quality of say a goth powered up Stay With Me by The Mission which will having you singing along. Epic! Love Me recaptures perfectly the tight, pulsing essence of the early days of Still Patient? reminds me of the brilliance of Fields of The Nephilim live around the time of Elyzium Wow! Looking Glass shows how great the mastering and the mix of album is, it’s as if time stood still and this was the next album after Demondive  Lovely! Sacrifice in Paradise reminds me a bit of This Burning Effigy with another track to ignite the dancefloor with this gothic rocket! Rites of Rage could almost be a perfect blend of Carl Macoy on steroids and The Rose of Avalanche circa their album Stringa Fantastic! Bitter Sweet a Gothic Rock punch to the head excelling the brilliance that might be found in Kreator’s Chosen Few or Tiamat’s Brighter Than The Sun with a darker gothic darkwave ambience! Trees Falling II For some reason reminds me a bit of The Damned’s Alone Again or with almost classic 80s bass driving a monstrous slice of delicious Gothness! Wherever is a song that will not just ignite the dancefloor, but will leave the place a melted wreck! Up there with Mascara Osiris, and Anavryn Hell Yeah! Heart Shaped Box A typically trademark unique Still Patient? song, loving the dark spooky keyboards! Afterglow  is a great fusion of Gothic Rock and Darkwave which will have bouncing around the room, matured like the finest gothic wine! Wow! The End brings the album to a close or perhaps not as you might find yourself with the album on constant repeat as it just gets better with every listen!

Love and Rites of Rage fits like a glove with of all of Still Patients? early tracks. For me one of, if not the best Gothic Rock album released this year! Make sure you buy a copy and go see Still Patient? live when they will paint your town black and have you dancing til your pikes fall off ;)!

Get your copy of this Gothic masterpiece here

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