Industrial Goth star Emilie Autumn is finally invading the U.S. with her second studio album, “Opheliac: The Deluxe Edition.”
This album was previously available only as an import from Europe, but now that Autumn has an American record label she is finally able to release the album in the states.
The opening song, “Opheliac,” begins with a melancholic harpsichord intro, which eventually leads into the first verse of the song; as the tension in the verse increases, Autumn’s mellow vocals turn into painful shrieks.
The lyrics of the song are based upon William Shakespeare’s character Ophelia, and turns her name into a disease which by Autumn’s definition is to be abnormally obsessed with someone.
The next track, “Swallow,” is probably the only “poppy” song on the album. On the whole it really has no classical influences, it has some nice drum beats and could serve as a decent dance song, the song serves as a nice break from the drama of the first track.
“Liar” starts off with an awesome distorted violin intro before some industrial arrangements kick in. The song is very angry, as Autumn yells the word “liar” in the chorus, and sings the line “I want to mix your blood and put it in the ground so you can never leave.”
The next song, “The Art of Suicide,” is highly classical with almost no electronic embellishments, and the lyrics are very sad: “Why live a life/ that’s painted with pity and sadness and strife/ why live a life.” In this song, the classical side of Autumn is on full display, as she proves that she does not need to hide behind an industrial track to truly shine.
Unlike “Suicide,” the song “I Want My Innocence Back” is a purely goth/industrial song with no classical influence and shows off the creepy side of Autumn, complete with black metal growls that would make anyone’s spine tingle. This is probably the weakest song on the album mostly because what follows is just exceptionally impressive.
“Misery Loves Company,” the stand-out track, starts with a catchy synth that is soon joined by the harpsichord and violin. The fast-paced first verse is a nice lead-in to the slow melodic chorus. Later in the track, Autumn has a little fun as she harmonizes her voice with multiple others, and the track ends with both of the classical instruments playing in perfect harmony.
“Shallot” is another incredible classically influenced song, based on Tennyson’s poem “The Lady of Shalott.” Autumn shows some humor in the lyrics, such as Lady Elaine’s concern about a drama queen (Autumn) writing a song about her.
The next track, “Gothic Lolita,” leaves Autumn sounding very morose instead of angry, which is a nice change and gives the album more variety. In the lyrics, Autumn sings about how a man tormented her very deeply as a child, singing: “The law won’t arrest you the world won’t detest you/ I’m not even legal/ I’m just a dead little girl.” Autumn herself has said she will never sing this song live because it is far too painful.
The final track on the album, “Let the Record Show,” starts of with Autumn singing in a way that you will either like or dislike. What really lifts this song is the beautiful violin lines and the chorus.
Since this album is “The Deluxe Edition,” it comes with a second disc that includes new material not on the original European release of the album.
The second disc starts off with the very sarcastic track “Thank God I’m Pretty,” in which Autumn is singing about the curse of being a beautiful woman: “Thank God I’m pretty/every skill I’ve ever had will be in question.”
The next track, “306,” is truly scary, a song about the very well known killer Jack the Ripper. Autumn is singing from the perspective of one of his victims watching from her grave as he kills more and more women. The lyrics are accompanied by a very dark industrial beat.
The final track on the second disc, “Marry Me,” yet again displays Autumn’s sick, yet hilarious sense of humor as she sings about arranged marriages back in the Victorian era and how “awesome” they are. In the end, she reveals that most of those marriages ended with the wife having the child of her non-marital lover.
This album is true art in every sense of the word. “Opeliac: The Deluxe Edition,” is a must listen for any of those who are lovers of true musicianship.