BRENDAN PERRY
EYE OF THE HUNTER
ALBUM 4AD RELEASE: OCTOBER 4, 1999 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 15, 1999


"Woke up this morning, set off down the road". I'll be damned if it isn't Brendan Perry crooning the Mississippi blues on "Death Will Be My Bride" like some cotton field slave on the run.
The male half of  Dead Can Dance is full of surprises. While still displaying his impressive stately classical vocal skills, he handles the singer/songwriter tradition equally well, such as when covering Tim Buckley's "I Must Have Been Blind".
Perry is on a journey into new musical territory. The symbol-laden words and synthesizer drones from the days of Dead Can Dance blend with the simpler, sincere campfire tradition of artists like Ron Sexsmith, perhaps even Leonard Cohen.
"Eye of the Hunter" doesn't call for your attention, mind you. It's quite a low key thing, introspective and calm, patiently waiting for you to notice it. Give it some time and a pair of headphones and let it gently work it's way into your mind. It's not a trip you want to miss, and for Brendan Perry, it's a matter of life and death:
"Three hours from sundown, still on the road. If I don't reach you by this time tomorrow, I'll be stone cold dead in the ground."

MATTIAS HUSS