Acedia is one of the seven deadly sins, commonly known as laziness, though, much better the term “inertness of the heart” suits. Behind this term Josef Pieper seemingly supposed the deeper meaning: “that the human ultimately disagrees his own being”. Here the British duo HISTORY OF GUNS comes into play, who interprets Acedia as „a total absence of spiritual light“.
This record deals with this kind of absence; about humans, thrown into a bleak and inequitable world, which spits out newborn stranded beings like junk. Trapped between longing, abuse, death wishes and alcohol, only the cynical advice remains: „Go bleed in silence“. With a manic attitude Del Alien brings his dark lyrics to his audience, but avoids aggressive barking as well as too deeply growls. Much more his singing reminds of Nik Fiend and most of all Peter Murphy, his Bauhaus is not so far away musically. Empty Eyes downright sounds like a child of „She’s In Parties“ and „Bela Lugosi’s Dead“. Staccato-like ejected text outlines breathe much the odor of Punk, but the music of this duo is way more complex to reduce it on a 3-accord-schema. Electroclash, Dark Wave, angry Rock, meditative moments with a still piano accompaniment and slow-motion-like stroboscope aesthetics, added by a dash of Gothic Punk as a remembrance of a time, when no everlasting and stereotype guitar walls in company with sorely afflicted opera divas were hidden behind the term “Gothic”.
HISTORY OF GUNS don’t stroll in self-pity through the valley of tears; they play against the ravage of a merciless world. No music for beach parties yet danceable… But I’ll Be Waiting should be anyway a hit in all dark gin palaces at the universes end. To get fully stoned listen to the rest of the album!