Go On A Desert Adventure With Dead Can Dance's "Dionysus"

Music has the power to take you to different worlds, and when that’s the very objective of a record, you’re in for a ride. You can go on a desert adventure with Dead Can Dance‘s Dionysus, an eclectic and beautifully composed record that’ll take you on a journey.

Dionysus is separated into two acts. The first act features the album’s first three songs and get the journey started. Dead Can Dance uses the first act to do some world building to really get you settled into the world, ‘Sea Borne‘ kicking the record off with these big, active and adventurous Middle Eastern vibes, as if you’re about to set sail on this long-awaited adventure with its loud and proud orchestra roaring to life. ‘Liberator Of Minds‘ has a more mysterious and cautious approach, to add a purpose to this journey. ‘Dance Of The Bacchantes‘ ends Act I as the journey begins, the chant sounding uncertain but ready to face whatever comes next.

Act II documents all the sights on the journey. ‘The Mountain‘ has this sense of continuity to it where you really feel like you’re climbing along mountain paths and beholding the stunning sights around you. ‘The Invocation‘ follows up with more tense sounds, the sitar-led track sounding like it’s coming straight out of a bazaar. ‘The Forest‘ is a more curious, wondrous number before the quiet ‘Psychopomp‘ ends the record on a somewhat ambient note. It doesn’t quite feel like the adventure ends there - wherever it goes next is entirely up to you.

You can go on a desert adventure with Dead Can Dance’s Dionysus, a beautifully orchestrated record that does an amazing job at building a world so familiar yet so foreign to ours. By combining elements of Middle Eastern music with wonder, Dead Can Dance truly took this story to another level.

Favorite Track: Sea Borne, The Mountain

Least Favorite Track: Psychopomp

Rating: 76 / 100

Stream or buy Dionysus on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: