Erato has returned with their third self-released album called? ‘III’. This Belgian band has made the typical new wave / gothic rock-sound from the 80’s their personal trademark. Erato isn’t however afraid to make use of new electronic sounds to spice up their sound a bit. Besides that they have also added a high female voice to support the refrains.
‘III’ opens with a classic gothrock song ‘Not my God’. The Sisters of Mercy couldn’t have done this any better; nice guitar parts, a deep voice and a strong rhythm. Even when this song sounds typical 80’s, Erato still makes sure they don’t sound out of date or like a Sisters of Mercy clone. This is the strength of the band, they make classic 80’s gothrock in a fresh contemporary way. Another good track on this album is ‘Resurrection’, which could well become a clubhit, a up-tempo song with a heavy mechanical beat and a very strong refrain. The more electronic side of Erato is shown in ‘Living’ in which the guitars are only heard softly in the background. This song is a dark electronic dancetrack with hints of modern electro pop, but still has a new wave feeling to it, which is done very nicely.
This new album is another step forward for Erato. Although their previous album ‘The Irreplaceable One’ was good this record proves the band is still evolving. The songwriting on ‘III’ is much stronger than before. This is mainly due to the fact that the songs are better composed and structured. It will probably only be a matter of time before Erato will get some more recognition. ‘III’ is in any way one huge step forward for this band.
