UK Decay

UK Decay has got to be the most under-credited band in the history of gothic rock. They were contemporaries of Bauhaus and arguably just as important in terms of establishing musical and lyrical themes, not to mention promoting up-and-comers such as Southern Death Cult and Sex Gang Children. They were also the first band to embrace the term "gothic" as a descriptor for their sound.

What I love about this album and the rest of their work is that it is thoroughly gothic while remaining thoroughly punk. Musically, it blends the grittiness of punk with the stylings of embryonic-goth, namely tribal drumming, prominent baselines, and lots of reverb. And Abbo's operatic vocals are the icing on the cake. The lyrics touch on just about every literary gothic theme imaginable - the supernatural, the occult, bizarre pagan rituals, death and destruction, existential angst, sexual taboo... not to mention literary references to the likes of Oscar Wilde, Stevenson, and Poe. And they did this all before the Batcave opened in '82.

Maybe it will sound campy to some, but it is certainly no worse than some of Bauhaus' dalliances with funkadelic wankery. To me, this is as pure a statement of what early goth was all about as any - dramatic, tempestuous, nightmarish, and overwrought. Sadly, UK Decay disbanded in 1983 and didn't release their material on CD until 2009. Perhaps this is why they've been largely forgotten.

It is worth noting that the 2009 reissue of "For Madmen Only" actually contains songs from that LP along with a number of EPs. For starters, I'd recommend listening to "The Black Cat", "For Madmen Only", and the classic, "Testament." And don't be put off by he opening of "Werewolf"- it kicks in at 2:30, and it's worth it.