Review Summary: I'M NOT CRAZY!!!!!!!!
Gala is a mind*** of a record. It's not a mind*** because it's super primitive black metal hate noise that caused eleven hundred murders and 263 church burnings in 1993 or even because it's a 47 piece African national socialist collaborative effort who's bold avant-garde approach to writing blackened Aryan emo-drone would go on to break every single rule in music. No, it's a mind*** because it sounds like Pennywise the clown time-warped back to the sex and drug heavy years of the 60's and 70's, bought a synthesizer, did a *** ton of hallucinogens and ***ed a bunch of hippies, draconians and greys to learn some arcane, occult knowledge about the synthesizer. Fast forward to 1986 when a depressed and limp-footed Pennywise was wandering around South America while brooding over some of his previous life choices. One day, Pennywise was sitting at some goth club in Argentina called Leche while gnawing on some mediocre flank stank when he heard some equally morose goths were jamming on stage. Pennywise was like, *** yeah, pigeons, they rule, but he noticed they severely lacked a keyboardist. So Pennywise came on over, talked it over with the angsty brown people and jumped on the Euroshima mothership to deliver one of the greatest goth records of all time in Gala.
Gala is ***ing crazy man. The keyboards are not of this earth. They sound like a coven of alpha space dolphins that are harmonizing their rape a Capella routine for the alpha/beta space dolphin dance later that night. Picture a tripped out Corey Feldman and Corey Haim riding the magic school bus through the constellations. It's that kind of epic. Throw in the always eloquent Leeloo singing beautiful gibberish, a masterful planet bending guitar performance from Thel 'Vadam, throbbing bass lines from William Shatner and densely layered textures of synthesizer from Pennywise and the Modal Nodes and what you will find at the end of Rainbow Road is a masterpiece. An undisputed masterpiece that will seduce your ears and strip you of your sanity. This is legit space time war music. When the Draconians and Pleadians finally have their long awaited final countdown and fight each other to the death in the most artistic and graceful of ways, Euroshima will be there at space Ragnarok to play their melancholic psychedelia as the battle ensues.
Gala is a nine track affair that maintains a prevalent celestial atmosphere throughout it's entirety. And though it's operatic bombast you will find compelling songwriting, catchy rhythms and soothing vocals. It's the pretty girl with a personality type of deal. They're the Darkspace of goth except not quite as oppressive sounding. The eerie melodies, the distantly foreign yet approachable female vocals and bare-bones rythmn section make this a truly compelling listen. The beautiful thing about Gala is that there isn't one or even two standout tracks. They are all standout tracks in their own right thanks to strong songwriting and consistency in addition to great musical chemistry between William Shatner, Thel 'Vadam, Leeloo and the legend himself Pennywise. If you are willing to part with your sanity then I would advise you to listen to this. Easily one of the most beautiful and hypnotic albums to have come out of the 80's.
