PERFIDIOUS WORDS FEEL LIKE ME ALBUM+DVD TRISOL RELEASE: AUGUST 28, 2009 REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

Mentioning Depeche Mode in the same breath as Perfidious Words is as inevitable as it is obvious. Drazen Kostelac and Lars Rohnstock have had to battle that demon since their start in the mid-nineties. Rohnstock's baritone does resemble that of a certain Gahan and they have musically resided in "Violator" territory on quite a few releases. Still they sometimes manage to tweek their sound to vertiginous heights.

"Feel Like Me" is only the third proper Perfidious Words album, following the grand "Spreading the Silence" from 2002. After a long hiatus, the duo decided to take on song writing again a few years ago, finally resulting in a very varied output. Much like Depeche Mode and Camouflage, they use two vocalists and Kostelac does a great job of handling a few of the ballads on "Feel Like Me".

In terms of the music, they have incorporated more acoustic elements this time, all of which merge beautifully with the electronic foundation. Sometimes gritty, sometimes fragile, Perfidious Words master the whole song writing spectrum, seemingly without much effort. The album should, if properly marketed, have a chance to reach an audience outside the synthpop crowd.

As a bonus, we are treated to a rather exquisite DVD disc on this release as well. Music videos, a full concert and an exclusive acoustic performance should be more than enough to send their fans running (surfing?) for the record shops. Hopefully, "Feel Like Me" will be successful, but I'm afraid it won't liberate Perfidious Words from the Depeche Mode complex.

NIKLAS FORSBERG