Released 41 years ago on this day (4 April 1984) ... the second (& second last) studio album to feature founding member Rozz Williams - 'Catastrophe Ballet' by cult gothic rock band, Christian Death. Besides founder Rozz Williams, the lineup on the album is completely different from the band's debut, Only Theatre of Pain, and is the first record to feature future band leader Valor Kand. This and the follow-up record Ashes would be the final releases to feature Williams before his departure in mid 1985.
Catastrophe Ballet, featured a change in Williams' vocal delivery. While Only Theatre of Pain and the Deathwish EP had Williams presenting a rhythmic spoken word style with an almost androgynous pitch to his voice, Catastrophe Ballet showed a richer, less harsh side to his vocal stylings, with more influence from David Bowie and Lou Reed. Rather than the occult-oriented lyrics from the first album, the singer showed a new-found interest in Surrealism and the Dada movement. Kand, Demone and Glass shared these interests, and the synergy between them helped cultivate the musical change from the old band's murky, dark punk to a more elegant, romantic strain of guitar-driven rock, though a tribalistic drumming was also added into the mix.
In memory of Rozz who departed this mortal coil 25 years ago on April 1, 1998 aged just 34 †