I give southern California-based goth rock troopers Mephisto Walz every bit of credit that I can find from their latest release, Insidious, for upholding the true spirit of Christian Death (of which Walz instrumentalist Bari-Bari, t/n Barry Galvin, was once a member), but they seem to be running out of breathing room. Certain of the song concepts work really well--in "A Magic Bag," the first track, singer Christianna tells this story:

"William likes his suffering
All the attention-love it brings
Club to club he revels 'round
Another fool for the lost and found
William is a serious guy
Carries a sword by his side
Tied with twine to a ragged string
His idea of a wedding ring

"A magic bag suddenly appears
Plastic straws like rabbit ears
Carved bone dice across the bed
He took his coat, covered up his head
And to his made up gods he cried
Give me another place to hide
William likes his many friends
Lives his life to meet their ends"
...

We definitely want to hear more about pagan lost souls like William, who perfectly mirrors so many among us--the dice-carrying, Medieval sword-wielding, RenFaire-going, role-playing gamer, who can't seem to figure out which world he really belongs in. Sound familiar, anyone? (I assume, too, speaking of Christian Death, that in an alternate sense there's no intended reference here to poor Rozz Williams?) "Nightingale," an interpolation of lines from "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats, and Handel's "Ombra Mai Fu" aria, rendered on synth with a guest vocalist, make up the last two tracks. But Keats and Handel can't save the fact that MW could use a few shots in the arm. This CD, and their genre in general, are awfully close to falling into a formulaic rut, as the particular Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance influences they employ here and there sound less and less refreshing. The sixth track, "I Want," which has a chorus that strongly recalls Berlin's "Riding On the Metro," would indicate to some that MW are in desperate need of some new musical DNA. And it could be said that, by handling all of their own recording and arranging, MW are staying true to the punk-rock, do-it-yourself ethos in which they were initially forged as a band (not to mention staying within budget, always a legitimate concern). Still, a session drummer (for example) would have bolstered their production significantly (fellow Christian Death alum drummer David Glass makes an appearance on "One Last Day," but that's it). Make no mistake, the songwriting and overall pacing of Insidious is great, and those MW fans whose hindsight is less than 20/20 will be immune to any cliches. But we all still deserve better, and should rather see them break the mould next time around.