Inkubus Sukkubus - The Goat

As well as being a musician, Tony McKormack is an accomplished artist who has a distinct style. As I look up on my study wall looking at the posters I created using ‘Feedback’ covers from through the years, I can see some of Tony’s artwork that he kindly let me use and the style from 20 years ago is still very similar to that he employed on this 2011 album. Musically this is what you would expect from the Inky’s, loads of guitar and great vocals, but to my ears this is easily the best album I have heard of theirs since ‘Wytches’ which came out in 1993 (although in fairness to the band I haven’t heard all of the albums from the intervening period).

There is a real depth of style and a movement between sounds so that while there are songs that really belt it out there are also some which are way more reflective and balladic in nature. The first real surprise came with “Forever” which has delicate acoustic guitar and sampled woodwind. Here Candia has also adjusted her vocal style so that it is soft and gentle, and although this is one of the quietest numbers I have heard from them it is also one of the most powerful. From there it was back to normal with a bouncy rocker in “Rites of Pain” but what I heard next just blew me away.

“Pagan Born” made its’ first appearance on their debut ‘Beltane’ in 1990 and it was then re-recorded for ‘Wytches’ but it never sounded like this. Track 7 is a full acoustic version, slower than the original yet full of passion and an innocence with Candia and Tony taking the song back to basics, stripping it yet embuing it with a presence that is just incredible. This really is one of those albums that is full of surprises but when the final song “Melancholy Blue” finally fades away there is only one thing to do. Put it on again. Playing these two albums have made me realise just how much I have missed listening to these guys over the years. I’m not going to make that mistake again. All together now, “Here comes the Church of Madness bearing gifts of death and torture, Here comes the Church of Madness Of Jesus Christ their Lord”.