Within the Realm of a Dying Sun [Re-Mastered]

"Within the Realm of the Dying Sun" is beautifully flowing masterful mix of Goth, world and classical music. The album is carried by the elegance of Brendan's thought provoking voice and Lisa, who has the most powerful voice in all of music. Although you won't understand a word she says (she speaks in ancient languages for the most part) her voice will touch you in a profound way. Behind them are beautiful brass and string sections as well as an assortment of old sounding instruments (most of which are authentic) played by Lisa and Brendan. The music has an atmosphere to it that is one of a kind. It goes beyond the music, it's a deep and spiritual fulfillment. Another great thing about this album is Brendan's lyrics. Dark, melancholic, philosophical and depressing without being the least bit contrived (like a lot of the typical "I hate myself and I wanna die" bands in the Goth scene).

The first song is "Anywhere of This World". The haunting piano pulls you in and then the strings and horns come in. Beautifully depressing and haunting music, and great vocals by Brendan. Then comes instrumental "Windfall". The song walks along slowly like a serpent sliding through the water. Behind the strings and pianos you can quietly hear drums softly being played in the background. This is the ultimate atmospheric instrumental. "In the Wake of Adversity" is another one sang by Brendan. I love the plucked strings, like rain slowly falling down on to your head. "Xavier" is the last Brendan led song. It starts out with a great female vocal part (I'm not sure if its Lisa or not) and then the epic song begins. More great singing and real good piano on this one. Then comes one of the most powerful songs I've heard... "Dawn of the Iconoclast" starts with powerful horns and drums, and finally ends with the violins peaking. Lisa's voice will send a chill down your spine. "Cantara" is very Arabian influenced. After a long intro, rhythmic beats come in making it the most lively song on the album. "Summoning of the Muse" is probably my favorite song on here. The music is so tragic. The name gives you the felling of the muse being forced to perform, so very tragic. "Persephone" is another depressing one. As always Lisa's vocals are out of this world. The song gives the feeling of a loved one dying. I like the flute part too.

There you have it, one of the best albums ever. Let me make this clear not only are there no bad songs, there are no songs that aren't great. Anyone who likes classical, world, Goth or progressive MUST add this album to their collection. Also check out the other DCD albums, I have three others and although they're not as amazing as this one they're really worth having. Oh, another thing, check out the amazing album cover. It fits in with the musically perfectly.


Crystal-clear dark compositions from a remarkable duo   February 21, 2001
Christopher Culver
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

WITHIN THE REALM OF A DYING SUN was the third LP by Dead Can Dance, the duo of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, released in 1987. In it, they go further with the classical structures explored in 1986's SPLEEN AND IDEAL and in doing so forged what may be their best album.

It's remarkable that Perry and Gerrard wrote the music for this album after simply picking up a couple of books on scoring. This is an album that, after the somber introductory tracks by Perry, moves into clashing cymbals, thundering timpanis, and exploding brass. The musicians who accompany Perry and Gerrard are extremely skilled, and Peter Ulrich, percussionist, adds a great deal of talent to the album. And of course, there are the voices. Brendan Perry's voice is among the most profound and sagely of modern music. And Lisa Gerrard, as anyone who has heard her sing, has the voice of a goddess.

Other reviewers, much to my chagrin, have thought of this as a "goth" album. Although the album is indeed dark, Perry and Gerrard have always denied attempting to present a gothic image. This is a somber album because Perry further explains his world-view, and because Gerrard's tracks move the spirit in a way that is too sacred to make light of.

Some have criticized this album's layout, saying that it is a mistake to divide the album into a first half of Perry's philisophically pensive songs and a second half of Gerrard's choral pieces. Nonetheless, part of what makes Dead Can Dance's work interesting is the duality between the two musicians, and making the album bipolar merely highlights the differences between their styles.

Every track on this album is excellent, and this was the first album I ever bought where I can't complain about even a single song. WTRDS is probably the best place to begin listening to Dead Can Dance.


Amazing   February 19, 1999
14 out of 17 found this review helpful

If you like DCD this cd is in my opinion one of their best..Completely amazing...I can never get tired of listening to it..It's wonderfully haunting.."Xavier", "Dawn of the Icnoclast", "Cantara" and "Summoning of the Muse" can be listened to over and over..the entire cd can be listened to numerous times without ever getting tiring..but those songs are among my favorites... All the songs on "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" are very powerful songs ones that you can feel within your entire body..wether you listen to it during the day or the night it will take you on a journey into a realm of haunting music..Just incredible to listen to...A must have cd..and Lisa Gerrard is amazing, her voice is like no other female vocalist alive..I Love this cd..if you are a DCD fan, get it..if you have not heard many of their cd's get this one..if you just learned about DCD from a friend or stumbled upon them.. get this cd..it's a must have...If you don't believe me then see for yourself..buy it and see..


A transcendent and chilling piece of musical genius   September 5, 2002
M. Haswell (Nagoya, Japan)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I must confess that I was quite late in becoming familiar with Dead Can Dance, and missed their glory days by a longshot. Considering that I was listening to a number of their stylistic contemporaries, I'm not sure how I missed out for so long. It's very unfortunate that Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry are no longer making music together, but the material that they did create easily stands among the finest and deepest in the past couple decades. To me, Within the Realm of a Dying Sun represents their first true (and arguably purest) masterpiece. Everything they made from Spleen and Ideal onwards was unique and rich both in melody and content, but this particular album sends shudders down my spine like few others can. Although this is far from being a bright and pretty work, the growth between it and their rather unexceptional, Goth-style debut in 1984 is really quite an extraordinary shift.

The arrangement of the songs is a bit peculiar from the very first listen; this is the only album in which Brendan and Lisa evenly split the vocal/songwriting responsibilities, and - in particular - each respectively get one half of the album. As awkward and unnatural as it may sound, it works perfectly, with the two halves complementing each other like they were meant to fall in that order. Still, there is a heavy medieval and Gothic tinge to the songs, intensifying more and more as the album progresses. The atmosphere is only charged further by the addition of strings, tympani and horns, which accent the music beautifully. Brendan's songs are dark, but not quite depressing, with lyrics focusing more on a spiritual and philosophical plane than a dreary and nihilistic one. Each song of his seems to be part of a gradual crescendo, slowly becoming more urgent and intense. It all comes to a head on "Dawn of the Iconoclast," a downright unsettling piece that heralds Lisa's entrance as the primary vocalist. The tension loosens a bit with the beginning of "Cantara," but thunders up again after a minute into the song, continuing until the chimes and orchestra of "Summoning of the Muse" take its place. The grand finale is "Persephone," which begins with Lisa's incredibly rich lower register, moving into a stirring string section that then segues into a thoroughly beautiful vocal performance. Her singing becomes increasingly powerful, building the song up more and more before finally letting it collapse down into a bittersweet and disquieted ending.

Within the Realm of a Dying Sun is probably not the easiest introduction to Dead Can Dance's work (try Aion or Into the Labyrinth), but it is likely one of the most rewarding after repeated listens. The subsequent effort, The Serpent's Egg, begins a steady shift away from their heavier and darker work, so in a way this release marks the final climax of their early period. It is without a doubt one of their finest moments, however, and should not be neglected in any fan's collection.