"Spiritchaser" is also a very earthy, sexual CD for me. As the liner notes state, there is a belief that organic instruments, made from living creatures, then contain part of the soul of the creature and make each instrument the voice of the soul from which it was created. That kind of reverence permeates the eight songs on "Spiritchaser," where the sounds and the voices seem to manage to seep into the listener's essence, touching hearts as gently as they touch minds. (Although you have to smile as the song "Indus" gracefully references George Harrison's "Within You Without You.") To close, "Spiritchaser" is the kind of CD you listen to when you wish to have an environment that surrounds and envelops you.

PS. I will heartily recommend this CD to fans of Delerium, Deep Forest and earlier Enigma, even though they are only marginally related.


the Dead apparently CAN Dance!   September 7, 2004
Clarissa (Ontario, California)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

This being the last album with all new material by Dead Can Dance you expect nothing but great things from this incredibly gifted duo who has transcended music as we know it, and even though some seem a little disappointed in their final offering, I feel that they have not let us fans down at all. Sure, this specific record may not be a crowning achievement, such as the powerful Renaissance of 'Aion' or the Gothic beauty of 'Within the Realm of a Dying Sun' are but I enjoy 'Spiritchaser' immensely. The melodies are still moody and atmospheric, only a bit more upbeat than usual, exuding soundwaves of hypnotic energy, and I simply can't get enough of these songs laden with percussion and a vast array of other influences too. But perhaps I am biased as I do prefer Brendan Perry over Lisa Gerrard and he's heard quite frequently here. Now don't get me wrong, I love them both and like how they balance each other out so well but whenever Brendan Perry starts singing I go into some kind of a trance. Chills race throughout my entire body - especially when he talks over the music, like on "Song Of The Stars". Lisa, however, is truly unique and haunts me with her deep, resonating vocals that seem to soar up into the heavens above. And given the name Dead Can Dance it's no wonder this album would center on how some cultures used to sacrifice living beings so that their soul would become a part of the instrument; otherwise known as the "singing dead".


The Unfortunate End   February 3, 2000
DAC Crowell (Rankin, IL United States)
26 out of 28 found this review helpful

This is supposed to be Dead Can Dance's final work...which is very unfortunate, as "Spiritchaser" sees DCD breaking some amazing new ground here which cries out for further exploration by Perry and Gerrard. On this release, the Mideastern and European tinges fade away, to be replaced with a vibrant focus on Caribbean, Native American, African, and Indian directions that promised so much...had the duo gone on to work with them further. Everything on here is a standout track; there are no duds, really. And the control they exhibit here over their studiocraft is as impeccable as was found on "Aion". That release, this one, and "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" are the ones to get for starters, but unlike "Within...", this album is so much a fully-composed listening experience that begs to be play from start to finish. It just irritates me no end that this is where DCD decided to call it quits. There seems so much unfinished from the strength of this album...


We stretch among the stars...   June 20, 2002
spiral_mind (Pennsylvania)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

World musicians in the truest sense of the words, Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard transcend all manner of eras, genres and continents. Take a spin through the Dead Can Dance catalogue and you'll go from exploring Baroque cathedrals to dark Eastern forests to chants from the valley of the Gwangi. So considering everything they've done, it makes sense that their final album Spiritchaser is also their most universal and timeless. This music isn't quite attached to a specific time or place. It could have been played around bonfires by African tribesmen before the dawn of our civilization. It could have come from European mystics in the time of the Renaissance, South American cultures in the middle ages, goths in a dark underground club in modern America.. maybe even by tribal cavemen scattered through Gondwana before our continents of today were even made (if such people existed; hey, use a little imagination here).

As always with DCD, Spiritchaser isn't a collection of songs so much as a personal listening experience. The ambience is just as important as the notes themselves. In contrast to their previous work, they slowly drone through one easy groove after another for eight or ten minutes at a stretch. And by 'drone' I don't mean numbing the listener to sleep through sheer boredom; I mean weaving exotic beats and sounds together, one layer at a time, at a slow easy pace. Music is never boring - boredom is in the mind of the listener.

That being said, this isn't the kind of music everyone will give their full attention to. This is probably better to work to, to relax or read or sleep or meditate. It's hypnotic, it's mystical, it's transcendental, it draws you in slowly with its own spell rather than grabbing your ears from the start. This isn't the light world-beat stuff you hear from new age artists, this is as earthy and real as the ground beneath our feet.

One last note. Though opinions are varied as to which DCD album is their finest, it's pretty safe to say that their first (self-titled) album and their last (this one) are not the best ones to look into if you're new to the group. I'd recommend Spiritchaser if you have at least two of the others already, and if you're willing to give it a few good listens before making a judgment. Each time you'll hear something you didn't before.


Don't believe the naysayers   October 2, 2004
J. Lee (California)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I have been a fan of DCD for a long time and own all their records. I think that they got better and better as they went on (though their solo efforts have been poor). When I first listened to Spiritchaser, I was kind of disspointed, and didn't really like it that much, because I expected something else. I think that's human nature. But guess what? Its my favorite album of theirs, and one of my favorite albums of all time. Its one of those albums that seep into you, an album that you have to listen to with a kind of open heart, and one that does a kind of unforced meditative breathing, if you let it.

Contrary to what some think, DCD lost none of their edge in this album. Rather the edge is more focused, and directed at meditative self-reflection, rather than dionysian spiritual flight, a fitting end to a very fruitful collaboration.

Perhaps most impressive is that as a band's last effort, DCD was able to move in a very new musical direction, and do it so well. As a song writer, I've learned that one of the most difficult things to do as a writer is to avoid repeating yourself. You become locked into certain rhythms, melodic patterns, and even arrangements.

Finally, I would like to mention one last thing I think particularly important: this album shows more signs of genuine collaboration between Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard than their immediately previous albums, which seemed largely to have been separate efforts put on one album. I like that.