Floodland

I remember this album from the Beavis and Butthead show. Every time they watched a video on the show and went, “huh huh huh huh huh huh …. These guys suck…huh huh,” the song they were listening to was definitely from this album.

It's dark, it's moody, it's got 80's production values writ large. I'm not enough of an eyeliner and makeup type of person to love something with this much goth overtones, but in small doses it can be quite entertaining.

The last couple of tracks lose a bit of the intensity, but up until that point, it's driving hard and fast with bass, drum machines and muttered vocals that scream sinister intent.

'This Corrosion' goes on for what seems like an eternity, but it's not unwelcome, as it sounds good enough that it can keep going.

The Good: We will be shown mercy!
The Bad: Maybe, just maybe, we wanted the sisters to show us something else?…
The Ugly: Finding out that one of the sisters isn’t a sister…

So, 1987, a good year!
A year when Sign ‘o the Times came out, or Michael Jackson’s Bad, U2’s the Joshua Tree, Appetite For Destruction by GNR, or even Introducing the Hardline According to TTD… and on and on the list can go.
It is said that, if one takes a good look at the ‘80s then there are two years that are doing their best to be one of the best years EVER in music: 87 and 84…

Now, why am I spouting forth the above history lesson?
Well, listening to Floodland there was one thing that stood out, which is the simple fact that this album, though a great listen, is late to the party.
By 1987 sounds had started to change. The reverb on the snare drum, with the compression added to it, was gone… over… finito.

So why is this album then critical listening?… I don’t have the full list of 1987 albums that are included on the 1001… however, why did a user have to add INXS’s Kick? One of the greatest fucking album of that year.

Anyway, off to find out what album will (hopefully) thrill me today!

This one, 3*… would’ve been 4* if it had been released 5 years earlier...

What's not to love about Industrial Operatic Synth Pop Rock? It's a mood and a space.

This sure is goth music! I don't think I have enough black eyeliner to listen to this on a regular basis, but it's definitely a good example of the genre.

This was pretty good, but for me it was nothing outstanding. I enjoyed it but it got a bit repetitive at times.

PEDRADAÇA. rock gótico regado a synth e muita atmosfera RUIM

new wave de ótima qualidade, inclusive. bão demais, vai tomar no cu, ouvirei mais vezes!

It has everything I thought I liked about 80s music, and yet I only really enjoyed This Corrosion and a few funky synthlines here and there (standout bass on Lucretia My Reflection). It's not a bad album but it's seemingly not for me.

I have big problems with some of the instrumentation. The saxophone bits are unbearable and the drum machine sounds terrible. That said, the melodies are pretty good, and some of the goth-ier dirges are right up my alley.

2.5/5.0: Mixed

this was not what i expected, it has way more of a new wave influence. pretty good though

I had low hopes for this, but once I got into it I was into the gothic beauty.

Not bad. Liked the first song.

Never heard of this before. Decent.

Pretty cool.

It's decent rock n roll. A tad too dramatic for my taste, but I can see the appeal.

Generating this album on a rainy day during Halloween week is a cheap ratings ploy but the joke's on you, 1001albumsgenerator, because I'd probably rate this favorably anyway! And then I'd complain that I didn't get to listen to it closer to Halloween. There's a campiness here that I can't quite decide whether they were in on or not. If not, the sense of earnestness is endearing. Other reviews mention this sounding like Meatloaf collaborating with The Cure, or like Dracula tried to make a New Wave album, and I can hear both. It's fun!

Goth New Wave probably spawned a lot of dark Industrial music and influenced much of the music I listened to at the end of highschool. It's hard to say Sisters Of Mercy were a direct influence on Type O Negative (TON started as a very Metal/Thrash band), but I do think they settled down into a similar kind of 'Industrial Metal Shoegaze' sound later in their run; their album October Rust (a personal favorite October listen) definitely has echos of this album throughout. If you're looking for more contemporary influencees(?) this album calls to mind bands like She Wants Revenge or Heavens.

I'll probably only listen to this album one month out of the year, but I can see myself absolutely basking in it for that month.

I guess it’s October so I’m getting a cluster of spooky albums! Sisters of Mercy always seemed late to the party. Ten years prior, this would have been earth-shattering. But in the late eighties, more of a throwback. It's merely okay. Goth, yes, just evil enough to upset the parents, but not so disturbing as to make the listener question the artist's or their own sanity. And isn't that what you really want from your Goths, music that is ON THE OTHER SIDE of sanity?

The synth heavy sound and Eldritch's monotonous baritone became tiresome after about 30 minutes. Not enough hooks to keep you engaged as a first time listener. Not annoying, but not great either. Some intriguing poetic lyrics and sinister attitude keep it from being a total loser. Just kind of behind the times, and owes a LOT to all those late 70's acts it steals from like Joy Division, early Cure and the Berlin years Bowie.

After a run of disappointing 1 and 2 out of 5 albums this week, I really needed something good — and Floodland by The Sisters of Mercy absolutely delivered.

I loved this album. It’s dark, gothic, and unmistakably 80s, with moody lyrics and powerful, synth-driven tracks that feel perfectly atmospheric. It’s very much my kind of sound, and I know I’ll be coming back to it again and again.

Favourite track: Dominion / Mother Russia — it’s epic and feels like a full journey in itself.
Least favourite track: Honestly, there isn’t a weak song on the album.
Album artwork: A perfect slice of 80s gothic style — I love it.

A bright spot in a pretty dire week with the generator

I'd go 3.5 on this one if I could. Entertaining 80s synth sounds, but man, every song on here is about 2-3x too long.