The nineties had a lot of lessons to teach us, namely that too much Goth Rock is not good for a scene and the excesses of the decade help reduce the scene from its glory days of the eighties to a scene that’s not so much underground as an alternative to alternative scenes. But while bands choose to forgo that lesson risk getting labelled as a rip-off of The Sisters of Mercy, the bands of this day and age that aim for the label goth rock and wear it like a badge, mark and scar of honour then to be far superior to their predecessors from twenty years ago. Pentavision are one of these bands.

“Crazy Drivers Road” pitches us squarely in goth rock territory with graceful and practiced precision. “Judgment Day” breaks out the organ-like keyboards and the hard drumming as it ruminates over misanthropy and depression. “End of Earth” shows its love for tribal drumming, bass solos and crazy Bauhaus moaning, but catches only some of the proper post energy. “Counterforce” is a brooding affair spelling doom approaching in ways that remind you of the better early nineties goth bands like Rosetta Stone or Ancient Tales. “Miracle” takes a Darkwave edge as it falls into despair.

“H.O.M.E on L7” takes a science fiction slant and winds up feeling like something of a kid’s sci-fi show theme that The March Violets might have produced with excellent drumming and a bass solo to go with. “Energy Goes Down” is a song of lust that sounds like The March Violets meets Bauhaus in one of their more evil and perverse moments. So as you can imagine, because of its twisted, bitter atmosphere, it’s one of the better songs of lust out there. “Valley of Narcotics” drones on about drugs and damage that is about as lively as a junkie when they aren’t high but does have some subtle shades of grey. “Join Us!” is a whiny dirge that doesn’t have the self-respect to hold its head high. But goth rock albums can be expected to end on a downer. It’s their way.

“Crazy Drivers Road (Edit)” innovates somewhat from the original track while “End of Earth (Warrior Version)” is much more tribal and bass oriented then the album version. “Counterforce (Edit)” is not that different from the first “Counterforce” track, so I have to ask what it’s doing on the final release. “Miracle (Classic Demon Version)” starts off by tearing up the floorboards but then cools off and gets its synth on. H.O.M.E. on L7 (Satellite Version) still sounds like a sci-fi theme show, but comes closer to its March Violets inspiration.

There’s not much surprises to be had here, just some quality goth rock with some song edits taped on at the end. Handy if you know an old-school goth with a birthday coming up and you’re still trying to work out what to get them.