Various
Gothique From The Book of Omen - Songs of the New Millennium Dark Ages

Review By Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
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  When I opened the package for this CD I was immediately intrigued. This is indeed a rarity as I am not one that is impressed by elaborate press kits. This was not a normal presentation however. This was a neatly tucked away in a gatefold folder held together with a wax seal with a triangle of life logo illustrated by a series of links, signifying man's connection to all things living and spiritual. The cover represents an ancient temple with two doors, as if to say - "Make your choice... which one do you want to walk through?" And in a sense, it encapsulates the meaning of this entire project.

This CD is a compilation of 15 tracks from three different albums forthcoming from the Gothique From The Book of Omen-Songs of the New Millennium Dark Ages. This particular CD is a demo. It served as a good overview of this project's premise and the type of music that drives all the messages home. If you have looked around our world lately, there have been several catastrophic events, and I have been mentioning this in other reviews actually, except this time that is what this entire CD revolves around. This music is about the prophecies of the enlightened and those who see the destruction of man imminent, eliminating ourselves from the face of the earth just as we have with countless species of animals. This is happening right before our eyes, yet we choose to standby and watch. They are happening because we ignored all the warnings and scoffed at the mention of so-called crazy foolhardy prophecies. Unfortunately, man has made all the wrong choices and mother earth is pissed, lashing out with a record number of hurricanes, tsunamis, and devastating earthquakes whipping out hundreds of thousands of people. And to top off all of that we are teetering on the brink of WW III in the Middle East. In short, the world we live in is a mess.

The folks at the Music Oracle Limited intend on serving us a wakeup call through the medium of music. Music can be the most effective tool in getting people off their collective asses to take action, its happened before and it can happen again. There is one major difference now, our very existence as sentient beings is at risk, and we will all be nothing but dust if we continue on this path.

There is a combination of chilling spoken word, electronica, alternative rock, progressive and dance chill out music to present the poignant lyrics presented in each track. The track titles tell the story and it is not difficult to figure out how serious this music is once you read along with the lyrics while listening. This is a very different CD, probably the most unusual that I have heard all year, make no mistake about. It really makes you think about each day you have and how blessed it is to be alive. Inside the messages, are blunt truths about money, greed, lust, poverty, crime…the coming of the end and all the events leading us to an eventual darkness that will cover the planet? This may sound negative but this frightening situation worldwide is real. If it takes music to get the word out then let us listen and take heed. Music may be our last hope. Many years ago, my wife had to convince me to have children and this is exactly why-do they have a future? Can they make a difference or is it too late? Normally I say enjoy the music regardless of the message being translated through it, this time it is more serious than ever to make a stand to change our course.

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