Leaving Babylon

I’m such a huge fan of Covenant, having come from the 80’s with a huge love for bands like Depeche Mode, Camouflage, Reallife, New Order, etc. To me, Covenant is one of the last hold outs who still play that quirky 80’s style of music on a mainstream level and continues to avoid becoming cliché. Even with their latest album, Leaving Babylon, even though it sounds very throwback, I can’t help but love it. 

 

If you’re like me and loved old school 80’s New Wave Electonica then you’re going to love Leaving Babylon. Take any of the bands up there, throw in Nitzer Ebb, Front Line Assembly, whoever, and you’re going to find some throwback love on the album. What I especially loved about it is that every song is kind of an homage to where the music began but it also has a current sound, thanks most likely to advances in mixing and what not.

 

Lyrically it’s the same dark themed idea’s that prospered in the late 70’s, all through the 80’s, and even reaching as far into the mid 90’s. Love is the motivator from dying in a lovers arms to a tragic sounding, but all together positive, love note for one and only one. At times I felt like the album was a Peter Murphy or David Bowie record written by Martin L. Gore and produced by a time traveling EBM’r from today. 

 

The album is also great in the fact that the third or fourth time I listened to it I had simply thrown it on while doing some chores around the house and felt instantly at ease with it, really from the get go. It’s a familiar brand of music that’s nostalgic and comforting to me, especially in this day and age where music has all but turned to shit. Great beats, you can listen or ignore, and some awesome vocals. Even though, as mentioned before, it does sound a bit throwback, Covenant delivers yet another masterpiece.