Various Artists - Songs in the Key of Death

I first heard about this compilation through the hot musical stylings of Everything Goes Cold - the current project of Eric Gottesman (Psyclon Nine, Ayria, See Colin Slash). Not only did I want to get my hands on a new EGC track (as we're all still waiting for "I’ve Sold Your Organs on the Black Market to Finance the Purchase of a Used Minivan" to be made publicly available), but the idea of an entire CD filled with songs all called "Deathkey" was pretty intriguing.

I wasn't disappointed. This is one of those albums where you can just tell these artists really enjoyed putting together tracks for this project. From tongue-in-cheek references to the insides of the goth/industrial scene ("Is Metropolis really going bankrupt?", "I'm on the Side-line boards!", etc.) to general mayhem (such as Unter Null's cover of "Gangsta's Paradise"), this album is filled with moments of hilarity to the careful listener.

While it's not the most brilliantly produced work (some of the tracks could have been mastered a bit better) it's definitely a breath of fresh air to a genre that tends to take itself far too seriously.

Suggested Tracks:
"Deathkey" (The Gothsicles)
"Deathkey" (Everything Goes Cold)
"Deathkey" (Unter Null)