The cover is a very distinctive orange detail from Hieronymous Bosche's "The Garden of Earthly Delight". This always makes me think of a Call of Cthulhu roleplaying story that I played once with the same title. Not the one that got published, but the unedited draft version that Lucya ran at GenCon one year. Lucya's game was brilliant, and it's such a shame that Chaosium cut out many of the little details that made it so good. A Bosche painting appeared in the story, but it was "The Haywain" and not "The Garden of Earthly Delight". This always confused me a little, although I suppose "The Haywain" isn't a very catchy title for a Cthulhu story.

Anyway, this album: It's a classic mix of dark gothic, and weird ethnic folksy music. I love Dead Can Dance for their variety and experimentation. I'm afraid that I'm going to conform to the stereotype and say that my favourite track on the album is "Black Sun". Here are the lyrics (as best as I can make them out):

Black Sun Murderer! Man of fire. Murderer! I've seen the eyes of living dead. It's the same game - survival. The great mass play a waiting game. Embalmed, crippled, dying in fear of pain. All sense of freedom gone. Black sun in a white world. Like having a black sun in a white world. I have a son, His name is Eden. It's his birthright, Beyond estranged time. Give me 69 years, Another season in this hell. It's all sex and death as far as I can tell. Like Prometheus we are bound, Chained to this rock of a brave new world, Our godforsaken lot. And I feel that's all we've ever needed to know, 'Til worlds end and the seas run cold. Give me 69 years, Another season in this hell. There is sex and death In mother nature's plans. Like Prometheus we are bound, Chained to this rock of a brave new world, Our godforsaken lot.