Debuting With Influence: She Wants Revenge

SCORE: 90/100

She Wants Revenge utilized synths and deep, throbbing gothic beats to make their self titled debut instantly memorable - with this album being one of, if not my first introduction into goth music after I gained interest in it as a child.

Some of the band's most memorable material resides on this record, with songs like 'These Things' and 'I Don't Wanna Fall in Love' being highlights within the band's short discography - this album is their most well known as it spawned the most "hits" from its tracklist. The result in the band's sound is something that feels inspired, yet fresh; with clear influences from other bands helping to bring She Wants Revenge into the right direction, their intentions are clear, and they feel very well executed. The ideas are noted as being somewhat repetitive, but they're done uniquely and differently enough from one another to make the album feel like it goes on well. The songs are somewhat slow - but this is to be expected and wanted from an album within the gothic rock sphere.

The songs have catchy beats that feel danceable whilst still being dark; the blend that you would want from a gothic rock album if you're looking for something with a bit less melancholy and a lot more groove to it. It becomes that much more enjoyable with the memories I have attached to it along with the fact it reminds me of someone of utmost importance to me. Having such personal ties to it makes it that much more special - but outside of that, it's a fine piece of gothic rock that does something very different, especially for a mid-2000s record.

It's a striking record if you let it be, it does what it needs to and brings more to the table than expected - and the songs are much more consistent in their compositions than some reviews may lead you to think. It might not be for everyone, but chances are if you like one song on this album you'll like them all, some of them even more so than others. The lesser known songs on this album are just as good as the bigger ones, and the sequencing of the album allows everything to feel very fluid and fresh, even almost two decades later.

Once the mood is set, it stays - and this feels like what the album needed to do. No more, no less, just exactly what it did. It might not be the most depth-filled goth project out there, but it didn't need to be. The more simple sounding songs along with the more complex, lush tracks come together into something much more interesting, and it uses an hour-long runtime very, very well.

Each track is different enough from the last while still keeping a consistent sound that makes this album feel like one big, emotional story. It feels like something worth moving to, something worth loving to, while still being dark and rich at its core - with lush production and layered synth tracks that keep the energy going while still distinctively blending together high and low.