The Black Capes - Looks Like Death album review and Ten More Questions to ... Alex S Wamp

Next month sees the release of Looks Like Death, the long-awaited third album from Greek gothic rock act The Black Capes, who boosted their global profile significantly with sophomore effort Lullabies For The Dead two years ago, just before the world went into lockdown.

Looks Like Death finds the band on fine form, and whilst their guitar-based traditional gothic rock is definitely at the heavier end of the market, there is enough subtlety and variety in their arrangements to appeal to a broader fanbase. Opening track Apokalypsis is a case in point and makes a perfect statement of intent, being restrained, reflective and multi-layered in approach, whilst containing a brooding power which creates a suitably dark ambiance, and an intriguingly subtle swagger which is maintained on songs such as the first video single from the album The Rejects Anthem and the impressively intricate Cruel World.

Whilst the heavier riffing and solos on more straightforward tracks like Asphyxiate, Love Is Love and the wonderful bass-driven title track Looks Like Death should appeal to rock and metal fans who are drawn in by the crunching guitars, the band have broadened their musical palette on the more mellow Reset, which somewhat surprisingly features an airy saxophone throughout, and album closer The Beast Within, a slow-burning epic which begins with a spooky fuzz-drenched introduction which again showcases the band’s increasing eclecticism.

Whilst there are more broken chords and extra instrumentation (keyboards, and even a trumpet) on the new LP than on previous releases, the band’s signature sound – Lucretia-style chugging bass, anthemic yet muted choruses, and of course singer Alex S Wamp’s distinctive baritone croon – remains mercifully intact, notably on the Type O Negative-esque second video pre-released from the album, Apathy, and whilst the band is clearly rooted in the 1980’s gothic movement, Looks Like Death sees the band developing their own sound, rendering obsolete the previous comparisons with acts like Fields of The Nephilim. Less stereotypically Goth (with a capital G) than previous releases, Looks Like Death sees The Black Capes ditching their more cartoonish accoutrements and confidently striding out on their own distinct path, updating the trad goth rock sound whilst introducing their own unique elements, yet staying true to their original musical masterplan.

Looks Like Death, expertly mastered again by Pete Rutcho, will be released in early March on vinyl and CD on Ikaros Records and Council of Bones Records, and the digital version is available for pre-order on Bandcamp.

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Keen to find out more about the band’s recent evolution and the genesis of the new album, I was delighted that Alex S Wamp again kindly agreed to answer my “Ten Questions …”, and I am very grateful to him and to the surprise interview guest!!

1. Well done on the excellent new album, Looks Like Death. Would you agree that it continues the evolution that began on Lullabies for the Dead, in that there has been a further reduction of the pure “metal” flourishes, with a greater emphasis on more traditional gothic rock?

Alex: Thank you for your kind words. I think what you are referring to has to do with the production. We are a guitar driven band, and so are The Fields of the Nephilim or the Cure. As with these bands, you can hear a heavier or a more rock sound, depending on which album you listen to. But the songwriting, if you could hear the songs on an acoustic guitar, is good old-fashioned goth. As for evolution, I, too, believe that Looks Like Death is closer to Lullabies than to All These Monsters.

 

2. At the time of the last album, you expressed huge admiration for The Kentucky Vampires, whose own second album was also out. Has that influenced your songwriting at all, such as on more complex tracks on the album like Cruel World?

 Alex: The Kentucky Vampires are one of the best bands out there, and they're also good friends of ours. Abbas, Zac and Shahn are the people who heard the new album before anyone else did. So, yes, whenever I am asked about other bands, I always mention T.K.V. We are so different though, especially when it comes to songwriting. I think we just had so much free time, and no pressure from a record label during the lockdown, that we added and changed parts on every track countless times. That is probably why you get this feeling. But since you mentioned T.K.V., let me ask Zac how he feels about the new album!!

[NVL: Whaaaaat???]

Zac: All of us in the Kentucky Vampires love The Black Capes' music and consider them brothers! Their new album is fantastic and I find them evolving more and more their gothic sound in their music. What an honor it was for us to have a first peek at Looks Like Death! The new album is amazing and is a treat for all fans of gothic rock and gothic music! Very excited to see what the future holds for the Black Capes!

 

 

3. Thanks, Zac! Alex, although the band's overall sound seems more homogenous this time, there are still new developments on Looks Like Death, like the unexpected saxophone intro to Reset. What was the inspiration for that?

Alex: Like I said, we had all the time in the world to experiment and that is exactly what we did. We knew that there was going to be saxophone on Reset when we composed it, but the trumpet on Apokalypsis, for instance, was a last-minute idea. We just paid more attention to what every track “needed”.

 

4. Your vocals seem a little more understated this time, with none of the Peter Steele-style basso profundo on this album. Was that a deliberate move?

Alex: Hahaha! I wish I could sing like the Green Man. All the tracks, except for two, were in a higher key so I had to follow the tracks' notes, but I think we still have a couple of songs in which I hit really low notes.

 

5. You also seem to have moved away from gothic tropes more on this album, with no Mr Gothopoly or bats on the album sleeve. Are you aiming for a classier, more subtle, less cartoonish gothic image?

 Alex: I love bats and Mr Gothopoly, but I think the lyrics and the music dictates in a way the artwork that will “dress” an album. Looks Like Death couldn't have something playful for a cover because of how dark it is. Don't expect the same for our merch though, we will keep having cartoonish, spooky t-shirts and button pins for our fans!

 

6. Lyrically as well, the themes treated seem to be broader. The last album had songs with titles like Gotham, From Beyond The Grave or Welcome to the Necroclub, whereas this time around it’s Apathy and Asphyxiate. Would it be fair to say that the lyrics have become more political?

 Alex: I wouldn't say political, I would say social. The last two years a lot of things have happened around the world that are impossible to ignore. As a band we are very sensitive with social issues, and this time we felt the need to speak about all the shit we see and hear. The U.S. has been through a lot in the past two years, some of which has touched a lot of people around the world. But I will speak about Greece, since that's where my reality is. Here, we witnessed the murder case of drag performer and activist Zac Kostopoulos, killed in 2018, which is still in search of justice - even though everyone knows it was a hate crime. 17 women were murdered in 2021 by men, police brutality reached new highs and mental disorders are on the rise. A lot of people had to shut down their businesses because of the lockdowns and art barely survives. When all of this takes place, you just can't write only about graveyards and vampires.

 

7. On the last album you covered The Cult’s Rain, and you mentioned in our last interview that you might try Iggy’s Cry For Love this time. Did it not work out, or did you just feel that the new songs were stronger, and that you didn’t need a cover version to attract attention to the album?

 Alex: We love playing our favorite songs of other artists. It's always fun and I think most bands do it, at least when rehearsing. There is no deeper thought behind doing a cover, not for us. So I would say it just didn't occur to us this time. Maybe in the future we should do a covers E.P. .

 

8. Yes please! In between Lullabies for the Dead and Looks Like Death, there was a standalone single, Bride of Frankenstein. Why did that song not feature on either album?

 Alex: This track was written for the soundtrack of a Greek/German movie (The Mystery of Frankenstein). The contract allowed us to release it only as a single, and that is the reason we could not feature Bride of Frankenstein on the album.

 

9. The new album is coming out on the Council of Bones label. How did that link-up come about?

 Alex: It is actually coming out via The Council of Bones and Ikaros records. David and June Moyer, the owners of The Council of Bones are fans of The Black Capes and have supported the band from day one, so when we parted ways with darkTunes, they were the first ones we had in mind. As for Ikaros records, I have worked with Lefteris Fytas in the past and we released the last album of my other band Potergeist with his label, so when I asked him if he was interested, he said he wanted in 100%.

 

10. You’ve already released one single from the album, The Rejects Anthem. Will there be others? The title track seems to be a particularly catchy track…

 Alex: Right now we have 3 new songs that anyone can listen to on our Bandcamp page. We are planning to publish two more videos before the release, hopefully we'll deliver on time!