 | The Girl who was Death (1987)Genres: symphonic rock, dark progressive |
review by daniel
We all know that the 80s was a lost decade, but this is one of few exceptions. It is a concept album based on the British cult TV-series “The Prisoner” from the 60s. For the first time we are introduced to the bizarre and fascinating world of Mr. Doctor, the creative force behind Devil Doll. Mr. Doctor’s schizophrenic vocals are usually supported by a lone piano, while the other instruments (mainly bass, drums, keys, guitar and violin) join in for the climaxes. Sometimes this approach is interrupted by longer instrumental passages (on occasions backed by a choir), where the violin in particular comes to the fore. That is a good thing because the violin playing is a highlight of the album. Devil Doll’s main violinist Sasha Olenjuck handles melancholic beauty and energetic soloing with equal elegance.
This album is not as dark, nor quite as sublime (no pipe organ, less powerful choir), as later Devil Doll albums. In addition the instrumentation is not as rich and neither Mr Doctor’s vocal style or his compositional skills seem fully developed.
A promising debut with hints of future brilliance.
 | Eliogabalus (1990)Genres: symphonic rock, dark progressive |
review by daniel
Devil Doll’s second release was basically two pieces, “Mr. Doctor” and “Eliogabalus”, that for some (financial?) reason were edited down to fit a single LP. This time (as well as on future releases) the main influence seems to be classic horror movies from the silent era (“Nosferatu”, “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari” and the like). The music is somewhat darker than on the previous effort and Mr. Doctor has also started to include some weird elements such as (Slavonic?) folk music played on accordion, music boxes and carnival-like passages. This adds to the demented nature of the music.
For those who can imagine themselves liking dark and demented rock music with strong classical influences, but not a vocalist that sounds like a cross between Peter Hammill and Gollum, this might be the Devil Doll album to get. Mr. Doctor hisses more than he sings but he has not yet taken it to the very extreme (that would be the Peter Hammill and Gollum thing). On “Sacrilege of Fatal Arms” and “Dies Irae” he adds even more schizophrenia to his theatrical vocal delivery, so it might be easier to start with this one. And if you like it you are in for a real treat because the next two albums are even better.
 | The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms (1992)Genres: symphonic rock, heavy progressive, dark progressive |
review by daniel
“Sacrilege of Fatal Arms” is basically a rearranged version of “Sacrilegium” with some 20 minutes of additional music. Both albums are great, but since you don’t need both of them this one is the obvious choice. It improves on “Eliogabalus” in every way; it has richer and more varied instrumentation (the sublime pipe organ is a welcome addition), more interesting compositions and better vocals. Mr. Doctor has split his schizoid narrator into even more persons. Angel, demon, child and madman struggle to take command over his voice and he even changes personality several times within the same sentence. As you might have guessed it takes a while to get used to but when/if you do, you will probably consider the vocals a vital part of Devil Doll’s sound.
I read somewhere that the lyrics are about a man lying in his grave looking back at his life. That may be true, but another theme is the manipulation and oppression of the masses, even using them as a powerful weapon. This theme is emphasized by the guest appearances by Goebbels, Lenin (?) and the pope. Anyhow, the lyrics work well with the music and the vocal delivery, even if you cannot follow Mr. Doctor everywhere.
A great piece of music and Devil Doll’s darkest and heaviest album. It is also their most twisted, mainly due to the “waltz-of-death” parts (think dance hall music for the undead) and the sampled snippets of the above mentioned “guests”.
 | Dies Irae (1996)Genres: symphonic rock, dark progressive |
review by daniel
For this release Mr. Doctor engaged the Slovenian philharmonic orchestra to bring his vision to life. Symphony orchestras and rock/prog groups playing together is a concept that usually works better on paper than in reality. This is however not a rock group performing in front of a symphony orchestra or, even worse, a megalomaniac guitarist writing a symphony for seven guitars and an orchestra. It is the perfect merge of rock and classical music. A dark, gothic and disturbed masterpiece.
