Butterfly Messiah are an amazing duo from Tampa whose music combines strong Darkwave and Ethereal elements with Industrial and dance music to create an otherworldy and dark sound. The members are also openly pagan and their views are evident in their music as well. The CD is, I think, the first official release by the band released on Fossil Dungeon. The CD jewel case has a silver mirror like look to the inside where the disc sits as does the disc itself and a beautiful yet dark insert booklet complete with band photos and lyrics.
From the first time I heard Butterfly Messiah as was at least as impressed with them as I was The Changelings except their music also combined cold electronics with lush ethereal qualities and dark spirituality. This release opens with a track from their demo EP Synthesis called "Land Beneath the Waves" but this is the only previous track you'll find on this release that I am aware of. All the other tracks are brand new for this CD however the first track does sound a bit cleaned up in the studio.
"The Wicked" begins with industrial-like twitch beats and a brooding bassline. Shannon layers her Projekt-like ethereal vocals on top of the mixture. The chorus is a combination of whispers and what almost sounds like taunting. This is just a sample of the combination of sounds you'll hear with Butterfly Messiah. "Introspection" has a sort of funky beat but the backing effect is a breathy vocal chantlike sample. Here Shannon trades the vocal spotlight with Robert who performs more of the harsher bits while Shannon blends in almost ghostlike later in the track.
Butterfly Messiah are the first band I've heard to successfully combine the softer elements of Ethereal based music with the harder beat oriented elements of industrial. "Visitor" is an excellent track with a distinct Gothic Rock feel to it while "Ring The Bells" begins with an almost old Cabaret Voltaire feel to it which soon turns into an electric guitar buzz more cold and hard than Christian Death. However one of my favorite tracks is "Eternal Undone", a song with a definite pagan theme. Robert's vocals are hard and cold - nearly mechanical - while Shannon sings beautifully muse-like, element in contrast holding successful union of rhythm and timbre. The changes in this song are very interesting as well - sometimes very cold while at others very ghostlike and dreamy.
Shannons layered recordings of her singing on "When Autumn to Winter Resigns" has a very madrigal effect to it and sounds much like it was recorded in a wide, empty chamber. "Reverie" is more of a smooth guitar and synth piece with vocals that has a very This Mortal Coil sound to it.
Butterfly Messiah continue to be a band that I have strong desire to watch their career and they have proven that good music really can get it's start on MP3.com and make it's way to a decent label.

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