Visage
Demons to Diamonds
Blitz Club / Control Room
2015
“Demons to Diamonds” is the new, fifth and last album of Visage! That may sound a bit weird but it all makes sense if you consider the fact that the band’s leader, composer & singer Steve Strange passed away in February 2015, while he was on vacations in Egypt. He was already working on a new Visage album since the Spring of 2014. Apart from the tragic event itself, Steve’s loss is a major hurt for the new wave synth-pop movement in general. Who hasn’t heard the band’s super classic hymn “Fade to Grey”, regardless of one’s music taste and the time era they have lived in?
“Demons to Diamonds” is the successor to the 2013 album, “Hearts and Knives”, which marked Visage’s comeback after 29 years!!! Un-freakin-believable! Thankfully, Steve’s associates decided to finish & release this album. I think it could be regarded as an ultimate & last offering to Steve’s music and to his fans around the world.
The title “Demons to Diamonds” was chosen by the family of the late Steve and it features all the studio songs that Steve was working on with Visage prior to his untimely death, which was a shock for the music community. The band was working on 15 tracks and almost half of them had been recorded before Steve’s death. The album also features musical contributions by Mick Macneil (Simple Minds) and Didier “Space” Marouani (Space), on keys & programming.
Moreover the new album includes the following covers/remakes: “Loving the Alien” by David Bowie, “Become” by Midge Ure, “Aurora” by Adam Fielding, “Before You Win”, which has a different title and it’s an alternate version of John Graham’s “Something New”, and “Your Skin is My Sin”, which is actually Bottin’s “The Poison Within” (with Steve on vocals), under a different title & a somewhat different arrangement.
“Demons to Diamonds” has that new wave/synth pop & new romantic sound that the band was known for and has also created in its early years. So I do not think that any Visage loyal fan won’t be satisfied by the final outcome. This release is indeed the last farewell to their beloved Steve Strange…
Visage has announced the release of “Darkness to Diamond” on January 8th, 2016, as well. Rather than release any singles from “Demons to Diamonds”, the band has decided to release a partner album, which will feature alternate versions / remixes / “proper” extended versions and instrumentals of the “Demons to Diamonds” songs, all created by Visage. The album features new versions of the 10 album tracks and a bonus track, the first ever “Visage Remix”. All royalties from both albums go towards the Steve Strange Collective and the Steve Statue Fund, which will establish a permanent and lasting memorial to Steve Strange, his musical style and fashion legacies.
“Demons to Diamonds” is the successor to the 2013 album, “Hearts and Knives”, which marked Visage’s comeback after 29 years!!! Un-freakin-believable! Thankfully, Steve’s associates decided to finish & release this album. I think it could be regarded as an ultimate & last offering to Steve’s music and to his fans around the world.
The title “Demons to Diamonds” was chosen by the family of the late Steve and it features all the studio songs that Steve was working on with Visage prior to his untimely death, which was a shock for the music community. The band was working on 15 tracks and almost half of them had been recorded before Steve’s death. The album also features musical contributions by Mick Macneil (Simple Minds) and Didier “Space” Marouani (Space), on keys & programming.
Moreover the new album includes the following covers/remakes: “Loving the Alien” by David Bowie, “Become” by Midge Ure, “Aurora” by Adam Fielding, “Before You Win”, which has a different title and it’s an alternate version of John Graham’s “Something New”, and “Your Skin is My Sin”, which is actually Bottin’s “The Poison Within” (with Steve on vocals), under a different title & a somewhat different arrangement.
“Demons to Diamonds” has that new wave/synth pop & new romantic sound that the band was known for and has also created in its early years. So I do not think that any Visage loyal fan won’t be satisfied by the final outcome. This release is indeed the last farewell to their beloved Steve Strange…
Visage has announced the release of “Darkness to Diamond” on January 8th, 2016, as well. Rather than release any singles from “Demons to Diamonds”, the band has decided to release a partner album, which will feature alternate versions / remixes / “proper” extended versions and instrumentals of the “Demons to Diamonds” songs, all created by Visage. The album features new versions of the 10 album tracks and a bonus track, the first ever “Visage Remix”. All royalties from both albums go towards the Steve Strange Collective and the Steve Statue Fund, which will establish a permanent and lasting memorial to Steve Strange, his musical style and fashion legacies.