The Unquiet Grave compilation released by Cleopatra Records remains one of the most important body of works to own in for fans of the gothic,darkwave and ethereal genres. This decently priced 2 CD set was painstakingly brought together with the utmost care for all details.

The Hugh Gilmour graphics which grace the cover as well as the separate slip box that encases the set, is a gorgeous work of art. It has subtle lavender hues covering a photo negative-like image to provide a feeling of ghostly mystery.
As for the discs themselves, 32 different bands are featured here that are stellar performers in their own right.

The majority of these bands are at the forefront of the dark music underground and continue to work at their craft to provide fans great sounds to accompany our lives.
Despite the fact that none of these bands receive any royalties for this disc, it remains a showcase of their talent to hopefully garner more attention from industry insiders as well as generate more public attention. These are the creators of our dark musical future.

Usually this reviewer compiles a track by track listing and analysis to broaden the expanse of the song itself and the artist's work. Due to space constraints and the amount of songs that are included in this disc, this is not entirely possible.
Anyone who is an avid consumer of dark music will recognize at least a dozen or so of the bands listed. The CD insert also provides web site information for the bands to further review their works individually.

Over the last few months, a lot of gripes were played out on the net regarding the sorry state of affairs regarding many compilations on the market. This is not ONE of them.
Cleopatra is to be applauded for their scope and foresight to feature the bands of the do-it-yourself genre. The dark music underground is primarily a market that is based upon word of mouth advertising, whose scope reaches all across the globe.

Purchasing this disc is not only a vote for the bands, it is also a vote to explore many other unsigned bands who really have great music to provide who do not receive corporate machine sponsoring. These bands function fully out of the expense of their own pocket to showcase their talent to help keep the dark music genre alive.

As the purchasing public, we owe it to all the bands on this disc to seek out their other works to let them know we appreciate the great music they are making.


Alright, Cleopatra - you NAILED it with this one   February 1, 2002
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

One of the best dark music samplers of the year. The low price almost seems like a mistake, but it's a terrific deal. This comp will probably jump-start three or four of the bands featured. All in a slipcase that's the same size as a regular CD (I LOVE convenient packaging!)

Instead of using up all the good songs halfway through disc 1, they're well spaced. Magenta's "Eccentricity" opens the comp with a gothed-out ABBA sound. Trance to The Sun follows up with "Slave," which sounds like Lycia doing heavy metal. Advent Sleep approaches "overgoth" with "Vision in Black." Nearly all the songs are catchy enough that you can remember them a week later. Other standouts include Black Atmosphere's semi-goofy "Love Lies Bleeding (Part Two)."

It gets ethereal with Stone 588's "Mundus Vult Decipi," Ctrl's head-scratcher "Lioc," and Jennifer Hope's gentle "The Sky is Blushing." (She's not a great singer yet, but there's a sweet innocence to her sound.) Gossamer's Depeche Mode-ish "Run (Wayne Hussey Mix)" is a deathpop gem. Brave move not to open the album with this track. Every Wiccan ceremony should start with the harpsichord beauty of Autumn Tears' "This, My Melancholic Masquerade." Second Skin's rocker "Sweet Nothing" sounds like Fields of The Nephilim. The Last Dance's "Do You Believe in Angels" is like Gossamer's "Run," but about 5% cheesier. The Unquiet Void's "Breathing Liquid Breath" is watery and cavernous; it would have fit perfectly on Lycia's "Ionia."

Rhea's Obsession starts disc 2 with the metal guitar ballad "When I Was in My Prime." Spiritual Bats' "Crucifixion" is officially "overgoth." Android Lust's "Heathen (A Thousand Thoughts)" is a perfect blend of scary whispered vocals, cinematic keyboards and a hard dance beat. Italian band Burning Gates' "Il Regno del Vento" is Nephilim with a side of marinara sauce. Soon after that comes one of the best songs:
"Butterfly." Tapping The Vein tricks you with a Switchblade Symphony-style opening, then punches you right in the face with an intense, shrieking heavy metal chorus. Just awesome. Funeral in Berlin has an echoey, mellow goth feel on "Suspense." If The Police had done a goth tune, you'd have Written in Ashes' "Nightfeast." Alchemia's "An Explained World" closes disc 2 much like "Breathing Liquid Breath," like fog moving over heated water.

When Cleopatra gets it right, you get samplers like this one or "The Black Bible." Two more Unquiet Grave sets have come out, but this one is still the best.


Unquiet Grave   November 20, 2002
 5 out of 8 found this review helpful

The CDs are both quite diverse in the music they present, but lack a certain something. Call it consistency, call it progession from one track to the next, I can't quite place it, but something came up missing for me. While some of the tracks are very, VERY good, those that are not worth the time aren't quite paid for by those that are.