The change between The Sisters Of Mercy’s second album ‘Floodland’ and its follow-up ‘Vision Thing’ is apparent from the moment the album kicks off. The reverb-heavy gothic atmosphere of the former had been exchanged for a drier production and a riff-oriented approach. With four people credited with playing guitar on the album, ‘Vision Thing’ shifts the emphasis from gothic to rock here. Of course, with this being The Sisters Of Mercy, it’s not your standard rock album – it’s almost a parodic take on the genre at times – but it’s the hardest rocking material the band around Andrew Eldritch released thus far.

Atmosphere has not been sacrificed entirely here, however. ‘Vision Thing’ just sounds a lot more direct and ironic than The Sisters Of Mercy had ever done in the past. Eldritch, who was essentially running the band on his own by the time the album was recorded, never felt too comfortable with the gothic rock tag anyway and his reaction to the legendary goth album that was ‘Floodland’ seemed to be coming up with material that was the mirror opposite of the album. His characteristic deep vocals prevent it from becoming completely unrecognizable, but ‘Vision Thing’ is mostly built upon simple, beefy guitar riffs.

Somehow, Eldritch and his production team seemed to squeeze the most out of these uncomplicated riffs. Such simplicity, especially with the use of the band’s trusted drum computer Doktor Avalanche, would result in mind-numbing boredom at the hands of others. ‘Doctor Jeep’, for instance, makes use of one simple riff and a modulated chorus, but perfectly manages to portray the boredom with mass media that appears in the lyrics. Despite containing three riffs, the title track is another monument of less-is-more, working towards its cathartic chorus through agitated observations courtesy of Eldritch surprisingly effectively.

‘Floodland’ producer Jim Steinman was brought in exclusively for ‘More’, the only keyboard-centered song on the album. The song ended up sounding nothing like ‘Floodland’ though, despite being the most gothic track on here. If there is a thing like soul goth, that’s what it would be. The album’s parodical nature shines brightest in the eighties glam-inspired ‘When You Don’t See Me’, which has a massive and remarkably enjoyable chorus, cliché-ridden as it might be. The reissue reveals the fitting working title of the song was ‘Bon Jovi’. Highlighting the album, however, is the deranged ‘Ribbons’, with its propulsive riff and borderline disturbing lyrics.

If The Sisters Of Mercy prove anything on ‘Vision Thing’, it is that parodying rock music by embracing everything that makes it ridiculous in a delightfully sarcastic manner could result in a surprisingly effective rock album. One that fans of the genre who do not share Eldritch’s sentiments may enjoy as well. Those who fell in love with the band through ‘Floodland’ may be surprised by how prominent the guitars of Andreas Bruhn and Tim Bricheno are on ‘Vision Thing’, but anyone looking for a bitterly ironic rock album that somehow is very listenable do not need to look any further.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ribbons’, ‘Doctor Jeep’, ‘When You Don’t See Me’