Hieros Gamos is the side-project of Slovakian darkwave band Ľahká Múza whose latest album I reviewed very positively here recently. The name Hieros Gamos goes back to ancient Greek mythology and refers to a sexual ritual that plays out a marriage between a god and a goddess, especially when enacted in a symbolic ritual where human participants represent the deities. Well, 'Fetish Remix' certainly is ritualistic! The primary difference musically, is that Hieros Gamos is much more based in electronics (synths, keyboards) than Ľahká Múza, which is guitar-based. That's not all- this is Fetish music with a capital F. There is costuming involved (in live performance), lots of it, if the photo galleries bonus material on this enhanced CD are any indication. You can expect a lot of elaborate BDSM fashion worn not only by singer Gundrun Snake and her musical cohort 677, but also in by the (mostly female) performers who accompany them. That's something you'll only get to experience live though, so you'll have to settle for the photo galleries for your visual stimulation.
Musically, the most comparable band I can think of is Die Form. Both Die Form and Hieros Gamos are electronic fetish-oriented projects and ritualistic musically, both have female lead vocalists. (Philippe Fichot does contribute some hoarse, whispery vocals, but it is Ãliane P.'s voice that really makes the difference in that band.) Both Gundrun and Ãliane have an operatic quality in their vocals, but Gundrun's voice is deeper and stronger. While over the years Die Form's music has taken on a more dance-oriented bent, Hieros Gamos is firmly rooted in the dramatically ritualistic. There is (programmed) rhythm, but not of the four-on-the floor dance orient variety. As with Ľahká Múza there is a strong martial element to the rhythms, but not always so. For example, 'Lacrimae Sirenarum' is in a playful 6/8. Well, as playful as Hieros Gamos can get.
The CD consists of nine tracks, six of which have lyrics, the other three with wordless vocals by Gundrun. It's nice that the lyrics are printed in this six-panel digipack in both their native Slovakian and also in English as it gives a better feel for what they're trying to convey- darkness, pain, loss, bondage, sorrow, lament. You get the idea. As with Ľahká Múza, Gundrun's two vocal modes are operatic diva and witchy woman. You can look at it as a dichotomy between the classical and neo-shamanic folk. Gundrun subscribes to both, sometimes (thanks to multi-tracking) at the same time! One track, 'Vyhladenie' ('The Annihilation') bore a remarkable similarity to early Dead Can Dance. Overall, the music on 'Fetish Remix' displays a nice amount of variety within the context of their own stylized oeuvre. There is severity, yet there is passion; simplicity in form, yet richness in atmosphere; despair tinged with hope, and a large dose of gothicness running throughout.
For what Gundrun and 677 were trying to achieve with Hieros Gamos on 'Fetish Remix' I believe they succeeded. I would have liked to have heard a couple of numbers with beats suitable for the dancefloor, and lyrics sung in English. This would likely be conducive to more exposure for the band in America. This album was originally released in 2006, but chances are good that you never heard it. If there is one band from this area of the world that deserves to be seen and heard in the West, it's this one.