CLAN OF XYMOX THERE'S NO TOMORROW SINGLE PANDAIMONIUM, METROPOLIS RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2002 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 5, 2002

So here it is, the latest entry in the ongoing saga that is Clan of Xymox. This single clocks in at over 40 minutes long, so one would think that getting their money's worth is assured right?
Just maybe.
"There's No Tomorrow" comes in six, count them, six different versions. Let's dissect them, shall we? The album version is a solid techno-based deviant that features samples from Roman Polanski's masterful film "Bitter Moon". One might think that frontman Ronny Moorings has gone through some personal catastrophe as the lyrics are even bleaker than he usually writes them. The Frozen Autumn version of this track is a tedious seven plus minute exercise in monotony. My favourite Polish band on Earth, Fading Colours deliver a mix that is utterly uninspired. Run Level Zero try to give the song a nice eighties feel and over-indulge their influences completely.
We then get to the club version of the song which is very well done indeed. Probably because Moorings himself did it. The radio edit follows and makes the song a very poppy affair. The two additional new tracks on this single are quite fabulous. "Courageous" perhaps has more meaning for the band itself than what the words imply in the song. Again, techno-based and aggressive as hell. "The Second Time" certainly aims for the "classic" sound of the Clan but comes out sounding more akin to the "Phoenix of My Heart" period of Xymox.
The main thing to notice about this single is how much it has in common with Xymox's final album "Headclouds". Could it be that Clan of Xymox are about to shorten their name once more? I certainly would hope so. They appear to have painted themselves into a corner by shamelessly endorsing themselves as as "g*th" band. The new album should be quite interesting indeed to hear. The diversity that I loved about Xymox is slowly creeping back into Ronny Mooring's work. I hope it continues.

PETER MARKS