Xmal Deutschland Fetisch (CD Format)

Xmal Deutschland blended the gloomy beauty of Siouxsie & The Banshees with the ethereal guitars of Cocteau Twins and Joy Division’s ability to channel gloom. “Qual” opens the band's 1983 debut, Fetisch, with Anja Huwe cooly singing in her native German over a driving rhythm bolstered by Manuela Rickers’ grinding guitar work and what sound like lasers blasting from Fiona Sangster’s synthesizers. The brooding, menacing bass line of the mechanical “Young Man” wobbles between staccato guitars and primal percussion. The standout track “Orient” features Burundi-esque drums (de rigueur in the early '80s) amid echoing, Siouxsie-like howls. Sangster leans on more '60s-style organ tones on the instrumental “In der Nacht”; they rub against the chilling '80s synth ambience for a perfect contrast.