Love Like Blood - An Irony of Fate (1992)

Love Like Blood achieves gothic greatness on the superb Irony of Fate, thanks in large part to new guitarist Mark Wheeler, who adds fantastic new layers of texture and orchestration to the band's sound. Nearly every track on AIOF is a powerful, beautifully executed gothic masterpiece, featuring the tightly wound rhythm section of Jochen Schmid and Gunnar Eysel (bass and drums, respectively), Wheeler's immaculate guitar work, and the growling vocals of singer Yorck Eysel, whose style borrows equally from twin goth icons Peter Murphy and Andrew Eldritch. Where earlier Love Like Blood efforts recall the creepy, skeletal style of early Sisters of Mercy, IOF is pure, soaring, gothic elegance with the capacity to be hard-rocking, romantic, and chilling, often all at once. Irony of Fate reflects a band operating at the peak of its skill, and, along with the subsequent Odyssee, is Love Like Blood's best work.