Bad Dream No. 13

Bad Dream No. 13 Review by Morgana Wynter Most of us have heard of Samhain and Danzig but I would wager a guess that Eerie Von isn’t such a familiar name. He was the bassist for Samhain from ‘83 until ‘88. When the band name changed he went on to play with Danzig until ‘95. Prior to this though, Eerie auditioned for the Misfits, after being their photographer, as a replacement drummer and was given the position. Upon taking the weekend the think it over he ultimately declined. Now he works as a solo act and cult graphic artist. His work is referred to as “Fiend art”. I heard “Sing Sinner Sing” and was completely and totally hooked. To the point I had the Mp3 version of his ‘Bad Dream No. 13′ bought from CD Baby that very evening. It has such a catchy beat and lyrics that I couldn’t get it out of my head. I STILL can’t. The best way to describe this CD is infectious. The rhythms and lyrics get stuck in your head. With themes that span everything from madness to redemption and influences from the likes of Nick Cave, horror flicks and the Blues it’s no wonder. The CD opens with ‘A Cage, Is A Cage’ with heavy hypnotic beats and thought provoking lyrics. We all lock ourselves into “cages” whether it is to protect ourselves or those we love. It’s how we deal with every day life because yes the world can be a vicious place. ‘The Bone Drone’ is one of those tracks that makes me close my eyes and just feel the music. The visuals from this track are brilliant. The sound is so distinct, to me anyway. I hear the opening strain from the other side of the house and instantly know which track has begun (though most of the CD is this way). You won’t find any cliches here in the music. ‘In the Shade’ is among my favorites from this CD. The beat to this track is one of the ones I can see played in a club. It’s definitely dance-able With lyrics like “I wanna stick my hand to the ice cold blade.” and “I wanna lay down in the bloody bed that I made.” It’s sure to invade your veins as it has mine!! ‘Downontheslab’ A morticians job can be seen as cool or not given ones disposition. Eerie makes it sound so the former though. One of the slower, mellower tracks on this CD. Gives me a bit of time to sit and reflect. A pretty heavy blues influence can be heard in this musician’s ear. ‘2 Tears in A Bucket’ With the dark undertones to most of this CD this track is a bit of fresh air. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the feel to this CD overall, but 2 Tears makes me giggle; bit of levity if you will. The message *I* get from this track is we all have problems, you can either wallow in them, or rise above them and stand proud. Why I find humor in this I’m unsure it must be the words “Two tears in a bucket, motherf*ck it” Incidentally a friend I turned on to this CD felt the same as I did about ‘2 Tears’. Maybe we’re just twisted and demented ‘Prelude to Death’ One of the instrumentals on the CD. Word to the wise, if you’re predisposed to thinking aliens are invading, this track will have you putting on your tinfoil hat. It sounds just like the old UFO movie music. ‘Meet Death’ Death can be a very beguiling mistress. Hearing Eerie sing of her charms the visual is just beautiful. The music is quite intoxicating to set up a calming sense of assurance. We all must meet her, many fear her. After hearing this track she doesn’t seem so bad after all ‘Bad Dream’ Whether literally or figuratively we all suffer from them. We want to wake up, from some we can’t and they haunt our hours awake or asleep. Another Bluesy type number which I feel Eerie does quite well! ‘The Perfect Criminal’ Some of these tracks have a decidedly tribal undertone. In this one it is quite prevalent. “Heads all bowed y’all. Deepest sins wash away your guilt, like the highest tide.” How can you NOT relate to words like that? Society sometimes turns us into people we don’t want to be in order to survive. We become indifferent to the society that surrounds us because we MUST be. Survival of the fittest is really survival of the most clever. ‘The Velvet Shroud’ This track starts out as what reminds me of sort of a…demented music box. When it moves into the crux of the song it turns into another of those almost hypnotic tracks. Not a happy track by any means, but Eerie has such a way with words. ‘Sing, Sinner, Sing’ The track that opened my eyes to the brilliant Eerie. One of THE catchiest tunes I’ve EVER heard. I can just see a chain gang singing this song as they work. I imagine when we’re facing that last mile we’ll look back on our lives and have at least one thing we’ll want to ask forgiveness for from the person we’ve wronged. To me, this track personifies that desire. At that point, we have nothing left to lose. ‘Case Study #107/Rec Room 3A’ Not necessarily an instrumental. It is…what it says. As one that has a great interest in the mental healthcare system as it once was I can see any number of doctors with a voice recorder observing a patient. Rec Room is the second part, the madness that has consumed the patient’s mind. Quite unique in its execution I might add. ‘Benediction #2′ The final track is an instrumental. Reminds me a lot of a mix between Funeral Dirge and the organ music from the old horror movies. A perfect ending to a fabulous CD. In this reviewers opinion, while the CD as a whole won’t appeal to everyone; if unique is what you seek then this is worth picking up. As diverse as Eerie’s career itself. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer! An eccentric mix makes up ‘Bad Dream No. 13′ and it’s a true delight to the senses! As long as Eerie keeps making music, I’ll keep buying. I’m hooked!! Rated 9.8 out of 10! Official Site: http://www.eerievon.com/home1.aspx Buy the CD at CD Baby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/eerievon Eerie on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/eerievon Ghastly Records: http://www.ghastlyrecords.com/ You can hear partial clips of all tracks at the CD Baby link! Check back in a couple of weeks, when I’ll be reviewing another of Eerie’s releases from Ghastly! Until next time! From the Mouth of Madness Morgana Visit the Gothic Blend Forums to post your comments and discuss this article in the Community Crypt. .