Totally unexpected I got a promo CD from Darkcell. Because I never have heard anything about the label and the band’s name before I started off getting an overview. As a result of web searches and asking our mag’s Gothic lady it appears to me that Darkcell Digital Music is one of the most well known British labels for Dark Music.

To learn more about DR KEVORKIAN & THE SUICIDE MACHINE is even harder. Behind the band one will find mastermind Jordan Reyne, who is a multi-talented instrumentalist, songwriter and singer. The Ironman is the second album of the band and was already recorded in 1999 and released in New Zealand in 2000. After disbanding her previous band Bloodflower and working as an solo artist during this time, a critically acclaimed solo debut was released in 1997 titled Birds Of Pray, which even earned nominations for awards in New Zealand. At that time Jordan met Zed Kelly, a German keyboard player, and was also able to convince her old guitarist Dromgool from Bloodflower to pick up his guitar again. With Jaz Murphy – bass player from Bloodflower as well and drummer Rikki Crooch they started writing new songs under the moniker of Jordan Reyne & Dr. Kevorkian. With the band coming apart Jordan focused on writing songs together with Zed alone and The Ironman was created. Because she wanted to use songs from the Jordan Reyne & Dr. Kevorkian session, she brought her old mates back to the studio where Jaz got stuck as a permanent bass player. Another main part of this album producer Simon Holloway has had.

The Ironman is an unbelievably intense but also pretty quiet album with eerily beautiful and disturbing melodies. A symphony of emotions. Intro and opener The Washing Machine Song starts out with minimalist Industrial samples and recitative, flowingly ethereal voice lines and a melancholic cello give a touch of inner brokenness. Gotham City reminds me in its way of intonation to Björk. Likewise expressive, likewise intensive, likewise fragile. With the Echoes I – III there are three interludes to find which divide the album into four chapters that are different in their musical themes. The Keening Song is documented as follows: “this song has no words” whilst a captivating voice is singing though. A pure and intuitional expression of emotions (as you may know from Mila Mar’s second album Nova).
In a musical way you can hardly categorize The Ironman. You shouldn’t do that either. Get into it and explore! Concerning the instrumentation the band is really economical but utmost effective. Industrial samples are dark, experimental but unobtrusive as well as the cello and the piano. Latter one even gets by with only 4 tunes in Part II. The Factory and The Trend convince with acoustic guitars, while Measurement and The Cure rock out with distorted guitars and heavy bass tunes. Over all floats Jordans dark but spherical voice, fraught with fragile beauty and intensive expressiveness. She is a visionary in her music and her lyrics, profound and attentive, developing structures and connotations I was not aware of before.
The concept narrates about three characters who are roaming thru “aural rooms” and considers the same story from different points of views. But even if you do not know the story behind you will feel the characters and the story in the music. Maybe you will not comprehend it totally but the music gives you the scope for own interpretations. If you like, read the story on the band’s official website.
The Ironman is an stunning album you should listen to. An album which is searching for its own kind!!!

Reading the news site on their official bandpage it seems, already a new album titled The Loneliest Of Creatures got released. Well … as soon as it is available in Europe I will own it for sure!