But which to buy? I was aware that the Nephilim had been going for a long time. Obviously they emerged in the mid/late 80s goth scene, but they'd gone on for many years after that, developing in who knows what musical direction. Anyway, when I'm buying into a new (for me) band, I always prefer to start at the beginning. So, I picked the album with the earliest copyright date, and came home with "Dawnrazor".

I was expecting a sort of sub-Sisters sound. Perhaps something like early Mission stuff. Dawnrazor is quite different, it must have sounded very fresh and new in 1987. It falls loosely into the "guitars with goth (i.e. Eldritch-like) vocals" style that was current at the time, but the sound is quite different; less dancy, more ethereal and evocative.

The album opens with Enio Morricone's "The Harmonica Man" from "Once Upon a Time in the West". Turns out the whole album is loosely themed around spaghetti westerns. This accounts for the band's distinctive "dust coat and stetson" look at the time, I guess.

I like the album, it's pretty distinctive. Like everything new, it took me some getting used to. The music is great, but the tunes aren't catchy enough to really get stuck in my head. Call me old fashioned, but I do like a good tune.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to filling out my Nephilim collection. And what's more, the rumour is that they're planning on putting out some new stuff in 1999. That should definitely be worth a look.