From fairy queens to moon children shining bright… Lyric writing has always been The Mission’s Achilles’ heel. And so it proves once again on Another Fall From Grace. But when it comes to the music, the band at last sound reinvigorated with a re-discovery of their paisley-and-patchouli mojo. This is thanks largely to Wayne Hussey’s stated aim to create an album that sounds like the missing link between the Sisters Of Mercy’s First And Last And Always and The Mission’s God’s Own Medicine.
With producer Tim Palmer back on board, the record harks back to those halcyon Chapter 22 days, albeit with a bigger budget. The title track doffs its dusty cowboy hat in the direction of the Sisters’ reading of Emma, while the ear worm that is Met-Amor-Phosis hints at what Eldritch’s Dominion would have sounded like if the second incarnation of the band hadn’t have split so acrimoniously. Indeed, as evidenced on the shimmering Blood On The Road, if Eldritch’s growl and Gary Marx’s Celtic chimes were in place we’d be looking at a real winner.
