PETER MURPHY DUST ALBUM METROPOLIS RELEASE: APRIL, 2002 REVIEW: MAY 22, 2002

There's one thing you can say about Peter Murphy, he is enigmatic. After the triumph of 1995's "Cascade", I felt that he could do no wrong. Then came "Recall" in 1998. This release was one of the worst things I'd ever heard and I found myself thinking, has he completely lost it? His double live album (2001's "Alive Just for Love") restored some of my faith in him but still, it was a live album and not something truly new.
My belief in what this man is capable of has been completely restored with this new studio album; his first in over six years. If you are looking for the stylised rock/pop which characterised his other studio albums, do not bother with this one. This album is immersed in Turkish tradition and instrumentation, it does not sound like a typical Peter Murphy CD. The sheer atmospheric wonder of this album is something which is jaw-droppingly excellent.
It's hard to pick one song over another off of this disc but if I had to I would choose "Fake Sparkle or Golden Dust", "Just for Love" and "Your Face". The two final tracks of the album are remakes of previously released songs: "My Last Two Weeks" and "Subway (Epilogue)". Both are lightyears away from what they had been before.
One need not worry about Peter Murphy being able to re-invent himself ever again, this is his boldest leap forward ever.

PETER MARKS