Mephisto Waltz represent a classic type of gothic rock for quite some years now. The band was formed by Barry Galvin in 1985 after he left Christian Death. This single contains two solid tracks. The classic goth guitars sound haunting, the voice of female vocalist Christianna fit the music nicely, she varies very well between a sweet and a robust style. Especially ‘Nightingale’ is an excellent song, with a clear, almost poppy melody and gradually building up to a climax with a dense sound. I makes me think of various other songs and artists, without being able to name them. It certainly has (underground) hit potential. ‘Witches Gold’ is a little faster track, but it appeals to me somewhat less, it’s more chaotic and rocking, I prefer the more ethereal aspects of ‘Nightingale’. All in all a single with a traditional sound but a fresh performance by this veteran act.
As usual with Fossil Dungeon releases the presentation is worthwhile: the limited single comes in a nice fold-out sleeve with lyrics inside, and is pressed on white vinyl. There also exists a cd version of this single.