Connect with us

Editorials

The Dark Majesty of Depeche Mode’s ‘Playing the Angel’

Published

on

In October of 2005, UK electronic group Depeche Mode released their 11th studio album in the form of Playing the Angel. Featuring 12 brand new tracks and coming four years after their previous release Exciter, Playing the Angel was the #1 album in several countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden, peaking at #7 in the United States.

I love Depeche Mode and while I knew of many of their songs before I listened to this album, Playing the Angel was my gateway into their discography. Furthermore, I have absolutely no qualms or hesitations in saying that it lands high up on my personal Top 10 Albums of All Time list. So, for no reason other than the fact that I love this album, let’s dive headfirst into Playing the Angel.

The first track I heard from the album was the single “Suffer Well”, which hooked me through its infectious beat and strangely disjointed synths. Dave Gahan swoons and careens his vocals, hypnotizing and entrancing with every syllable. From there, I somehow stumbled across a stream of “Macro”, which I have to admit made me feel uneasy and almost afraid. It was this track that made me realize Playing the Angel was a different kind of beast, something I wasn’t used to hearing from Depeche Mode. So, in the spirit of it being 2005, I went and bought the CD. Being able to hear the album from beginning to end is what ensured that this album would remain a favorite of mine.

From start to end, the album has no filler tracks. It’s one of those albums that you put in, hit ‘Play’, and let it play from beginning to end. For me, it’s a journey of beautiful tones, unsettling melodies, and flat out excellent music. It’s one amazing song after another, from the shocking, almost abrasive opening of “A Pain That I’m Used To” to the pulsating “Precious”, the ethereal instrumental “Introspectre” to the haunting “The Darkest Star”, which, side note, was featured in the Alan Wake DLC “The Writer”.

Speaking of creepy games, one of the things I notice every time I listen to Playing the Angel is how much “horror” is in each track. There are these subtle tones and sounds in the background of every song that creates an air of unease, permeating the track from within. It takes multiple listens to begin peeling back these layers and exposing the darkness contained inside but the trek is a magnificent one. There are few albums where I feel that I hear something new every time I pop it on but Playing the Angel is certainly one of those.

The album is known by many for seeing the band utilize a more organic, analog sound, which I can agree with. There is a depth and texture to the music that feels warm and safe. Many electronic albums have a very harsh air about them, making them difficult to listen to for long periods at a time. I don’t feel this is present at all with Playing the Angel. Rather, once I put it on, I find that I have issues shutting it off. I put the album on repeat and let it go, sometimes for hours at a time.

Depeche Mode have a long and storied career. When this album came out, it was nearly 25 years since the release of their first album Speak & Spell and a dozen years after their wildly successful Songs of Faith & Devotion. For many bands with that amount of time behind them, it’s easy for fans to question if anything new is going to actually be interesting or if it will be rote and predictable.

For me, I say that Depeche Mode released an album that will become the dark horse of their career, one that people will look back upon and recognize its genius. Until that day, I’ll sit back and enjoy it in my own way, darkly and fully.

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading